DeKalb law enforcement officials urge clergy leaders to attend joint meeting

DeKalb County law enforcement officials, the District Attorney and Solicitor General are inviting clergy leaders to a joint meeting that will be held on Nov. 9, noon, at Clairmont Presbyterian Church.

Officials are implementing an innovative new program called the One Congregation One Precinct (OneCOP) initiative aimed at increasing public safety and strengthening police-community relations. The objectives of the OneCOP initiative include: 1) improving public safety through collaboration and information sharing to prevent, combat and solve crimes by tapping into the varied resources of faith-based institutions; 2) increasing community engagement with patrol-level officers, via congregations, resulting in decreased biases and increased familiarity, mutual respect and trust; and, 3) proactively creating direct links between law enforcement executives and community leaders in an effort to prevent violent responses to critical incidents while also giving voice to growing public concerns relative to policing.

According to the invitation letter from law enforcement executives to clergy leaders, “The One Congregation One Precinct initiative is a cutting-edge enhancement to the community outreach that the DeKalb County law enforcement community has long been engaged in.”

Senior pastors, rabbis, or imams, who have not received a written invitation but are interested in attending the meeting should call the OneCOP office at 404-605-7000.