Police/Community Trust: Local and National Perspectives (Jan 2016)

This webinar will describe in detail the reasons for the extraordinarily successful police/community trust initiative in Watts, California. Specifically: why the police were bought in; why the community was bought in; what resources it took to sustain the effort; and requisite structural changes, e.g. in police training and evaluation. The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice will focus on the community perspective. A representative from the Police Foundation will reflect on changes in police/community-trust practice in selected cities – challenges faced and challenges overcome.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will learn how one area of Los Angeles completely shifted its police ethos and essential challenges that had to be addressed, namely, police buy in; community buy in; how and why police training changed; how evaluation of police work changed; how police/community trust was maintained; sources of funding for the effort. Attendees will learn of nascent police/community trust efforts.
• Speakers will touch on and attendees will learn the impetus; common obstacles; obstacles overcome and “low hanging fruit, i.e., where and how to get started on police/community trust efforts.