Lott: Summit focuses on citizen-law enforcement collaboration

Each day, the men and women of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department work tirelessly to prevent, stop and solve crime in a manner that is ethical, professional, transparent and accountable. This is why we are inviting the community to participate in our Summit on 21st Century Policing, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Medallion Center of off Garners Ferry Road in Lower Richland.

The summit will give people a chance to engage one-on-one with our deputies and executive officers and learn more about our citizens academy, gang unit, Community Watch program, school resource officers and other programs. But perhaps more importantly, it’s an opportunity for our citizens to review and evaluate the achievements and performance of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department when compared with the best policing practices established by the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

Following several high-profile incidents around the country that exposed rifts in the relationship between local law enforcement and the communities they were sworn to protect and serve, President Obama established this task force in December 2014 and charged its members with recommending how local law enforcement agencies could reduce crime while building public trust. The task force was led by some of the best public safety minds and practitioners in the United States, and in May it released its report, which drew on the input of local law enforcement officials, youth and community leaders, leaders from the faith community, as well as non-profit organizations.

At the Sheriff’s Department, we strive to be transparent, progressive, forward-thinking and willing to learn from both our failures and our successes. We know that now more than ever, law enforcement must be a two-way street: It must be collaborative and place citizens at the center of all we do.

I hope you can join us Saturday to empower yourselves, your families and your neighborhoods.

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 10:09 AM.