WATERLOO (AP) — Waterloo-area law enforcement officials hope faith will help build bridges in their relationship with residents.
The Rev. Frantz Whitfield of Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church said there’s a “disconnect” in the relationship between local law enforcement and Waterloo residents.
“I want the community to see the faith leaders and pastors with the police officers out in the community,” Whitfield said. “We want the people to see us working together, knowing that we are doing something to make this a better city.”
The city’s safety services director and representatives of the Cedar Falls Police Department and Iowa State Patrol accepted the pastor’s invitation to attend the Sunday service, where the congregation prayed for the safety of officers.
Waterloo city officials, including mayor Buck Clark, and councilman Quentin Hart also attended the service.
Safety Services Director Dan Trelka said he was grateful for the church’s support at a time when police-involved fatal shootings have led to unrest in places like Ferguson, Missouri. A Ferguson police officer last year fatally shot an unarmed, black 18-year-old, which caused several months of protests, sometimes violent, in the area.
“This gesture is just so incredible, I can’t even begin to get over it,” Trelka said. “I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate this and our officers appreciate this.”
Whitfield and Hart said the church service was a leap in the right direction to build a stronger relationship between law enforcement and residents.
“Hopefully, this is the start of greater dialogue,” Hart said. “But any change that takes place, it’s not just the police that can do it. It takes the community. It takes all of us.”