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From YouTube: The Mayor's Commission on Unity Diversity and Prosperity Crime Prevention Panel 08 26 21
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A
We
have
a
panel
discussion
lined
up
regarding
connecting
law
enforcement
to
the
community.
This
is
event
in
connection
with
the
mayor's
commission.
We
have
had
a
series
of
conversations
where
we've
been
engaged
in
the
community
retracing
our
history.
Through
lynching
and
racial
terrorism
in
2018,
we
had
an
opportunity
to
go
to
montgomery,
alabama
and
visit
the
national
memorial
for
a
peace
and
justice
and
we're
tasked
with
beginning
the
community
remembrance
project
where
we
trek,
through
this
pathway
and
as
a
community,
the
mayor's
commission.
We
have
started
these
discussions
beginning
in
march
of
this
year.
A
Our
second
discussion
we
had
in
july
with
our
mcsd
panel,
and
now
we
have
a
steam
panel
here
that
I'm
just
going
to
introduce
in
just
a
moment
for
those
that
have
joined
the
live
feed.
We
invite
you
to
join
the
discussion
by
using
the
chat
feature
you
can
respectfully
post,
but
once
we
get
to
the
question
and
answer
phase,
you
have
an
opportunity
to
share
your
questions.
I
will
pick
those
questions
up
later
within
the
discussion
and
share
that
with
our
steam
panel.
A
A
As
a
police
officer,
he
served
in
the
911
center
bureau
of
patrol
services,
tactical
squad
and
gang
task
force
as
a
detective.
He
worked
in
the
vice
and
narcotics
squad
as
a
sergeant.
He
served
in
the
bureau
of
patrol
services
vice
narcotic
squad,
metro,
narcotics
task
force,
the
juvenile
diversion
unit
and
training
division
as
a
lieutenant.
A
As
a
captain,
he
was
the
human
resources
director
for
the
columbus
police
department
as
police
major.
He
was
in
charge
of
the
office
of
professional
standards.
Chief
blackman
has
a
masters
of
science
degree
in
human
resource
management
and
a
bachelor
in
science
degree
in
criminal
justice
from
troy
state
university.
A
He
completed
management
development
training
through
the
university
of
georgia.
Also,
he
completed
leadership,
columbus
and
graduated
from
the
265th
session
of
the
fbi,
national
academy,
chief
bennett.
We're
glad
to
have
you
with
us
this
evening
and
thank
you
for
joining
us
chief,
laura
bennett
began
serving
as
chief
of
columbus
state
university
police
on
may
1
2021.
Congratulations.
A
A
She
has
dedicated
her
entire
career
to
policing
in
the
higher
education
environment.
Chief
bennett
has
a
masters
of
public
safety
administration
from
columbus
state
university
and
a
bachelor
of
science
degree
in
criminology
from
the
university
of
west
georgia.
She
is
also
a
graduate
of
the
university
of
louis
louisville's
southern
police
institute,
administrative
offices
course.
I
will
at
this
time
introduce
our
moderator
and
I
will
also
introduce
greg
countryman.
A
She
is
the
oldest
girl
of
seven
children,
born
to
reverend
and
missed
mrs
rudolph
allen
senior.
She
was
educated
in
the
muskogee
county
school
system
and
university
of
wisconsin
in
madison,
wisconsin
mercer
university
in
macon,
georgia
and
the
interdenominational
theological
center
in
atlanta
georgia.
A
She
served
on
the
board
of
community
development
developmental
advisory
council
for
the
city
of
columbus
pastor.
Thompson
is
on
the
board
of
directors
for
the
urban
league,
of
greater
columbus,
incorporating
the
minority
board
of
directors
for
the
american
red
cross
and
past
vice
president
of
the
interdenominational
ministerial
alliance
of
columbus
georgia.
A
In
2019,
after
the
retirement
of
mayor
pro
tem
evelyn
pugh
pastor
thompson
was
appointed
to
field
her
seat
as
counselor
by
the
mayor
of
columbus
georgia.
In
february
of
2020
pastor
thompson
became
the
first
woman
to
sit
on
the
cabinet
of
the
general
missionary
baptist
convention
of
georgia
in
150
years.
