photosource: www.justice.gov
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch will launch National Community Policing Week by traveling to Dallas on Monday, Oct. 3, to hold a 21st Century Community Policing Youth Forum with students, officer cadets, and Jason Witten and Barry Church of the Dallas Cowboys known for their work to bring communities and law enforcement together. The forum will also be featured on the Department of Justice Facebook Live page.
“Strengthening the relationship between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve and protect is one of my top priorities,” said Attorney General 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.”
The following day, Tuesday, Oct. 4 the Attorney General will join Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings at a National Night Out event led by the Dallas Police Department. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live. Established in 1984 from a Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant, the goal of National Night Out is to build relationships with and between communities and law enforcement, to promote crime prevention efforts, and to send a message to criminals that neighbors are paying attention and are prepared to work together to keep each other safe. Attorney General also attended National Night Out earlier in the summer during her visit to Detroit for the first Justice Forum.
Also while in Dallas, the Attorney General will also attend several meetings with rank-and-file officers, hold a roundtable discussion with local police chiefs, and pay respects to the families of those officers that tragically lost their lives in the line of duty last July.
As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, the Department of Justice will lead nearly 400 events in support of community policing efforts around the country. To further that effort, President Obama will designate the week of Oct. 2-8, 2016, as Community Policing Week. The week is also an extension of the Attorney General’s 12-city Community Policing Tour that highlighted collaborative programs and policing practices designed to advance public safety, strengthen police-community relations, and foster mutual trust and respect between law enforcement and citizens. National Community Policing Week builds on President Obama’s efforts to engage with law enforcement and other members of the community to implement key recommendations from the 21st Century Policing Task Force report.
For more information on National Community Policing Week or the Community Policing Tour, please visit https://www.justice.gov/ag/community-policing-tour.
21st CENTURY COMMUNITY POLICING YOUTH FORUM ON FACEBOOK LIVE
This event will feautre Attorney General Lynch, U.S. Attorney John R. Parker of the Northern District of Texas, Director Ron Davis of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Jason Witten and Barry Church of the Dallas Cowboys. The DOJ Facebook Live event kicks off at 2 p.m. at Sunset High School at 2120 W. Jefferson Boulevard.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Mayor Mike Rawlings will join Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney John R. Parker and Director Ron Davis of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the University of North Texas at Dallas at 7300 University Hills Boulevard.
