Building Trust, Increasing Safety: Assuring Mutual Understanding and Trust Between Community Members and Police Officers

May 01, 2015
  • Description

The community conversations on community-police relationships that took place in March and April, 2015, wereabout building constructive, respectful relationships, mutual understanding, and identifying proactive stepsbetween everyday citizens and representatives of the law enforcement community. What is happening now withpolicing in your community? What actions would create the best possible relationship between residents, police,and public officials? These were the kinds of questions at the heart of the conversations. New Hampshire Listensworked with community leaders and law enforcement leadership from the Dover, Rochester, Durham, andUniversity of New Hampshire police departments to support facilitated discussions in each of the threecommunities. Our mutual goals were to:* Create constructive, respectful, inclusive conversations between community residents andrepresentatives of law enforcement* Increase mutual understanding about the goals of community policing, public perceptions of policeofficers, and the challenges and tensions that can develop on both sides* Identify specific, proactive steps that community residents, police, and public officials can take toassure strong, trusting relationships between the public and police departments