Magic City Neighbors Episode 12 - Police Chief Vince Morber

Join your hosts, Josh and Jack, as they bring you an exclusive interview with the  Barberton Police Chief, Vince Morber. In this episode, Chief Morber shares insights into his life, from his humble beginnings in Barberton to his inspiring journey in law enforcement. There's great stories of service, community building, and camaraderie that make the Barberton Police Department stand out from other departments in the area. We've got laughter, wisdom, and a deep sense of community spirit in this episode that shows why Barberton is the great community that it is. Barberton is more than just a town—it's a vibrant, caring, and united neighborhood that shines bright as the Magic City! Hit play and get ready to be entertained! ✨🚓🎙️

Transcript

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Hey, everyone. It is Josh. And we're back with another episode of Magic City. Neighbors On the Mic Across from us, we have Barberton Police Chief Vince Morber Now, I already checked. He's not going to get rid of my parking tickets for me, but he's got some pretty cool information, so stay tuned You're listening. The Magic City neighbors on the mic, where we talk to your Barberton neighbors about their stories, their insights and what gets them laughing. Make sure to like, share and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And now to the show. As Josh stated before, he's right here. I'm Jack, and thank you for being here today. Thanks. Good to be here. Good. So we've got big questions. Okay. Not we're not going to be too intimidating about this because you have the gun and know that's you hold the power, correct? Correct. We have the mics and we have the editing power. But once again, so what is your kind of background? Because they don't think many people know that. And what made you say, Hey, I want to be a police officer? Background Barberton native grew up on the east side and fourth came from a service family. So mom Mom was a nurse until she started to have in all of us. There's four of us and there's a fireman, so. And Dave's a barber and fireman. So yeah, my mom was a nurse at the hospital for ten years in our end. So. Yeah. So just nothing ever left here? No, no, that's apples and trees. So. So when you started when you said, okay, police the police throughout as the wearing to go was chief a goal. Was it I mean did you because I kind of I someone told me years ago they're like yeah I missed a couple of meetings and I show up and I'm like, Hey, here's your new job. Wait a minute now. How did that kind of know? I really didn't want to be a police officer per se, you know, wasn't one of those kids. I have always wanted to be a police officer since seven years old. That was not me. no, really. You know, you go to St Augustine's and say, Mary, you grew up to, you know, a job to take care of others. I suppose so. Brothers and sisters all ended up doing service jobs, professions, ones, a a nurse, a nurse practitioner, one was a special educator and then being an administrator and my brother's a fireman now. So yeah, examples, you know, children learn what they live, right? So it was just kind of natural. You go to school. I was one school was a teacher. I was teaching and just taken police and fire tests along the way. I think I took some post office test. I wanted a job. So when I told my mom, I told some of my friends, you know that. Yeah. You know, not, you know, that was going to be a police officer, like really fence her like, yeah, I mean, that wasn't devil, but I definitely wasn't always a choir boy growing up, so. But I had a lot of good examples of police officers in my life. You know, looking back, they a lot of them were coaches. And Mr. McCullagh and Dick McCullough, again, was basketball coach Ernie Pankow, Dania Decker. And my neighbor was Bill Pifer. Pete Mauer lived around the corner, so you got to see them all. Bob looks at her church. All those good guys, you know, leaves somebody out. I'm sure. I'm sorry, but I'm sure. Look, I'm sure they will. They'll they'll let me know at the next FOMC meeting. So. Yeah, more engagement. But yeah, so, but it took the test. They called and I said sure. Sounds like fun. Drive fast, take chances. Good company car. So. So before we before we started recording, you made a comment about what being chief is now. To a certain extent. I'm an accountant with a gun on on most days I have to administrate. Sure. You know, sure. I mean, that's it's part of it. Your accounts payable receivable Fleet manager. I have we have really good people. Excellent people. I can't say enough about the men and women who I work with. So and they do a lot. But obviously my job is to make sure that they have what they need to do their job. So that makes sense. So speaking of, I wanted to ask kind of a different question and then the normal police question, I guess I would say, and it's you have I mean, obviously being the police chief, you hear a lot of stuff come across the radio there. Right. What is something that you think citizens in Barberton can do better or differently to change the community as whether it be from a police standpoint, from a family standpoint, what's something you see maybe best thing, be a good neighbor. True of truly the golden rule still applies. It sounds so simple and a lot of times people, you know, on the calls we go on, they care what they see when they look out their front window, Right? So you don't have to change the whole world. Just change the world around you that you touch. It doesn't hurt anything to be