A
What
an
accomplishment
she
is
married
to
the
revan
reginald,
a
thompson
son
of
the
late
reverend
tony
thompson
and
miss
melinda
colbert.
They
have
four
children,
eight
grandchildren
and
five
great-grandchildren
reverend
thompson's
continuous
confession
is
philippians
4
13.
I
can
do
all
things
through
christ
who
strengthens
me
in
the
interest
of
time.
I
do
apologize
sheriff
countryman,
but
we
do
have
our
sheriff
greg
countryman
here
with
us
today.
Who
is
our
steam
sheriff
and
I
will
come
back
later
and
we'll
introduce
you
so
that
everyone
has
an
opportunity
to
hear
your
bio.
A
B
I
just
want
to
say
that
I
am
honored
to
sit
among
such
extreme
law
enforcement
officers,
chief
blackman,
chief
bennett
and
also
sheriff
countryman,
and
we
all
know
what
we
have
faced
in
several
years,
not
only
in
our
city
of
columbus,
but
also
nationally,
so
we're
going
to
dive
right
into
some
questions
that
have
been
presented
to
us
and
in
any
order
that
you
would
like
to
answer
them.
The
first
question
is:
how
do
we
address
the
concern
of
racism
and
bias
in
law
enforcement
locally?
C
C
C
Some
are
implicit,
some
are
complicit
biases
and
the
internal
biases
can
sometimes
come
out
at
different
times.
But
when
we
go
through
the
training
and
when
we
can
sit
down-
and
we
can
understand
the
various
cultures
that
we
actually
serve,
there
used
to
be
a
time
that
we
would
say
protect
and
serve.
But
now
that
needs
to
be
turned
around
to
serve
and
protect
that
we
need
to
better
understand
the
communities
that
we
do
serve
understand.
C
But
they
just
didn't
mean
anything
by
that,
because,
if
they're
raised
in
an
environment
to
where
they're
taught
that
what
they're
doing
is
correct,
and
so
whenever
they
get
into
another
environment
that
they
don't
know
anything
about,
and
they
act
out
something
or
they
may
say
something
and
not
realize
the
offense
that
it
calls.
It
can
cause
a
lot
of
friction,
especially
if
it's
not
corrected
or
recognized,
and
if
they
don't
apologize
for
it.
So
I
think
one
of
the
things
that
we
need
to
do
in
law
enforcement
is
better
training
in
that
area.
C
We
actually,
we
actually
have
that
program
started
and
that's
something
that
we
are
implementing.
When
I
was
when
I
was
marshalled,
every
deputy
had
to
go
through
that
and
as
and
as
sheriff,
that's
something
that
we're
integrating
into
our
own
training
program,
because
when
we
can
sit
down
and
and
when
we
listen
to
each
other-
and
there
are
sometimes
differences,
and
sometimes
they
come
out.
But
if
we
don't
talk
about
things
and
understand
how
it
impacts
other
people.
B
D
C
I
am
zero
tolerance,
regardless
of
what
side
it's
on.
Okay,
I
think
that
we
should
serve
the
whole
community.
It
doesn't
matter
what
zip
code
you
live
in,
doesn't
matter
what
party
you
believe
that
you
belong
to,
whether
if
you're
white,
collar
blue
collar
or
no
caller,
that
we
serve
a
multicultural
community
and
we
serve
a
one
columbus
right,
amen.
E
E
E
I
feel
very
safe,
but
I'm
also
armed
and
you
know,
does
that
make
a
difference
in
perception.
For
me,
it
probably
does,
and
you
know
when
I
have
my
students
walking
through
campus
downtown
or
on
the
main
campus.
I
want
them
to
feel
safe.
I
want
them
to
know
that
the
police
officers
are
there
and
they're
looking
out
for
them
and
you
know
hear
their
concerns.
E
D
D
I
would
teach
those
particular
classes,
as
I
was
assigned
as
a
recruit
sergeant,
and
that
continues
on
even
now
to
ensure
our
officers
know
to
measure
each
individual
based
on
the
act
that
occurred
and
not
their
race
or
their
agenda,
and
so
we
are
definitely
of
the
mindset
to
continue
to
train,
to
ensure
that
we
treat
people
with
respect,
and
we
treat
everyone
fair
to
ensure
that
we
carry
a
message
that
everyone,
everyone
would
be
treated
in.
