DALLAS – Black police officers from across the country are in Dallas for the week. These officers have come to the metroplex for the National Black Police Officers training conference.
What we know:
This is the 53rd training conference of the National Black Police Association. Attendees are delegates representing their respective association chapter. This week is more than just learning new policing techniques. It’s also about how officers of color can make the profession better.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price welcomes the delegates to the 53rd National Black Police Association training conference.
This year in Dallas, Price took a swipe at the federal takeover of the District of Columbia Police Department.
“I’m just glad y’all ain’t federalized yet,” said Price.
Dig deeper:
“There’s a lot of division in this country right now and law enforcement is being asked to pick a side, and we don’t have to do that. We can still very much honor the badge, the gun, the uniform, our agencies and the community,” said Suwanna Kirkland, National Black Police Association Chairperson.
The week in Dallas offers sessions on policing and investigative techniques. But for this group, that holds as a core belief, communities become safer when officers don’t just make arrests but also advocate for the communities they serve.
“Fierce advocates for the community are the conscience of the law enforcement profession and the community,” said Kirkland.
When officers abuse people, like the case in Memphis where a group of black officers beat Tyre Nichols, leading to his death, that hurts community, recruiting, and policing.
What they’re saying:
“It hurts the profession because for every one or two bad cops, there are hundreds of good men and women doing the work, and they believe in why they wanted to be law enforcement, so those bad actors make it hard for us, but we keep pushing on. We keep moving on, we keep talking about what law enforcement means to us,” said Kirkland.
Protecting the community with respect and serving with pride in the profession.
“We love the badge, we love the uniform, we love the community, but at the end of the day, we are a community. We want to see justice, and we want folks to be held accountable as well.”
The Source: Information in this article is provided from interviews conducted by FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb.
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