kind, to be nice, to help each other out, show each other some grace, get to know one another. I mean, really, that's that's community building in its essence. And if we all did that to the people who we touch on four sides or album sides. Sure. You know, cool. I think we would make strides in our community and know each other and, you know, have to be best buds. But you know, how are you? You know and know their name. Yeah. And just, you know, a little chitchat and in care. You okay? You know. Hi. It's it's it's right. Yeah. True. Right? Yeah. makes a huge difference if you see it. If you see a problem, you know, feel free to call. We don't mind, you know, I know you guys are social media. Sometimes. I think social media is like, I see something. I'll just tell the world, but not tell somebody who could. Right. I mean, or put it out 2 hours later and poof, the moments pass. There's nothing, you know, exposed facto any of us can do. Right. So. Right. Yeah. Be engaged. The example that I always gives, if you go to a doctor and say, Hey, three weeks ago, he. Exactly. Yes. Right. I mean, engage with you guys, too. Absolutely. Sure. How's it going? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Engage with one another and. And us, obviously. All right. Sure, sure. I think Jack's going to talk about that next, so. Yeah, I'm going to just throw it to him then. So leading into that burdens police presence seems a lot more familiar and interactive with the community than like some others, which I guess I don't really know. It's I've been outside of over here much, but they seem to have they're doing something right. And do you think that's intentional? I think it's it's a natural byproduct of the people that make up the Boston Police Department who have and who do and who will. Every department has a culture. Every every office space has a culture. You guys are laughing her earlier. You have a you have a cool culture, right? And I was raised in that culture to be a part of this community to care about it. We don't work for the Barberton Police Department. We are the Barberton Police Department. There's an ownership and a pride and I don't do this on my own. I want to make that really clear. All of us work together and when we hire, we hire jointly. We we hire for character. We can train pretty much a monkey to take a report. We don't want to be report takers, but we want good quality character people who care and try to do well for others. And so you hire for character, right? Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, right. And I will say, you know, obviously we hear a lot of we're in the complaint business. We get that. But there's a lot of people who truly support and parts and truly support the bar and police department and and tell us that on a regular basis. So so thanks thanks to each of you out there who don't you know it's interesting because I even saw it like recently at the mom fest, you see officers probably I would say 75, 80% of them engaging with so many people around, whereas you go to other departments and you go to other festivals and you see someone standing their fingers in the best glasses, glasses, so you don't even know if they're awake or not. Yeah, and it's a very different vibe. It really there's a very different presence of that friendliness. Instead of that, I don't want to call it intimidation, but that patrol, it made it. It makes a difference. It does. It does. And I was raised that way in this department. So by, you know, my mentors and training officers and my sergeants and lieutenants. And you knew what the expectations were. And it's not hard. It's actually a lot of fun to be part of the community. Truly, it's a Barberton. Police were, you know, here for each other. So our sorrows, we have had a great SRO program for over several decades. We have a full time SRO not a traveling one or split schools in every school, and that's part of it too, I really believe, you know. Thanks, Cheatham and Everhart Veilleux and also Shannon Davis just retired and she was a long time SRO at the middle school. Are those relationships So truly, truly relationships? How long have Kenny Kenny Cheatham was there 20 over 20 years ago. So wow. He started back at the old high school. So and then when the new middle school was built, Shannon went there. Shannon Davis Sure. So yeah, yeah. And we've made that commitment, you know, and really, you came through, right? Yeah. And it was a very like, does a cool guy go right? And that's then that's all I think most police officers are just regular men and women too, and sometimes a difficult and demanding job. But when we see each other, when we talk to each other, when we engage each other, our neighbors, the cops, you know, everybody that's that's community. That's good stuff. Yeah. And then what is something that you'd love for people to know that they may not have heard? Do you have any words of wisdom, words of advice, anything or just something they should know? Well, yeah, you know, we're not Mayberry. Okay, let's let's be honest. We're not Mayberry. You know, one bullet. Yeah. Yeah. There. There is a you know, I wish Lieutenant White was here. He jokes with me all the time, and he's the patrol commander. And, you know, he's kind of a point person for a lot of people come in and he'll go, They didn't want to talk to Barney. They wanted to talk to Andy today. You know, it's. Yeah. So we have our issues, no doubt. But Barberton is a wonderful town. It really, truly is. And I believe in if I could tell people that and you're fortunate to live here with safety