BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department getting together with residents in Metro and East Bakersfield to discuss crime trends and get feedback about what they'd like to see from the officers in their neighborhood.
- Aaron Johnson attended the meeting as BPD introduced their newest division focused on community engagement.
- As a member of Garden Pathways, Johnson hoped he could provide the department with what they're seeing everyday.
- Police Chief Greg Terry sharing that for the Metro area, BPD often receives calls for burglary, stolen vehicles, and assault with a deadly weapon.
- But the trends the department sees aren't always what the community experiences.
The Bakersfield Police Department getting together with residents in Metro and East Bakersfield to discuss crime trends and get feedback about what they'd like to see from the officers in their neighborhood.
"You got bravery over here and a reality over here that this is what's really going on," said one of the attendees, a longtime resident of East Bakersfield.
Aaron Johnson attended the meeting as BPD introduced their newest division focused on community engagement. As a member of Garden Pathways, Johnson hoped he could provide the department with what they're seeing everyday.
"I think we need someone from the community to be a liaison between the police department and what's going on in the community," Johnson said. "This point, I just don't think the community is going to hear right now."
Police Chief Greg Terry highlighting the department's efforts to engage in these areas and the trends they've noticed. Sharing that for the Metro area, BPD often receives calls for burglary, stolen vehicles, and assault with a deadly weapon. But the trends the department sees aren't always what the community experiences.
"I think what were hearing is some long-term hurt. some experiences and questions of trust and not having a lot of confidence in the police department," Terry said. "We're also hearing about I need cars towed off my road, they've been existing for a long time and the neighborhoods aren't what they used to be."
Some in attendance highlighting a history of distrust in their neighborhoods for law enforcement.
Terry said they hope they can take the feedback and address some of the issues brought up, adding that as part of these meetings, they're asking for those in attendance to consider being those neighborhood liaisons for the division.
Johnson believes while this meeting was a small step forward towards a better relationship for the community and police, he thinks still there's a long road ahead.
"I think the community needs to know that those people are fighting for them," he said.
Now this was just the first community meeting and they have several planned throughout various parts of town.
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