A
very
fair
and
consistent
manner
and
not
mistreated
and
racism
is
something
that
would
absolutely
not
be
tolerated.
D
D
Exactly
so
as
a
part
of
our
background
process
and
when
the
individual,
when
the
applicant
as
a
part
of
their
process
before
they
are
able
to
get
to
a
pre-interview
or
a
final
interview,
there
is
a
psychological
assessment
that
takes
place
and
it's
very
detailed
and
and
not
everyone
will
not.
Every
applicant
will
pass
his
psychological
profile,
and
so
we
may
just
just
to
say
we
may
receive
just
to
use
a
number.
We
may
receive
a
hundred
applicants,
but
typically
from
that
hundred,
we
may
hire
anywhere
from
eight
to
ten
officers
from
that
hundred
applicants.
B
D
You
said
the
main
stem
crime,
it
is
present
and
it
has
been
present
over
the
course
of
the
years,
so
we
we
would
definitely
do
our
part
to
address
it.
We've
seen
various
components
of
the
reason
why
crime
occurs
and
I'm
speaking
more
of
violent
crimes,
we've
seen
in
not
every
situation,
but
just
about,
I
would
say,
98
of
our
violent
crimes.
Individuals
know
one
another,
so
there's
a
situation
where
individuals
have
a
difficult
time
resolving
an
issue
whether
it's
domestic
related
or
someone
who
is
meeting
up
trying
to
make
a
drug.
D
So
with
that
in
mind-
and
if
you
heard
me
say
on
several
occasions
in
the
past-
one
of
the
components
to
to
address
our
violent
crime
issue,
of
course
we're
going
to
do
our
part
from
an
enforcement
standpoint,
but
we
definitely
need
the
other
facets
to
take
place,
such
as
our
mental
health
providers
and
the
educational
providers,
business,
community,
social
services,
community,
there's
so
many
other
components,
including
our
parents,
because
we
have
to
in
order
to
change
behavior.
We
have
to
change
mindsets.
C
C
And
so
a
lot
of
times
that
we
see
that
alcohol
will
play
a
part
and
in
in
people
making
wrong
decisions,
but
also
poverty
in
opportunity.
And
that's
my
opinion
that
the
that
right
at
the
tip
of
making
someone
do
something
right
versus
wrong
is
opportunity.
You
can
either
create
better
opportunities
or
sometimes
people
are
just
in
a
bad
place
at
the
bad
time
and
they
become
a
part
of
their
environment
and
so
but
I've.
C
And
so
and
that's
scary.
That
is
very,
very
scary.
And
when
I
walk
through
the
county
jail
and
when
I
walk
into
the
different
cells
and
and
when
I
speak
with
some
of
these
young
men-
they're
very
remorseful,
but
the
incident
has
already
happened
and
you
will
be
shocked
at
how
much
mental
health
issues
are
involved
in
crime.
We
may
have
900
and
I
believe
the
count
today
at
the
county
jail
was
about
963,
but
of
that
963
over
300
and
50
have
been
diagnosed
with
mental
health
issues.
C
Some
of
them
are
slight,
but
some
of
them
are
extremely
severe,
and
so
these
are
the
people
that
law
enforcement
are
coming
in
contact
with.
But
when
you
have
alcohol-
and
you
have
drugs
oftentimes
involved
in
these-
in
these
things,
they
elevate
to
to
something
that
is
volatile
and
something
that
is
dangerous.
B
So
how
do
we
offset
this?
How
can
the
community-
and
I
know
that-
and
I
have
heard
several
times-
that
a
lot
of
people
put
the
blame
on
the
police
department,
the
sheriff's
department,
that
you
know
you
all
are
not
doing
a
good
job
and
I
know
personally
there's
no
way
that
you're
going
to
know
where
a
shooting
is
going
to
take
place
or
where
a
crime
is
going
to
take
place.
But
my
question
is:
how
do
we,
as
citizens,
connect
or
join
in
with
law
enforcement
to
help
in
offsetting
the
crime
that's
going
on?
B
B
We
talk
about
what
we
need
to
do,
but
we
never
do
what
we
need
to
do
so.
