Drew University Hosting Community Policing Panel

Drew University is hosting a panel on how to improve relationships between communities and law enforcement as conflicts have dominated headlines recently.

The panel titled “The Future of Community Policing” will take place on May 26 at 6 p.m. in the Ehinger Center at Drew University. It is open to the public and is free of admission costs.

Panel members include a diverse group of law enforcement officers and experts. According to officials from Drew University, the panel will explore a variety of issues, including how to develop relationships between law enforcement and the communities in which they serve; how to build trust, transparency and accountability; coaching youth on how to navigate complex situations and implementing innovative practices moving forward.

“We hope that by creating a forum for positive dialogue, we can hear from police officers on the front lines of law enforcement and answer questions from the public to improve relations between police and the communities they serve,” Jonathan Golden, convener of the Conflict Resolution and Leadership program and acting director of Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict, said in a release from the university.

The panel will feature a number of law enforcement experts from the federal, state and private levels. According to the university, panelists include former federal officers who served in both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security, private security experts, former New Jersey police captains and chiefs and a civil rights expert.