The Bellevue Police Department is launching a new ongoing training program to bring officers and community members together to have candid conversations that build trust and understanding. This training will address critical topics, including implicit bias, procedural justice, use of force, and police reform.
“This training is critical to building trusting relationships with the communities we serve,” said Chief Wendell Shirley (Interim). “Every one of our officers will attend this training with the goal that both the officers and community members will come away with mutual respect and understanding.”
The initial training, Transformational Policing Model (TPM), offers a cultural shift that promotes justice and equity and fosters trust and collaborative community relationships. TPM provides a safe place for community members and officers to have frank discussions, focusing on unity, understanding, inclusivity and education. TPM also focuses on the history of police and community relations to give perspective to the crucial conversations that occur during the training. The result empowers officers to make positive changes to benefit the communities they protect and instills community confidence in policing.
The 16-hour interactive course is scheduled for February 23-26, 2022, and will pair 15 community members with 15 police officers. Due to the pandemic, this workshop will be held virtually, with future sessions in person.
“The Bellevue Police department enjoys tremendous support from our community, but we can always improve. We want to get everyone in the room for an honest discussion about the important social justice issues facing us today, and we want to find solutions,” Shirley stated. “We are committed to working on these issues and building the best police-community partnership we can.”
There will be opportunities for community members to take part in future trainings and make an impact on policing in Bellevue. If you would like to explore Transformational Policing, please register here. You will be notified of future trainings.
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