That's
the
question:
how
can
we,
as
community
partners,
work
with
law
enforcement
towards
building
first
of
all,
trust,
building
trust
with
the
community
and
protecting
that
trust
that
we
have
it
and
also
how
do
we
connect
with
each
other
to
see
what
we
can
do
to
kind
of
offset?
What
is
going
on
in
our
great
city
of
columbus,
georgia.
D
D
We've
we've
got
to
have
a
multi-dimensional
approach
being
that
law
enforcement
and
being
able
to
have
our
community
to
share
information
with
us,
and
then
we
have
to
have
those
other
components
that
we
spoke
of
earlier,
being
able
to
interact
with
individuals
and
provide
services,
as
they
are
needed
as
individuals
who
show
the
propensity
to
have
weaknesses
in
certain
areas.
So
we
have
to
address
those
matters
and
focus
on
education
focus
on
situations
where
individuals
are
put
into
a
position
where
their
mindset
would
be
changed
and
where
they
understand
that
certain
behaviors
are
not
acceptable.
D
We
have
to
have
strong
mental
health
assessments
and
being
able
to
have
follow-ups
and
treatment
to
go
along
with
that
initial
assessment.
So
we
have
individuals
that
have
diagnosed,
but
the
question
is:
do
we
have
treatment
processes
in
place
to
provide
the
assistance
to
help
them
along
the
way?
So
individuals
can
function
with
mental
health
with
the
proper
treatment,
and
so
it's
all
inclusive.
C
C
Don't
judge
us
based
on
the
same
thing
that
you
see,
because
if
that's
the,
if
that's
the
plum
that
you
measure
us
by
then
you're
going
to
you're
going
to
look
at
someone,
that's
a
good
officer
and
I
think
in
columbus,
georgia
and
muskogee
county
columbus
police
department
and
sheriff's
office.
I've
been
doing
this
for
30
plus
years,
and
I
know
for
a
fact
that
some
of
the
issues
that
we
see
happening
nationally.
C
We
don't
have
that
here
and
that's
one
thing
that
I'm
very
very
confident
in
that,
because
we're
so
connected
to
the
community,
whether
you
call
the
mayor's
office
or
or
you
know,
or
the
police
department
of
the
sheriff's
office.
We
get
on
things
so
fast
or
columbus
state
or
whoever
it
is.
But
we
get
on
things
so
fast
that
we
don't
allow
it
time
to
fester.
C
You
know
playing
playing
basketball
with
kids,
I've
seen
chief
blackman
go
into
neighborhoods
himself
and
play
basketball
with
the
kids.
That's
one
of
the
greatest
billboards,
because
now
that
you
have
created
a
positive
mindset
for
those
kids,
so
when
they
go
back
and
they
whenever
they
go
back
and
tell
the
parents
somebody
something
that's
the
greatest
billboard
that
you
can
have
now.
C
They
don't
know
if
they're
going
to
come
home
or
not,
but
they
don't
care
what
zip
code
you
live
in.
They
don't
care.
What
color
you
are.
All
they
know
is
that
they
have
a
job
to
do
and
they're
going
to
try
to
do
it
to
the
best
of
their
ability.
So
I
would
hope
that
over
the
next
few
years
that
we
can
restore
that
public
trust
to
where
we
can
build
a
to
where
we
can
build
a
solid
foundation,
a
solid
bridge
to
where
it
can
withstand
whatever
happens
in
our
community.
E
Csu
has
done
a
couple
of
things
or
made
a
couple
of
changes
that
I
feel
like
is
is
adding
to
our
relationship
with
the
community,
and
you
know
we're
constant
partners
to
the
sheriff's
department
to
the
police
department.
We
train
together.
We
attend
activities
together.
National
night
out
was
a
great
success.
We
had
a
awesome
time
going
out
into
the
communities,
but
I
have
made
changes
in
my
department
with
community
relations
in
in
the
past.
E
We
had
one
person
that
was
the
primary
point
of
contact
and
he
attended
and
went
out
to
all
events
and
did
an
amazing
job,
but
the
downfall
to
that
was
no
one,
knew
the
other
officers
and
I
have
a
whole
department
full
of
good
officers,
black
white
male
female,
and
they
should
see
them
all.
So
you
know,
we've
changed
the
mentality.
You
know
every
officer
is
a
community
relations
officer
and
it's
not
one
person's
responsibility.
It's
all
of
our
responsibilities.
E
We
have
also
tripled
the
number
of
events
in
the
community
that
we're
doing
this
year,
and
you
know
no
one
person
is
leading
that
I
have
different
people
coordinating
each
event
and
is
giving
everybody
an
opportunity
to
have
ownership
of
these
events
and
show
off
their
talents
and
their
commitment
to
the
community,
and
it's
actually
very
refreshing,
to
see
the
officers
take
such
great
joy
in
planning
these
events
and
going
out
to
the
community
and
I've
I've
loved,
seeing
the
growth
and
of
their
work.
It's
amazing.
B
And
and
I'm
glad
what
you
said-
sheriff
countryman
about
chief
blackman
playing
basketball,
because
that
was
one
of
the
questions
that
I
was
going
to
ask.
What
is
the
interaction
with
the
community
outside
of
crime
and
especially
our
kids?
They
are
afraid
of
policemen
and
shares
and
when
they
see
the
car
coming,
most
of
them
are
running.
B
D
We
have
officers
and
then
the
sheriff
have
deputies
that
will
lead
discussions
throughout
those
16
weeks.
So
individuals
will
gain
a
better
understanding
as
to
what
takes
place
within
the
columbus
police
department
or
what
takes
place
within
muscovy
county
sheriff's
office.
And
so
we
know
that
we
had
a
session
that
was
in
place.
We
we
were
put
on
hold
for
a
while
due
to
covet,
but
we
are
anxiously
waiting
to
be
able
to
resume
and
we
look
we're
looking
at
being
able
to
resume
next
month
with
the
class
that
was
put
on
hold.
D
But
and
of
course,
we
will
be
practicing
our
social
discipline
and
ensuring
safety
for
everyone
present.
But
in
those
classes,
individuals
who
will
attend
will
gain
a
great
understanding
as
to
what
takes
place
and
they
will
really
be
able
to
have
like
a
behind
the
scenes.
Type.
Look,
because
it's
not
information
that
you
you,
you
would
see
every
day
or
just
here
just
watching
tv,
but
the
information.
That's
shared
is
more
introspective
information
that
gives
a
broader
scope,
a
greater
look
as
to
what
actually
takes
place
in
the
various
units
within
our
department.
D
With
our
hispanic
community,
we
have
a
hispanic
liaison
officer
that
is
able
to
interact
even
more
in
our
hispanic
community,
so
we're
doing
interactions
throughout
our
community
and
look
forward
to
doing
even
more
interaction
through
all
segments,
our
youth,
our
middle
age,
our
young
adults
and
our
adults.
Even
our
seniors,
we
have
a
community
program
called
columbus
against
drugs,
and
that
group
has
a
diverse
membership
for
us
age,
race
and
gender
that
we're
able
to
interact
with
them
as
well.
B
Before
you
speak
sheriff,
because
I
know
you
have
something
to
say
about
interaction,
I
want
to
say
that
as
a
pastor,
I
did
go
through
the
pastors
academy
and
it
just
gave
me
a
greater
respect
not
only
for
the
police
department
but
also
for
the
officers
that
on
the
street.
So
I
want
to
say
thank
you
so
much
for
for
that.
C
We
offer
we
have
a
community
outreach
unit
that
actually
goes
into
the
community
that
we
deal
with
everything
from
dealing
with
the
autism
community.
If
there's
someone,
if
there's
a
senior
citizen
in
the
community,
that's
having
a
birthday,
you
know
we
give
the
escort
and
we
actually
go
out
and
we
physically
give
a
happy
birthday
to
that
person
and
I've
been
in
those
convoys
with
them
before.
C
But
we
do
a
lot
of
real-time
interaction,
things
through
social
media,
because
social
media
is
one
of
the
greatest
ways
to
interact
with
the
citizens
that
we
serve
and
on
our
social
media
page
there's
nothing
for
me
to
go
on
and
make
comments,
even
if
it's
something
to
actually
bring
calm
to
something
that
they
may
see
happening
in
the
happening
in
the
city.
But
we
post
a
lot
of
things
on
our
social
media
page
in
the
spirit
of
transparency
and
even
that
interaction.
