Baker sworn in as Lima's police chief

LIMA — Incoming Lima Police Chief Jim Baker said the city has had challenges, but the community can overcome them together.

Outgoing Chief Angel Cortes said he will still serve as chief for another 10 days, but Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony made him feel confident he would leave the position in good hands.

“I don’t think we’re going to suffer at all,” he said. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, working on community relationships, our own people in our buildings and making sure they have what they need to do the job and keep building that trust.”

In his speech, Baker touted his background growing up in Lima and seeing the trust between the public and local law enforcement grow.

“The level of trust that I’ve seen over the past two years is the greatest I’ve seen in the past 30 years,” he said. “That is an integral part of what we’re doing, but it means nothing if it’s not built on the men and women who serve as police officers.”

Mayor Sharetta Smith praised the transition and echoed Baker’s confidence in things such as the police department’s emphasis on technology and improving safety.

“You heard about moving away from pinpoint policing to beat policing and beginning to work harder at building those relationships,” she said. “The thing about Major Baker is he’s been there through all of those transitions. He’s been in leadership at the department. He’s extremely dedicated to this community, and we’re looking forward to his leadership and continuing to work with him to keep the community safe.”

While Baker expressed that confidence, he also stressed the importance of interpersonal relationships.

“I want to build a balance between technology and officer interactions with people,” he said. “I’ve been seeing a trend that we’ve been relying on some of the amazing things that it can do, but if you don’t connect it to people, it really isn’t as effective as it can be. So I want to find a healthy balance between our use of technology and officers being in the street, people being willing to report crime and go through the whole process.”

Baker said he is excited for his first hires to be sworn in Monday, July 22: the department’s first lateral transfer and a recruit from the University of Toledo.

Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.