Community councils: partnerships between cops, neighborhoods
While many of us have seen flyers for police precinct community council meetings, these sessions are often attended by only a small and dedicated group of concerned citizens.
Regardless of the number of attendees, the meetings are crucial as they serve to develop a partnership between the police and the community, which in turn promotes communication, trust and safety in our neighborhoods.
“These meetings allow us to get information out to the community,” said Capt. Maximo Tolentino of the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn. “We also try to get community concerns that we might not be aware of so that we have an opportunity to address those concerns. A lot of times we’re getting feedback on issues that we are not already aware of.”