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**Building Trust between Police and            Communities            to Commemorate            a Fallen Officer**
April 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 3

After Greg Alia, an officer with South Carolina’s Forest  Acres Police Department, was fatally shot in September, 2015, his  wife Kassy Alia Ray was determined to memorialize him in a way that would not  only reflect the caring officer her husband was, but possibly save others.

 Recognizing that the deep distrust between law enforcement  and their communities undermined the safety of both groups, Ms. Alia Ray created  Heroes in Blue to counter negative depictions of police. Though it raised  awareness of the positive things police do, Ms. Alia Ray soon realized that  more gains could be made by bringing officers and residents together to build  trust and solve public safety problems. 

 In 2018, Ms. Alia Ray expanded Heroes in Blue into Serve & Connect,  a more comprehensive program which continues to recognize the positive actions  of officers and honor fallen heroes while also helping police connect with the  people they serve through collaborative, community-based activities. 
Facilitating collaboration between police and community
Serve & Connect facilitates activities that strengthen  bonds with communities by connecting police departments to sponsors—merchants,  food banks, health providers, and others—who can equip them to solve problems. Through  these partnerships, the departments are able to organize acts of kindness, including  handing out food boxes and delivering coats on cold nights. 

 By collaborating with their sponsors and community members,  departments can also organize events that have a wider impact. One example is  the Daddy & Me 5K Run that the Springdale Police  Department supports in partnership with the Midlands Fatherhood  coalition, an organization that helps fathers reconnect with their families. Another  example is the COMPASS initiative, in which Serve & Connect is working  closely with the Columbia  Police Department and various community partners to promote youth  empowerment as part of an overarching effort to support in-depth community  transformation. 

 By collaborating in activities like these, communities  develop the understanding, trust, and respect they need to collaborate  effectively on promoting community safety.
Supporting communities and officers alike
Other programs, such as Feed An Officer, recognize the  service of the men and women in blue. This annual “thank you” from restaurants  and people in the community provides a special meal to law enforcement  personnel. In 2017, the program brought lunches to agencies for 564 officers  and provided over $10,000 in restaurant gift cards. 

Perhaps the most important activities are those supporting  officers and their families when tragedy strikes. Serve & Connect not only  connects them with important services, but also has raised more than $400,000 for  the families of those who have died in the line of duty.

 Approximately 50 police departments and seven South  Carolina state agencies have participated in Serve & Connect programs, and  the response from communities and departments alike has been positive. Says Ms.  Alia Ray, “What we hear from the local business, social service agencies, and  others is that these activities not only bring us together but make us stronger  as a community. And officers say they have established friendships working with  people from the neighborhood, and have a better understanding of their  challenges.” 

 As an example, she cites a community event hosted by  police and community partners that focused on fun activities that also provided  access to healthy food in a low income community. “Officers came in plain clothes  and said this allowed them to have personal conversations, even with people  they arrested in past, and that they realized they had underestimated the  hunger and need for food in the community.” 
Empowering police to build mutually beneficial relationships
Ms. Alia Ray emphasizes that Serve & Connect’s role is  to empower police departments by providing guidance and support for their  outreach efforts. “We don’t just host events for the departments, but connect  them to the sponsors and other resources they need. We assist with the  coordination but the officers and community partners implement the activities themselves.” 

 In describing how Serve & Connect responds to police  department requests for participation, Ms. Alia Ray says that the staff meets  with department leaders to talk about the collaborative approach and determine  what their goals are. “We introduce them to our model, then meet with the  officers to explore their needs and readiness for collaboration. Though leadership  may be onboard, staffing needs may make it difficult for officers to engage, or  there may be other challenges to community outreach that must first be  understood before moving forward.”
Guidance tailored to the department’s outreach goals
Recognizing that different department have different goals,  Serve & Connect tailors its guidance to meet them. It helps departments  that already have partnerships to sustain them, and assists those that are new  to collaboration in their efforts to reach internal readiness and gain community  acceptance. In all cases, Ms. Alia Ray maintains that it is vital that outreach  programs fit their community’s unique needs. 

 “Ask what they want,” she says. “These people often feel  that the world doesn’t care about them. And be patient. Getting members of the  community actively involved takes time. But sometimes the act of working  together is more important than the end result.”

 Reflecting on her efforts since her husband’s death and her  hopes for the future, Ms. Alia Ray says she wants to end the divisiveness she  sees. “I believe that working together leads to improved outcomes in safety and  well-being for all. We need an approach to law enforcement that is not police versus  community, but one that unites us. We need to see us all as people who need  each other.”

 Faye Elkins          Senior Technical Writer

**For more  information**:Intelligence-Led  Community Policing, Community Prosecution, and Community PartnershipsProblem-Solving  Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime and Disorder through Problem-Solving  PartnershipsReaching  Out to the Private Sector: Building Partnerships and Managing Your Workforce

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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