Members of the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, have participated and continue to participate in events in honor of community policing
DENVER - In honor of National Community Policing Week, and in a show of support for the Community Policing concept, members of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, organized and participated in events throughout the state during the past two weeks.
The Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office was host to Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who came to Denver to participate in the Denver Justice Forum. The Forum was an opportunity for many different community leaders to voice their concerns about policing practices. It also provided law enforcement with a chance to address misconceptions. The work of the Forum participants continues as the group will meet again to develop specific strategies to build relationships between community representatives and law enforcement.
Another Community Policing project initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office was the “Protecting Houses of Worship" or the PHOW program. This program provides training to security-minded individuals who are responsible for protecting their places of worship, whether it be a church, mosque, synagogue or other faith-based facility. To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has hosted nearly a dozen PHOW trainings across much of Colorado.
In addition, multiple representatives from the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office, both staff and attorneys, have participated in a number of community based programs in Denver and Aurora, including GRID (Gang Reduction Initiative Denver) and GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training). U.S. Attorney’s Office employees have also been teaching community policing related lessons at Gilpin Elementary in Northeast Denver as part of the Project LEAD Program (Legal Education And Decision Making). Project LEAD is program that teaches students about law and the criminal justice system as well as how to make good decisions and stay away from situations that could result in bad decisions. At the end of the program students will then participate in a mock-trial. Finally, representatives from the office attended five “Coffee with a Cop" events this week in locations throughout Metro Denver.
The Department of Justice recently announced awarding a number of grants, including a grant to hire Community Policing Officers. In Colorado the Pueblo Police Department was awarded $875,000 for the COPS Hiring Program. The Department has also dedicated grant money to improve responses to violence, including officer shootings.
“Engaging the community and developing lasting, meaningful relationships with law enforcement is critical to the residents of Denver, as well as to all Coloradoans," said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. “The Justice Forum was an excellent leap toward the goal of restoring trust, removing barriers, and establishing a lasting long-term positive relationship between the police and the community."
“Strengthening the relationship between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve and protect is one of my top priorities," said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “During National Community Policing Week, we will be hosting hundreds of events around the country designed to foster dialogue, promote cooperation, and help citizens and law enforcement officers get to know one another as partners in our shared efforts to build stronger, safer, and more just communities for every American."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
