Page 53 - APRIL 2019 FOP MAGAZINE

Coi coaoraio i he h isric
The handwriting was on the wall after the 9th District CAPS team held the first of its “Community Conversations” on March 14 at Florence Nightingale School.
Approximately 130 members of this extremely diverse district attended the event, which was part of Department di- rective to enhance civic consulting with police officers. After the two-hour meet- ing ended, citizens were encouraged to write their assessments on Post-it notes and post them on the wall.
The notes included such responses as: “The police heard us”
“Amazing Informative”
“Buen Trabajo”
“All our police officers are wonderful” “It’s just a step for a better relationship
with Dis. 9, but we have a longer way to go w/CPD”
Sergeant John Verta, the 9th District CAPS supervisor, noted that the objec- tive was to give the community a voice in putting together a strategic plan for how the district fights crime and combats vi-
olence.
“There was a ton of community input
about how to engage them,” Verta added. “They asked for a big push with youth in social settings and in the schools. It was an opportunity to reassess, but a lot of stuff they are asking for, we already do.”
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2019 53