forces, police department, that that cares and provides you excellent service. You're safe. I believe you're safe in town. So some of that kind of leads us to that. Our light that you're on questions that right? Yeah. There's no buzzer. I was worried that you might slap it into the desk. Right. So what is something to look forward to from the department? Is there anything upcoming? Is there anything cool, new or interesting that's happening or whatever? Well, coming up. August or August? Yeah, it's October. October 28, Saturday tended to we do drug take back. So we'll be doing drug take back with Meg City Kiwanis right over there at the old first Merritt for us to cross McDonald's bring us your your tired your expired your used your old worn out script script drugs and new drugs and we will get rid of them safely. There'll be burn diverted. yeah yeah. We do it We do it twice a year and thank you for the corners and there's other groups that help sponsor and support too. But we get a lot of drugs that way. And so, you know, it's a good community event that we do this Friday is you're off school. you're you're graduating. You look so young. Well, congratulations. He's definitely so. But it's the kids are off. But we're going to take a group of kids, 20 of them, and we're going to take them fishing. So Barbara and Ethel P 13 sponsoring it. No overtime will be paid to go fishing. All right. But that's that's a cool event that we're going to the badges and Bobbers were calling it. And Bob, they get to go out and do a, you know, fish with us. Well, I'm sure we'll have some burgers and dogs and so and and the Astros a local pond which I prefer not to name this time because we don't need it mean it's swarmed so you know we will not feel like it. Okay so we got to try to control a little bit, you know so I'm 50 lines in the right. Yeah yeah. That's our rose Pick some kids and how are they picked them. You know that's that's awesome. But yeah but, but they'll go home with a pole and a lifetime skill and a nice day, you know, most of them probably sitting around me playing PlayStation or something, so, you know, switch it up. Yeah. Come on. And. And it should be the best day of the week, so that's exciting. Yeah. Yes we have. Yeah, we have. Shop with the cop. Christmas of the cop. I miss Kmart. I got to tell you, we're used to, you know, everything you needed in town You could get in. Barbara did right when Kmart was there. And I'm glad Marks's is here, but we. We used to go to Kmart, but we doing what we do Christmas to the cops. So that's coming up. And again, that's another thing we do for Barbara then kids through the school resource officer So that's that's the and Masonic the Masons support that so to a lot of community partners and that's you know it's our community. It really is none of us do it on our own. I mean, we're just paid full time to do it. Everybody else should probably be doing too. And, you know, one of the tenants of law enforcement. Right. You know, we're just paid full time to go out and watch and take care of one another, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So and then how long your work shifts typically. maybe, you know, we work 8 hours, eight hour shifts. So first shift is 6 to 2 in the afternoon. Second shift is 210 night shift graveyards. You know, vampires and freaks. It's ten at night, six in the morning. If you've ever worked night shift, you understand that as a police officer, it's a it's a different world. Mom, Mom, Mom and grandma were right. Nothing good happens after a certain hour. So truly. Yeah, I to me, it's just it's the once it gets dark out the world it does. It does. Yeah. Yeah. It's a 40 hour week so yeah. Your days off rotate. We have a rotating schedule, so. Yeah, big, big, big. And this is the most important and this is donuts. I like donuts as much as everybody. Anybody does. Absolutely. But is do you like them more than maybe Jack or Josh, like some of the men in a uniform, Right. I wonder. I don't know. I was I was weaned on donuts, so I truly you know, it was not uncommon to go to to, you know, mass with the family at Saint Augustine on the way home. Events run to crinkle house and get a dozen donuts. Crinkle house are over there, Mr. Premier. CO Right. So that was cool. We obviously we have a Leach's hook up and they give us a lot of donuts along the way. Yeah. So so this is a kid Yeah. Makes wonder now though with that many donuts as a kid did that predispose you to becoming a police officer. I don't think so. No, no, no. I like pastries, too. I am. I'm a I'm a sweets guy. So because I remember with at the rib fest, you you did a good job. You enjoyed the. I really did. Yeah. I dug into those things. A lot of people left some on the plate. You're like, No, no, no, no. I had to give a full accounting of. