Good Morning and Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am the City of Albuquerque Community Policing Liaison and my job is to help the 6 Albuquerque Community Policing Councils promote APD’s transition to Community Policing. For those of you who may be unaware, the Department of Justice came up with a decree in 2015 that the Albuquerque Police Department’s unnecessary use of force demanded changes in the department, one of which being the establishment of the aforementioned Community Policing Councils;
The Community Policing Councils work closely with the Albuquerque Police Department to develop a comprehensive community policing approach that collaboratively identifies and implements strategies to address crime and safety issues.
Rather than simply responding to crimes once they have been committed, community policing concentrates on preventing crime and eliminating the atmosphere of fear it creates. Earning the trust of the community and making those individuals stakeholders in their own safety enables law enforcement to better understand both the needs of the community and the factors that contribute to crime.
A well–functioning police department has the trust of the residents it protects, functions as a part of the community rather than isolated from it, and cultivates legitimacy when the public views it as engaging with them fairly and respecting the rule of law.
Officers should value civil rights, respect every member of their community, and see their work as an investment in the community.
I am sending this letter to you today in hopes that you will pass it on to members of your Association so that we can get more community involvement in our monthly webinars: Our next NWCPC webinar will be held on May 19th, and these meetings contain information vital to the local community regarding the Police Department, crime, and issues caused by crime. We offer the opportunity to meet the police officers in the local command, make suggestions and ask questions. Invitation below;
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: May 19, 2021 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Northwest Community Policing Council
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://cabq.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZH3iX6nRSOmGbBA-V9l3lw
Passcode:174814
Your NWCPC Chair is Eric Jackson, and you can reach him at Jackson.nwcpc@gmail.com, or in the general email box at northwestcpc@cabq.gov.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to see heavy CPC involvement from your Association.
Kelly K. Mensah
City of Albuquerque Community Policing Council Liaison
(505) 261-5611 (personal)
(505) 366-1389
kmensah@cabq.gov
