Morgan State University school leaders want to help build a better relationship between Baltimore city police officers and the community.
It’s part of a new training program trying to lower the amount of negative interactions between law enforcement and the public.
The school is calling it “cultural competency,” where officers who may have preconceived ideas about a certain group become more aware.
"Cultural competence is really about helping people become comfortable with difference, you know, when I look at you, I'm not responding to a prejudice or preconceived ideas, I'm interested in knowing more about you,” Dr. Anna McPhatter, the university’s Dean of the School of Social Work, said.
About a hundred officers, both from the Baltimore City Police Department and Morgan State University, raised concerns about the challenges they face when dealing with the public – including the influences from social media and from what people see on TV.
"Morgan has long wanted to be a policy driven partner with the community, being that Morgan is anchored in the community in Baltimore. We feel like it's a responsibility in our community to see what's going on in the community and address that with issues that we can bring forward with different schools here at the university,” Chief Lance Hatcher, with the Morgan State University Police Department, said.
One sergeant says the training session helps him and others become more effective during their day to day.
"Knowing our role in the community, but also getting to the point where the community has a better understanding of how we can partner and work together. Without having that partnership, improving the safety of our community is a lot more difficult,” Sgt. Derek Loeffler said.
This is the seventh session officers have participated in, not only on community relations, but on having a better understanding of the types of people officers may come into contact with.
The police department plans on holding another training session at the end of the year on immigration and how that impacts the community.
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