East Haven Police to Host Specialized Training in African-American History

From East Haven Police Department:

The East Haven Police Department will be hosting specialized training in African American History on October 18, 2016, October 19, 2016, and October 20, 2016. The training will be conducted by Jeffrey Fletcher, who is a 21-year veteran of the New Haven Police Department. Mr. Fletcher graduated from the University of New Haven with a concentration in Psychology. Prior to becoming a Police Officer, Mr. Fletcher was also employed by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health.

Mr. Fletcher was motivated by his mother and father who migrated from the South during the “Jim Crow” and Civil Rights Era where segregation was a daily occurrence. Mr. Fletcher has been traveling with selected artifacts and memorabilia to display the realities of African American history which has stained many lives and communities across the country. The “Images of America” collection embraces the teachings of tolerance, diversity, and unity.

This will be the first time that this exhibit will be brought to a local Police Department. This exhibit will educate officers of biased imagery, literature, and thinking which played a role in how African Americans were perceived.

With Mr. Fletcher being a subject matter expert coupled with his law enforcement experience, he is in a pivotal position to be able to educate officers of the past history of African Americans and how it relates to law enforcement today. Mr. Fletcher aims to educate and enlighten officers while bridging the relationship of the African-American community and Law Enforcement community both locally and nationally.

The East Haven Police Department is taking proactive steps to open up dialogue on a very difficult subject matter. Mr. Fletcher stresses how a cohesive relationship between the African American community and the Law Enforcement community is possible through a twofold approach. First, the officers of the East Haven Police Department need to be informed of the past history of African Americans so that they have an understanding of the culture that has been passed down through several generations to the community members that officers interact with every day. The second part is educating the public on how officers are cognizant of this past history so that the community members can feel comfortable and confident when interacting with the officers of the East Haven Police Department.

On Wednesday, October 19, 2016 the East Haven Police Department is inviting the community members to attend a public session of the African American Exhibit. The Exhibit will be open from 6:30p.m. until 8:30p.m. at Joseph Melillo Middle School, located at 67 Hudson Street, East Haven, CT. If anyone has any questions regarding this exhibit, please visit Jeffrey Fletcher’s website.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay