Page 19 - November2018

In essence, OneCOP is a national initiative started in Atlan- ta by the Reverend Markel Hutchins that pairs the police with houses of worship. OneCOP already has expanded successful- ly in Indianapolis. The initiative is focused on improving rela- tionships between the police and public on every level with the help of faith leaders from myriad religious institutions, in- cluding churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. Clearly, such an initiative could bring some much needed relief to our City, which continues to be marked by an unprecedented lev- el of mistrust.
As Reverend Hutchins has stated, “Those houses of wor- ship have influence and resources that ought to be combined with law enforcement resources to improve community re- lationships and crime of every kind.” Why not tap into those resources?
It is an understatement to say that relations between the police and various City residents have become strained — dare I say “toxic” — over the years. Rather than view Lodge 7 as the enemy, perhaps the CPD and various community or- ganizations could work collaboratively with Lodge 7 to start repairing and strengthening the dialogue in order to rebuild trust in our communities — the same communities in which the men and women of Lodge 7 not only work but live and raise their families.
The Indianapolis FOP Lodge embarked on this project in August and already is seeing positive results. As Lodge 86 President Rick Snyder explained, “It gets us above our com- mon dialogue and highlights what we do well...at some point, you and I have to take responsibility for ourselves and our community.”
The OneCOP initiative highlights several objectives:
• improving public safety through collaboration and in- formation sharing to prevent, combat and solve crimes by tapping into the varied resources of faith-based in- stitutions;
• increasing community engagement with patrol-lev- el police officers via congregations, resulting in de- creased bias and increased familiarity, mutual respect and trust; and,
• proactively creating a direct link between law enforce- ment executives and community leaders in an effort to prevent violent responses to officer-involved crises while also giving voice to growing public concerns rel- ative to policing.
Such a model encourages all leaders in every segment of the community to work cooperatively in order to repair, improve and strengthen the relationships between police officers and citizens in advance of conflicts that most certainly will arise in our neighborhoods. In order to build trust (and ultimately reduce crime), it is crucial to build partnerships and mutual understanding and create a framework for the public to as- sist law enforcement efforts. There is so much more that po- lice officers and community members have in common than those issues on which they differ.
The City and CPD should not spend considerable resources on a consent decree with a proven failed track record. Rather, the City, CPD and Lodge 7 should jointly get behind an initia- tive such as OneCOP and engage the community proactively to work directly toward a mutual restored relationship — one that benefits all of Chicago’s citizens.
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2018 19