C
There
that's
direct
interaction,
and
so
that
allows
them
to
see
that
law
enforcement
is
real.
We
don't
you
know,
we
don't
have
an
admin
person
doing
it.
I
interact
with
it
or
either
some
of
our
command
staff
can
interact
with
it,
but
we
go
into
the
community.
We
go
into
the
senior
homes,
anything
that
deals
with
the
community.
We
want
to
leave
an
imprint
and
so
a
lot
of
our
guys.
We
want
the
community
to
laugh
a
lot,
and
so
our
guys
will
interact
with
the
community.
We
go
into
different
restaurants.
C
E
We
generally
look
at
different
ways
that
we
can
support
the
community
by
going
out
into
the
schools
shaw
high
school
we've
done
several
hiring
days
with
them.
We've
done
several
trunk
or
treats
with
different
churches
and
schools,
and
you
know
we
had
an
officer
today
going
to
a
pre-cages
so
that
she
could
show
off
the
police,
car
and
handout
badges,
and
it
is
the
tiny
little
commitment
that
we
make
to
the
community.
That
makes
a
big
difference.
A
D
If
there's
someone
who
wants
to
schedule
a
an
officer
to
come
and
meet
with
them
to
explain
even
more
information
regarding
the
camera
program,
because
we
want
to
be
able
to
get
a
system
that
is
able
to
integrate
with
with
what
we're
utilizing
and
so
that
way
the
systems
can
marry
up
together.
So
neighborhoods
are
interested
in
doing
that
and
by
all
means
they
should
call
the
my
office
at
706-653-3100.
A
We
had
a
lot
of
questions
come
in
as
it
pertains
to
building
trust
and
knowing
that
citizens
can
trust
the
process.
So
a
two-part
question
is
how
do
we
know
as
citizens
that
people
are
not
being
unfairly
targeted
and
if
people
are
being
unfairly
targeted?
What's
the
follow-up
process
that
citizens
can
check
into
that
and
be
sure
that
things
are
being
conducted
properly.
D
D
That's
referred
to
as
gacp,
so
through
that
national
accreditation
and
state
certification
we
have
oversight,
or
in
other
words,
because
of
the
accreditation
process.
There
are
certain
interactions
that
we
have
within
our
department
where
we
have
oversight,
our
supervisors
have
oversight
of
what
takes
place
with
those
whom
they
supervise.
So
our
supervisors
will
have
the
opportunity
to
review
video
footage
through
personnel
complaints
as
they
are
filed
and,
of
course
previously.
D
So
an
individual
files,
a
complaint
and
the
the
supervisor
would
investigate
the
complaint
and,
upon
that
initial
supervisor,
investigating
the
complaint
and
and
rendering
a
decision
on
that
complaint.
Then
that
complaint
is
then
forwarded
to
the
next
supervisor
at
the
next
level
in
that
chain
of
command.
D
We
have
assessors
that
will
come
in
and
assess
us
on
an
annual
basis
to
review
documents
or
whether
it's
personal
complaint,
whether
it's
a
use
of
force,
whether
it's
a
vehicle
pursuit,
they
will
review
our
documentation
to
ensure
that
it
is
compliant.
In
addition
to
that,
you
know
every
four
years
we
come
up
for
reaccreditation,
and
so
those
essentials
would
actually
come
on
site
here
in
columbus
and
will
hold
a
town
hall
meeting
to
listen
to
anyone
in
our
community.
D
They
will
advertise
that
they're
here
and
anyone
who
has
any
concerns
about
our
offices
are
welcome.
To
come
to
that
meeting,
send
an
email
make
a
phone
call.
We
will
establish
a
phone
line
for
the
individual
to
call
and
voice
their
concerns.
If
there's
any
concern
that
they
have
about
what
our
process
is
and
what
our
officers
did,
they
had
that
opportunity.
So
we
take
treating
our
citizens
fairly
very
seriously
and
we
would
not
tolerate
the
mistreatment
of
any
citizen.
E
Csu
operates
very
similarly
to
cpd
one
of
the
things
and
I'm
sure
that
chief
blackman
also
has
his
early
warning
systems.
