The Justice Department announced Thursday the six cities that will be part of a $4.75 million pilot program to restore trust between police agencies and the communities they serve.
The six cities are: Birmingham, Alabama; Ft. Worth, Texas; Gary, Indiana; Minneapolis; Pittsburgh; and Stockton, California.
“By helping to develop programs that serve their own diverse experiences and environments, these selected cities will serve on the leading edge of our effort to confront pressing issues in communities around the country,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.
The announcement follows a multi-month national tour by the department’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) division. President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which was established in December, held town hall meetings around the nation to try to get ideas how to fix the rift between police and citizens that has developed in some areas recently.
The deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and others at the hands of police has aggravated tensions in many regions of the country, with civil rights advocates claiming that police forces are becoming too totalitarian in their approaches.
The task force said one of the biggest changes that needs to be made is to police training, an area Mr. Holder said the Justice Department would offer resources to support.
“We’re offering training, mentoring, expert consultations and assistance on racial reconciliation directly to police departments and communities across America,” he said.
The announcement comes after several high-profile incidents in recent weeks where law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty. And just after midnight Thursday morning, a suspect opened fire at officers near the Ferguson Police Department, striking two.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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