City of Bloomington Presents “A Community Conversation” with Law Enforcement

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 15, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Beverly Calender-Anderson, Director, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department, 812.349.3560, andersb@bloomington.in.gov

Michael Diekhoff, Police Chief, City of Bloomington Police Department, 812.339.4477

City of Bloomington Presents "A Community Conversation" with Law Enforcement

Bloomington, Ind. ‒ The City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department and the City of Bloomington Police Department (BPD) will present "A Community Conversation" with law enforcement representatives serving Bloomington. The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.

Representatives from BPD, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Indiana University Police Department and Indiana State Police will be present to hear the concerns of residents and answer questions. The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Audrey T. McCluskey, professor emerita in the Department of African-American & African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University.

Recent events in Missouri and New York, as well as other cities around the country, have brought to the forefront the need to keep lines of communication open between community members and law enforcement officials. The purpose of this event is to move forward through open and honest dialogue and to provide an opportunity to gain better understanding - both by law enforcement and the larger community.

"Engaging in this type of conversation is key in order to develop a mutual trust between law enforcement and the community. I applaud the Bloomington Police Department, Community and Family Resources Department, Indiana State Police, IU Police Department, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for planning and taking part in this very important event," said Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan.

Police Chief Michael Diekhoff added, "Building and maintaining the community's trust is crucial. This is an opportunity for the law enforcement agencies to hear the concerns of the people we serve and build on that trust."

This forum is free and open to the public.

For additional information about the event, contact Bloomington Police Chief Michael Diekhoff at 812.349.4477 or diekhoff@bloomington.in.gov or Community and Family Resource Department Director Beverly Calender-Anderson at 812.349.3560 or andersb@bloomington.in.gov.

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