The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a new report Wednesday, highlighting local efforts that 49 cities are making to strengthen community-police relations.
According to the report, in response to the tragic July shootings in Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, and Dallas, mayors have engaged police chiefs, local leaders and others in community conversations on race and policing, including other activities intended to improve the relationship between the police and communities they serve.
“We are changing the entire culture of the New Orleans Police Department in order to rebuild trust with the community and to make our city safer,” said Mitch Landrieu, mayor of New Orleans and USCM vice president. “Race is a topic that you can’t go over, or under or around – you have to go through it. In the past months, we have shown that our community and our law enforcement can work together to break down racial barriers in our community. We have made significant progress together, but we still have a long way to go,” Landrieu said.
“This report shows that mayors are stepping up to the challenge that the recent shootings have posed to their communities,” said Tom Cochran, Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director. “They are working with police chiefs, other local officials, clergy, and other community leaders during this difficult period, examining their local situation, listening to their residents, and working in partnership with them to strengthen police/community relations.”
The report describes the efforts of 49 cities in 30 states that submitted information to the USCM in response to President Obama’s request to the USCM and the National League of Cities, to help make these conversations occur in 100 cities, within 30 days. Since the July 13th request, both the USCM and the NLC worked with the White House to spark community conversations. The report said that 105 cities reported to the two organizations that community conversations and other activities have occurred and/or are planned.
Other cities detailed in the report include Phoenix, Louisville, Baltimore, Orlando, Albuquerque, and Nashville. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.
The full report can be found on USCM’s website here.