Community & Police Working Group

Update on the Community & Police Working Group

The Community & Police Working Group was formed out of a community need to address public safety and the use of force. Throughout the years, the group saw transitions in its members and public safety leadership. It held deliberative community meetings to discuss use of force policies, attended community events, and participated in National Night Out. A new Office of Community Engagement within the Police Bureau was established, the use of force policy was revised, and the group provided guidance to the public safety team. The Bureau has institutionalized practices and other work is being led by partner organizations. After this progress, in 2024 the group transitioned into other efforts, such as Office of Community Engagement initiatives, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Youth Violence Intervention Program (SDOL), and programs like Office Hours with the Chief.

Purpose

The Community & Police Working Group was made up of representatives from the City of Lancaster government, the Lancaster City Bureau of Police, the Lancaster branch of the NAACP, representatives from community benefit organizations, clergy, and city residents.

Since its formation in the summer of 2018, the group made strides towards improving trust and cooperation between the Lancaster City Bureau of Police and the public it serves.

In addition to hosting a community meetings in August 2018 and at the beginning of 2020, the group addressed issues such as recruitment and hiring, use of force, the civilian complaint form and a body camera policy.

The group worked with Intersekt Alliance, a consulting firm out of Philadelphia, to create a strategic plan. The strategic plan will address the organizational structure of the group, finalize a vision and mission, and define the work of the group.

Contact Info

Milzy Carrasco
City of Lancaster
120 N Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17602

Email

[email protected]

CPWG Strategic Plan

English

Spanish

Record of Past Committee Members

Daisy Lebron-Plaza – City Resident, Committee Co-Chair

Sgt. Todd Grager – Lancaster City Police, Committee Co-Chair

Gabrielle Buzgo – City of Lancaster

John Churchville, JD – Prof. of Criminal Justice, Lancaster Bible College

Rev. Roland Forbes, Jr. – Ebenezer Baptist Church

Patricia Hopson Shelton – NAACP Lancaster Chapter

Josh Hunter – CAP Crispus Attucks

James Nixon – City of Lancaster

Hon. Jodie Richardson – Magisterial District Judge

Lt. Jason Zahm – Lancaster City Police

Accomplishments

Since 2018 the City of Lancaster and Bureau of Police have:

Convened a Community & Police Working Group to focus on strengthening Community & Police
Relationships – this group continues to guide and influence this work.
Revised the Use of Force Policy and conducted further de-escalation and other training for our officers.
Implemented utilization of body cameras and used footage to address training gaps individually and collectively.
Adopted and continue to increase the availability and utilization of language access tools to ensure the entirety of our community is served.
Partnered with NAACP in recruiting and test preparation efforts.
Reorganized the Bureau of Police to include a 3-member Community Engagement Office.
Hired Police Social Workers to connect those we serve with social service agencies who are better equipped to assist.
Combined various sources of data to make data-informed and more proactive decisions.
Fired and or employed other corrective measures among officers that have not upheld City policy or values.