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that that makes total sense of clove and some of them. So it was that was fun. That was a good that's a great event. Yeah. So really and then another really important one after this is all done, man, come play with the sirens. I'm sure. Absolutely. yeah, yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah. If you I have a I have a junior. I might actually have one in here. A junior police badge, you know. yes. I don't know. We'll see. I can get you one. No, absolutely. Yeah. All right. Junior police badges for that. All right. That we both get. You got that? Okay, so now we got to get to our big questions that we ask just absolutely everyone. What is your favorite Barberton folklore slash tall tale? Homer, I mean, a lot of people have been on the lake, and it's bottomless thing. although as we've had kind of a dry summer here, that disappearing less and less likely as as we see much more of the bottom of lake yet but there's that there's haunted schools there's been out of the curtain or how did the city turn purple. What's the favorite one. goodness nobody knows the city like a cop. I will tell you that. So so actually, upstairs in the wagon building, there's all kinds of stories and those old, you know, things. So I always like the old petticoat. The story from back, way back in the day. Petticoat or so. All right. It's underwear. All right. There was an underwear thief. You didn't have washer dryer dryers like you do now, right? So they hang out in stuff on the the line, Right? And so let me tell you, people are the same from time immemorial. All right? I don't care what people say. it's worse today than it ever was. It's every generation. So that they always will. Perhaps no more now. But there were freaks then and there's freaks now, Right? And so somebody was going round still women's underwear, right? So then all the rumors of who that was, you know, and there's always been peepers and goofy folks. And you know, that type of thing. So that was. Yeah, Phyllis Taylor wrote a lot about that back when she had a column in the Herald in Memory, and that was like, yeah. So actually that's that's a pretty good one. But on the police side, but since it's close to close to Halloween, I will tell you I have been in several places in town where I, I don't know. You know, I grew up with Friday 13th and The Nightmare on Elm Street, you know, those eighties type of slasher films and stuff. But so you're always kind of neutral and perhaps or, you know, on on some of that stuff. But spirits but I've been in several places in town that absolutely freak me out. And the officers I was with out like where it was like you did not feel like you were alone. All right, so Alexander Commons across the street, you before it was redone. Yeah. You could go from almost from, you know, one side all the way across through the other, through the walls and stuff. And I remember we came into this one room, and I'm telling you, man, it was we were like, so, I mean, look, the hair's standing. You can see it. It really we got that vibe, you know, And it's like, whoa, that is, you know, there was there was something else there. I don't know what it was, but, you know, we need to talk to Melanie about that to see if somehow Mainstreet can capitalize on downtown Barberton being haunted. Well, they've had haunted walks, and actually, I think the library's doing one here. Coming up. They are. So that that was one place. And the other one, though, where I got like that evil like, like the get the heck out of Dodge five. We went an alarm drop over at West Road North where I can work. Kentucky Fried Chicken used to be it was Louisiana Pacific. It's a daycare now so and we went in the basement of that and and it was like the same type of a feeling and it was it was alarm drop open door you know type of thing. And and here that was so I asked my mom and that was the old hospital. Right. And she was actually born there. And they that I believe we were in the morgue down there so in the morgue part of it. So just as a quick side that that was weird. So and spooky. Spooky Halloween stores as chief, go ahead. Go ahead. You first. Cover the rear here. No, I never minded being first through the door, you know, So I was I was, you know, dumb enough to, you know, hey, send me you know, I was, you know, put on a few pounds since I started, but we were just out on a car on the west side. And they looked around and said, Hey, you know, they've tossed me in the window on a welfare check. So it's, you know, it's okay. It's kind of fun. It's kind of you sign up, right? Lots of ways. So I get it. yeah. And then I just end it off. What do you see as the future for Barberton, and what do you think the bright spots are? bright spots are good young people like you. And truly, you know, I believe the children of the future teach them well, let them lead the way. I mean, we joke about. Thank you, Whitney. You know, but but really, you know, the people who care, who want to make a difference. BARBERTON And bright spots, I think there's there's absolutely an impetus to to redo downtown. So a lot of good things happened in that in that respect. I believe we have really good schools and they're pumping out smart, intelligent, educated people and that's only a positive. So yeah, they, they got me. That's yeah, about the most important one over the last 20 years. Sure. So those are all bright spots. You know, it's, it's, it's the Yeah. But it's the economy, you know the economy's doing good town so bw x t go navy. So a friend who was a sub commander, you know, who I came up with and you know, they do a lot of Navy contracts and specifically submarine stuff. So, yeah, I'm not spilling national secrets there, but yeah, they're doing a great job. A lot of great businesses in town, you know, and Yeah, and you know that That's good. Cool, very cool to us. I mean, I really want to thank you for coming in. thanks for having me. I'd talk all day if you. If you let me. So, yeah, we do not need you to match politic is all of those two things. We love you, Dave. Right? We really appreciate it. And, yeah, so for all of you out there, make sure you're subscribed. Download this where you listen to podcasts, comment on it. If you have questions, let us know if you want to see it next and we will catch you soon.