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Local communities entrust police departments to “serve and protect” while police entrust in their support and cooperation. However, RAND researchers claim that this connection is only sometimes in sync with one another.
According to Pew Research Center, more than 90% of police officers agree that knowing the people, locations, and local culture is crucial for law enforcement to effectively do their jobs. Among both officers and the people they serve, understanding that they are on the same team and have the same objective of seeing their community grow is crucial. The Community-Police Relations Foundation has made significant progress toward this goal by helping to bridge the gap and fortify these ties.
For the organization and its collaborators, a police officer is much more than a person wearing a uniform and a badge who makes arrests and issues fines. Like everyone else, a cop returns home to their family once their shift is finished. Most of those police officers live in the communities they serve, where everyone has a stake in seeing the area prosper.
“Our foundation drives are led by uniformed police officers, enhancing their social interactions with members of their communities and the perception of law enforcement as agents of goodwill,” states Al Eskanazy, Chairman and CEO of the foundation.
The Community-Police Relations Foundation is funded by the kindness of like-minded individuals through membership dues, corporate sponsorships, and grants, alongside in-kind gifts, active volunteer assistance, and business partnerships that help with critical initiatives. The group’s objectives are to deal with local issues, support initiatives that lessen crime, and promote thriving neighborhoods around the nation.
Spearheading efforts that help mend communication gaps between law enforcement and the community, the foundation also works to support children and families. This means hosting activities that allow police officers and local communities to interact and get to know one another, thus enacting positive change. This enables everyone to better understand and relate to one another through such ongoing and meaningful conversations. Connecting all parties, the foundation creates prosperous communities via philanthropic contributions, educational and scholarship initiatives, clothing and food drives, and a grassroots, action-based strategy.
As well, the Community-Police Relations Foundation is dedicated to solving social issues, such as mental health concerns that remain vital among today’s law enforcement personnel. This includes a post-traumatic growth mental wellness initiative in collaboration with the Boulder Crest Foundation – facilitating mental health programs for law enforcement in South Florida and improving the alarming statistics of officers with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation.
The Boulder Crest program empowers first responders to transform struggle into strength by creating, practicing, and carrying out a plan for personal improvement. Named Struggle Well Training, the program is regarded as one of the foundation’s most significant endeavors and continues to be a crucial instrument for police-public collaboration by assisting officers in carrying out their jobs more effectively and securely for their communities.
Through the collaboration of law enforcement and the communities they serve – prosperity grows. With the support of the Community-Police Relations Foundation, residents in the community can engage and connect with the person wearing the uniform. As a result, officers can identify comprehend and identify with the needs of those they have sworn to serve and protect. “We must stop talking past each other and at each other and start understanding one another. This is the guiding force behind the foundation’s work,” Al Eskanazy adds.
C-PRF is located at 1510 NE 131 Street, North Miami, FL.33161; 516.661.1000; www.cprfcharity.org; info@cprfcharity.org
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