Communities of Trust Committee promotes positive interactions with law enforcement

The Communities of Trust Committee invites the public to explore a police helicopter at the 2018 Taste of Annandale.

If the community’s relationship with the police has improved, it’s because the Fairfax County Communities of Trust Committee (COT) has been working hard to make it happen.

The COT works on ways to improve community policing, improve communications among residents and police officers, and help youths develop a positive attitude toward law enforcement, said the committee’s chair, Shirley Ginwright, at a meeting of the Mason Police District’s Citizen Advisory Committee June 4.

The COT was created in 2014 after police in Ferguson, Mo., killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, leading to angry protests. Ginwright, who was president of the Fairfax County NAACP at the time, was concerned that an incident like that could happen here, so she worked with Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova to develop an organization aimed at strengthening trust between the police and residents.

“Because of what goes on around the country, it’s hard to build trust,” Ginwright said. “What happens outside Fairfax County affects what happens here. We’re constantly working on building relationships.”

Members of the COT include representatives from the Fairfax County Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Rescue Department, FBI, Department of Justice, American Red Cross, Fairfax County Public Schools, school board, Office of Public Private Partnerships, Neighborhood and Community Services, the faith community, and other organizations.

COT has held several Public Safety Days in communities with displays of law enforcement vehicles and family activities that give children and youths an opportunity to interact with the police in a positive way.

The next Public Safety Day will be Saturday, June 29, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Morningside Apartments, 6200 Lachine Lane in Lincolnia.

COT also brings law enforcement displays to community events, such as the Taste of Annandale on Oct. 5.

The committee hosts forums and educational sessions on school safety, immigrants’ rights, hate crimes, emergency preparedness, police use of force, restorative justice, and related topics.

Restorative justice is important, Ginwright says, because of the concern that minority students are suspended and expelled at higher rates than non-minorities. And when kids are sent home to an empty house, they’re not learning anything and are at risk of getting in trouble.

COT representatives give presentations at schools, including a recent one at Justice High School, about careers in law enforcement. Students need to know there are lots of opportunities to work in law enforcement – such as 911 dispatchers and criminology specialists – other than being a patrol officer.

COT also hosts food drives for local pantries, back to school events with free backpacks and haircuts for kids, informal discussions with police officers at coffee shops and barbershops, and a toy and coat drive with the Bailey’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department.

Often, a child’s first image of the police is negative, Ginwright said. They see someone being arrested in their neighborhood or their parents might threaten to call the police if they misbehave. COTS counters that by letting kids see police officers as human beings who are trying to keep the community safe.

“We welcome this,” said Capt. Brooke Wright, commander of the Mason Police District. “Police officers can’t just jump out of their car to play basketball with kids,” so COTS “creates an opportunity for positive interactions.”

And when people trust the police, they will be more likely to report crimes.