GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Sheriff Michelle Lajoye-Young wants to build a strong relationship with the community.
"That relationship and that trust is so crucial to being able to protect and serve," explains Sheriff Lajoye-Young.
The Grand Rapids chapter of Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community and Trust, or ALPACT, helps make that happen through regular conversation between law enforcement and the public.
"We believe as long as we're keeping the conversation going, then we're making strides towards building trust and making relationships," says ALPACT Co-Chair Rodney Robinson.
Monday night, ALPACT hosted a forum allowing police chiefs from around Kent County to open that dialogue with the community. At a time when tension between civilians and police is high, Wyoming Police Chief Kimberly Koster says recent events have made her reflect on the job.
"I thought throughout the years that our residents generally feel safe and are valued and treated fairly by the city, and more specifically our police department," says Chief Koster. "But I have to say, in the past few months I've had to pause and really think about how our community actually perceives us."
East Grand Rapids Police Chief Mark Herald chimed in that some of his officers have been deeply effected by current events involving police interactions with the public.
"They're very concerned about what's going on out there in the world," says Chief Herald. "As a matter of fact a lot of them are fearful of stopping individuals, whether they're black or white, for fear that there could be some type of repercussions."
In the end, Robinson says this discussion is far from over.
"We still have a lot more conversations to have," says Robinson. "There's a lot of work that still needs to be done."
If you would like to join the conversation, ALPACT tries to host these meetings 10 months out of the year.
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