Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Engagement Training topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County police announce six-week 'Community Conversations' program to build dialogue with residents
Summary
Baltimore County Police and the Office of Diversity announced 'Community Conversations,' a six-week in-person program (Oct. 16–Nov. 20, Thursdays 6–8 p.m.) designed to create facilitated dialogue between officers and residents on implicit bias, the evolution of policing and related topics.
Mark Bell, identified in the meeting as the chief diversity officer, invited board members and residents to enroll in a new six-week program called Community Conversations, scheduled Oct. 16–Nov. 20 on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. He said the course will emphasize dialogue between community members and officers, include discussions of implicit bias "by proxy," and feature panels of academy instructors and recently graduated officers.
Bell said enrollment will be limited for the pilot (about 30 participants) and that the program is intended to complement rather than duplicate the Citizens Partnership Academy. He offered to send flyers and attend neighborhood meetings to promote the sessions. Board members asked whether there is an age minimum (answer: 18) and whether participants require background checks to visit headquarters (yes, for in-person headquarters visits), and Bell said the department plans to run the Community Conversations program each fall following the CPA in the spring.
Several board members said they had participated in similar programs and encouraged the department to continue outreach; Chief McCullough and other leaders said they plan to participate in the conversations as panelists on first and final sessions.
Next steps: organizers will circulate flyers and registration information; the department plans to run Community Conversations in the fall and continue the Citizens Partnership Academy in the spring.
