In the wake of recent police-involved shootings in Minneapolis and Chicago, a Berrien County activist group is holding community forums on police de-escalation and mental health training.
The Berrien County Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust – or ALPACT – formed so community and law enforcement leaders could improve police relations within the community.
The group will hold a forum on Tuesday, April 20, focusing on the value of de-escalation training, which ALPACT co-chair Steve Neubecker said is particularly important in light of the recent police-involved shootings that have occurred nationwide.
“It’s good for our community to know exactly how we police officers in Berrien County are trained and all the techniques we use so we don’t end up in one of these situations,” Neubecker said.
The group will hold a second forum on April 27 with representatives from the Denver STAR program, which uses mental health professionals and EMTs to respond to 911 calls.
"I would love to see a Denver STAR program brought to Berrien County," Neubecker said. "Mental health is a huge issue in Berrien County, and if we can have mental health experts respond to the calls with law enforcement, it's going to greatly improve those situations."
Anyone wishing to attend the virtual forums can find the Zoom link on ALPACT's Facebook page or email the organization at alpactberriencounty@gmail.com.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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