United States Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch met with the officers and staff of the Doral Police Department regarding their accomplishments in building trust and legitimacy with the community they serve through the Blue Courage initiative last month.
Doral is the first city of six nationwide that will follow for visits by Atty. Gen. Lynch on a community policing tour for those that exemplify departmental model behavior and achievements. She met with the Doral force for a frank assessment of its best practices in community policing.
“One of my top priorities as Attorney General is strengthening relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities we serve and protect,” said Lynch.
The national tour builds on President Obama’s commitment to engage with law enforcement and other members of the community to implement key recommendations from the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing final report.
“We engaged a department of really talented officers to embrace having the right mindset and heart set,” said Chief De Lucca. “In 21st century policing it is not enough to have just operational skills, we need the mental skills and that’s where Blue Courage education comes in.”
“The focus of Blue Courage is on developing the heart, mind, body and spirit of police officers. We are developing the next generation of guardians. That attitude is woven into our department’s culture,” he explained.
In addition to the change in mindset through the Blue Courage program, Doral Police Department has officers attending homeowner’s association and PTA meetings, sponsoring a Police Explorer post for youth interested in law enforcement careers as well as the Doral Citizen’s Police Academy, an eight week program where residents learn about law enforcement procedures and accompany officers on patrol. Through these types of programs Doral’s police continue efforts and strategies that create stronger and safer communities.
