Maintaining a strong relationship with residents has always been a priority of Springfield Township. Its Police Department especially prides itself on the trust and confidence earned through fair and just police practices.
Recent national incidents involving police relations have put the trust of many police departments in question. To ensure this does not take place in Springfield Township, Trustee Gwen McFarlin asked the Police Department to be out front of the issue by initiating a series of open dialogue forums to candidly discuss police relations in the Township. “We currently have the trust of the community. I want to keep that trust by providing a safe place to talk, inform and learn from one another,” explains McFarlin. “I think it’s important to communicate with our residents, well before a need may ever be necessary.”
To date, two forums have been hosted with civic, educational and religious leaders in the community; one in May and a second in September. There is one overriding goal of the gatherings; to provide a forum for proactive, continual dialogue whereby individuals can learn from one another. After several meetings, it is hoped that confidence in Springfield Township’s Police Department will continue to grow and a coalition of church, school and civic leaders would be available to assist if a crisis were to arise. After attending the September meeting, Carole Dunn, representing the Hollydale Civic Association stated, “I’m proud of Springfield Township and the Police Department. These meetings are important because it promotes unity between the public and police.”
“The components of the forums have been consistent,” explains McFarlin. “We begin with a topic, provide a short presentation, then open the floor for candid discussion.” The first forum included time for community leaders to experience a police simulation-training device. The simulation device allowed the participant to virtually walk in an officer’s shoes and be confronted by a wide array of real-life situations. The device responds uniquely to the vocal commands given by the participant. According to Dick Alexander, former Senior Pastor of Life Springs Church, this activity was eye opening, “We all understand police officers have to make quick decisions. But the simulation brought a stunning realization of the split-second life and death decisions officers must make, and a magnified appreciation of the extreme difficulty of their jobs."
Open dialogue in the May forum addressed perspectives on national events and the Township’s police department philosophy. The meeting also shared perspectives of a few police officers. The September forum allowed for a conversation addressing the use of body cameras. Chief Browder understands the value of these conversations, “It’s a mutually beneficial effort. The forums have resulted in a better understanding of what officers face on a day-to-day basis and they also provide us with valuable context as to how actions are perceived”.
Officers asked participants to provide a list of topics they would like to discuss most and how often dialogue should take place. Leaders all expressed a desire to continue the forums on an ongoing basis, involving topics such as police training, the impact of drugs, youth violence and intervention, gun violence, understanding economic disparity and mental health.
“I am encouraged by the response of our community leaders to continue the conversation and look forward to bringing the program to the community with leadership involvement in the near future,” explains McFarlin. “It was important to gain the feedback of our community leaders first. It provides us with a baseline and a source of partnership when we do bring this forum to the community,” explains McFarlin.
