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SATURDAY December 6, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 4, 2003 Bianca's first act opens dialogue with teens Unofficial swearing-in takes place at Ashland High School in front of cheering teens By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings It was not your typical swearing-in ceremony for a new police chief - just the way Mike Bianca wanted it. On Wednesday morning, Bianca had an unofficial swearing-in ceremony as the new Ashland Police Chief, complete with Municipal Judge Alan Drescher, at the quad at Ashland High School, as a cheering throng of students embraced the new chief. "This is your police department as much as everyone else in the city," he told the students. For Bianca, 50, a 17-year veteran of the department, it was vital for students to know that the police are there to help - not go after them as some high school students believe. While police have to perform their duties to enforce the law, Bianca wanted students to know they would treat them with respect and be a resource. "Many students feel disaffected with what goes on in their community and believe they don't have a voice," Bianca said after the ceremony. He wants to change that. "I want to remind them it doesn't have to be that way," he said. "Being approachable is a big deal to me." To Bianca, if you treat teenagers with courtesy, dignity and respect, it goes a long way toward gaining their trust. He vowed to students that officers would treat them with respect. "We have a lot of good officers that operate that way," he told them. "If we don't respect you, let me hear about it." Afterwards, students seemed at ease with Bianca, shaking his hand or just casually talking to him while eating a snack. Freshman Casey Shove, 14, was impressed the new police chief took the time to talk to students so personably. Bianca listened to her as she talked to him, taking a bite from her apple. "I think it's pretty cool that he wants us to know who he is and not just as a name," she said. "It's like he also wants to know who we are." Casey said it was nice to know that someone at the top wants to work with students and not just bust them if they do something bad. Bianca said he was overwhelmed by the cheers and positive response of students. "It felt good," he said. "Because kids are real and they cut through all the phoniness and see what's real." Ashland High Principal Jeff Schlecht was impressed that Bianca wanted the high school to be part of the ceremonies. "It's who Mike is," he said. "It's extremely valuable for him to come to our campus and for students to know the chief is there for them. It will give them a more positive opinion of what the police do." Bianca was named police chief last week after a nationwide search, with 67 other candidates applying for the position. His appointment was ratified by the city council on Tuesday night and he officially began his duties on Wednesday. An official swearing-in ceremony takes place this afternoon at the city council chambers. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Road Cams