In a statement Tuesday, Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult, wrote that numerous recommendations by the president’s task force focus on the importance of police agencies having legitimacy or trust within the community.
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After seeing the riots in Ferguson and Baltimore – all stemming from fatal encounters with officers – Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says he thought about what could be done to prevent a community in Virginia from suffering the same fate.
Though Alexandria already sends officers for community policing training, Cook said the new initiative might allow him to extend training to his entire force.
Herring said he did not know how much the program would cost – he said is office will solicit bids shortly for contractors to develop and provide the training materials that can be implemented at local police academies. Attorney General Herring says the state will host various regional training sessions in the Spring of 2016, especially for departments in more rural areas or with a greater need. The program will be voluntary.
The plan involves training for new and existing law enforcement officers across the state. “We started the fair and impartial policing training back in January of this year”.
That is what Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring wants to do. He said agencies are eager for the opportunity. “The departments that have done this kind of training say it’s essential in modern community policing”. They said they support the initiative.
Local police chiefs from Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach were in attendance at the news conference. “We’re all shaped by our personal experiences”, Herring said. But, he said, after “candid” and “difficult” conversations with many Virginians, he concluded that “many minority communities feel that they’re not subject to the same set of rules as everybody else, and there’s a lot of data that says its more than a feeling”.
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“The OAG will soon be issuing a “Request for Proposal” for development of contemporary materials for basic training academies and will work with stakeholders throughout the process, including the Department of Criminal Justice Services, to ensure the Commonwealth’s public safety goals are met. This is a large, transformational project that is expected to take 12-18 months”.
