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Tallahassee Police, Community Members Come Together

Roundtable on Policing
Posted at 9:38 PM, May 05, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-06 05:43:47-04

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WTXL) - In response to controversial events in Ferguson and Baltimore, city leaders in Tallahassee are coming together to take a stand.

The Tallahassee chapter of the National Action Network hosted the round table meeting to create a dialogue about national and local policing.

Concerned citizens, as well as police, gathered at the Bethel Veterans Center off Tennessee Street to discuss fair and impartial policing, as well as citizen justice.

"I tell people all the time, we're one incident away from Ferguson, we're one incident away from a crisis in Baltimore, a situation in New York. We need to proactive on our side," said Reverend Don Tollivor, one of the events  organizers

Less then two months ago, local police took part in a workshop on the impact of bias in the police profession.

"The police are here to protect and serve. That is what the goal is, protect and serve. We want to make sure that everyone knows that," explained Reverend Tollivor.

Community members who were at the meeting felts that communication is a big part of impartial policing.

"Communications here in Tallahassee, and around the world, has tilted people's perception of law enforcement and we have to make sure that it's calibrated. But most of all that the people know that law enforcement works for them," Reverend Howell of Bethal Baptist said at the meeting.

The featured speaker was Tallahassee Police Officer Bill Butler, as well as officer Cleveland Allen.