The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May ignited greater awareness of racial disparities in policing. Within a few weeks, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in more than 2,000 U.S. cities to express their outrage. Months later, in spite of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, protesters continue to fill the streets, from Wausau, Washington to Washington D.C., and in many other cities and towns.
Never before have so many people questioned how people of color experience law enforcement. Rightfully so. At the same time, law enforcement leaders across the country are working on policies, procedures and internal educational strategies to ensure fairness and gain trust by members of the Black community.
It’s clear that the voices of citizens should be heard. It’s also important that the law enforcement leaders who are also outraged by what happened to George Floyd and other Black citizens have a voice. A wonderful opportunity for such dialogue was created by the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA) in Plano, Texas on Aug. 26. They held a webinar that covered a variety of issues including racial profiling in policing, use of force policy, and defunding vs. reforming policing.
I listened to several prominent law enforcement leaders speak during the webinar. Among them were Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown and Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter Jr. Clearly, they do not tolerate officers within their departments who lack integrity and compassion for the people they serve. They spoke about the hiring process as a crucial time to weed out those who would act inappropriately. And because both of those leaders are Black, I kept thinking about how their life experiences must give them a very special perspective on this issue.
Gregory Smith, Director of ILEA, explained why this program was developed. “Our goal is to advance the dialogue to help resolve the serious issues that cause distrust of law enforcement among people in the Black community. We hope to generate more awareness, understanding and empathy at this pivotal time in order to move our country forward.”
“There is a call for action, and we want to help guide the discussion and strategy in a manner that all sides can embrace,” he said. If you missed the webinar, a second one will be held Sept. 2.
Gregory Smith had asked me to help publicize the webinars via the media to encourage members of the public to tune in. KRLD News Radio ran a story and posted a lengthy audio interview with him. More than 200 people registered from across the country.
I’ve worked with ILEA previously to generate media coverage of their programs, including the Ethical Courage Award they presented to Brandt Jean, the younger brother of Botham Jean who was shot and killed by an off-duty Dallas Police officer who mistakenly thought he was in her apartment. This CNN story was one of the 355 local and national stories about that ILEA program.
As an experienced media relations and communications consultant, I love to help organizations publicize their programs and causes. Contact me (eblevitt@gmail.com) if you would like to discuss how I can help you raise awareness of your organization or company.