web1_Brian-Wilson-PHOTO.jpg

Brian Wilson brings ‘Pet Sounds’ world tour to Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre

Luzerne County Senior Expo to be held

<p>Keeping crime under control in our communities requires more than scads of police.</p><p>It takes officers and the people whom they are sworn to protect working in cooperation &#8211; talking to each other and developing mutual trust &#8211; to root out the sources of trouble: drug dealers, gang members and perpetrators of violent crimes.</p><p>Encouragingly, two recent events in Wilkes-Barre suggest that cops and community members aim to strengthen their bonds and potentially avoid the kind of social unrest that has exploded in recent years after police-involved shootings in Baltimore, Charlotte, N.C., and other U.S. cities.</p><p>Last month, a roundtable held at Wilkes University allowed area residents to ask local officials about hot-button issues such as diversity (or a lack of it) among police ranks, strategies to slow the opioid epidemic, and cultural sensitivity.</p><p>&#8220;I think it definitely helped to open up the dialogue that is missing in a lot of cities in the United States,&#8221; said Wilkes-Barre Councilwoman Beth Gilbert, co-organizer of the event. Gilbert intends to schedule similar meetings at venues throughout the city, she said.</p><p>Separately, about 50 law enforcement officers from several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state police, strolled certain Wilkes-Barre streets Friday as part of &#8220;National Community Policing Week.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s our job to protect and serve the public. &#8230; But we ask the communities that we serve to help us,&#8221; said participant Bruce Brandler, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. &#8220;And we want to collaborate with them.&#8221;</p><p>Neither of these local events is, by itself, going to significantly change public attitudes and improve safety. Nor is the Wilkes-Barre Police Department&#8217;s recent appointment of Robert Collins &#8211; its only black patrolman &#8211; to the post of community policing and crime prevention officer. (&#8220;Community policing must be much more than one officer forming a relationship; it involves making inroads in the most challenged communities,&#8221; states a <a href="https://www.usmayors.org/83rdWinterMeeting/media/012215-report-policing.pdf" target="_blank">January 2015 report</a> of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.)</p><p>All that said, each of these worthy efforts &#8211; when combined with dozens, then hundreds, more bridge-building actions like them &#8211; can yield the kind of community in which most people want to live: culturally vibrant, strongly connected and safe.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/police-arrest2.png">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/police-arrest2.png</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>GET INVOLVED</strong></p><p>Use these resources to learn more about community policing and how, in tandem with authorities, to solve crime troubles in your neighborhood.</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Department of Justice&#8217;s Community Oriented Policing Services Office. Visit <a href="http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/" target="_blank">cops.usdoj.gov</a>.</p><p>&#8226; The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Visit <a href="http://www.popcenter.org/" target="_blank">popcenter.org</a>.</p></factboxMeta></div>

Our Opinion: Lowering crime in community requires your cooperation