GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A roundtable discussion at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Thursday with the Green Bay Police Department aimed to bring the agency and community closer together.
“We’ve invited students, faculty and also our Green Bay Police Department to come and have a discussion about some of the current climate around policing,” says Mohammed Bey, NWTC Diversity and Inclusion Director. “Also to understand what our police department is doing to help strengthen the relationship with our diverse communities here.”
Police Chief Andrew Smith, along with several officers from the department, took part in the 90-minute session entitled, “A Place at the Table: Hard to See Behind the Blue”.
“Anytime we can have a dialogue with the community,” says Chief Smith. “Anytime we can get together and talk about things that people are concerned about brings us closer.”
Students, like Hakeem Fernandez, wanted to hear what police had to say.
“Genuine responses because I believe in what they do, I respect the work that they do,” Fernandez says. “But I think that there’s a way to do something better.”
Smith feels that this is just another step in his goal to make his police department more aware, more involved and more diverse to meet the changing needs of Green Bay.