So
you
have
methods
in
place
to
track
when
an
officer
has
had
numerous
complaints-
and
you
know
when
a
person
has
had
a
few
complaints
that
should
be
looked
at,
that
there's
a
trend
or
a
pattern,
and
so
by
having
those
things
in
place
it
it's
kind
of
like
the
checks
and
balances
to
make
sure
that
we're
operating
fairly
and
consistently.
E
C
And
I
think
that
anytime,
a
citizen
feel
like
that.
He
or
she
has
been
mistreated,
that
they
should
always
go
to
to
the
agency
and
perhaps
ask
for
a
supervisor
or
come
down
for
a
sit
down
visit,
because
I
think
that
when
you
can
sit
down
face
to
face
and
when
we
can
look
at
something
because,
as
I
mentioned
earlier,
that
it's
how
people
perceive
and
receive
things
that
an
officer
may
have
said
that.
Well,
I
didn't
mean
anything
bad
or
or
either.
Maybe
they
did.
C
But
the
only
way
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
it
is,
is
to
sit
down
and
openly
have
a
conversation
about
it,
because
we
can't
say
that
how
a
person
should
feel
because
that's
up
to
them
how
how
they
actually
feel.
But
I
think
that
when
people
go
to
social
media-
and
you
know
and
take
problems
to
social
to
social
media,
that
sometimes,
emotions
can
get
in
involved
in
things
and
other
people
that
may
have
had
something
similar
that
have
emotions.
C
And
that
really
doesn't
get
you
anywhere.
Because
we're
talking
about
restoring
and
building
trust.
And
how
do
we
build
trust?
We
build
trust
by
trying
to
learn
each
other,
and
so
when
we
can
talk
things
out
and
talk
things
through
and
understand
what
policies
are
that
is
so
much
better
and
because
I've
had
to
deal
with
one
or
two
issues
since
I've
been
sheriff
and-
and
it
wasn't
as
bad
as
what
people
thought
and
what
they
wanted.
More
than
anything
was
just
a
listening
ear.
A
Absolutely
great
responses-
and
we
have
a
few
questions
as
it
pertains
to
racial
profiling
and
training.
So
first
part
of
the
question
is:
how
is
racial
profiling
worked
into
your
training
process
or
modules,
and
how
do
you
respond
to
current
events
that
may
be
happening
in
other
places
and
consider
that,
in
your
training,.
C
We
do
a
lot
of
roll
call,
training
spontaneous
training
that
we
talk
about
these
type
of
issues
openly,
even
when
it
doesn't
make
someone
feel
comfortable.
We
would
rather
challenge
we
would.
We
would
rather
prick
the
conscience
in
the
in
the
hearts
of
people,
because
when
we
see
things
happening
nationally,
we
want
to
make
sure
that
that
doesn't
come
in
our
backyard.
C
And
so
when
we
see
things
happening
like
that,
sometimes
the
real
people
come
out,
and-
and
so
sometimes
we
need
to
know
who
those
real
people
are,
and
sometimes,
whenever
we
have
these
conversations,
it
says
a
lot
and
sometimes
it's
a
teachable
moment.
But
I
think
that
we
should
always
have
these
type
of
moments
and
we
do
a
lot
of
roll
call
training
and
we
do
a
lot
of
what,
if
type
of
training,
because
when
you
can,
what?
C
E
I
think
another
way
to
help
and
add
with
that
is
just
having
a
diverse
police
department
looking
to
have
an
asian
liaison
trying
to
balance
the
number
of
black
and
white
officers
and
male
and
female
and
hispanic.
And
if
you
have
a
good
representation,
I
think
a
lot
of
those
issues
kind
of
naturally
work
themselves
out.
E
It's
real
easy
to
go
back
to
the
places
that
you
know
or
the
relationships
that
you
have
built.
I've
had
some
great
mentors
and
they
have
gone
on
to
other
universities
and
colleges,
and
I've
been
able
to
draw
upon
their
wisdom
and
build
relationships
with
them.
So
you
know
every
relationship
that
we
build
is
an
opportunity,
and
you
know
now
that
my
role
has
changed
some.
B
I
have
one
more
question
and
this
has
been
axed
throughout
our
city.
What
are
we
doing
to
retain
officers
here
in
columbus
georgia,
because
it
has
been
said
that
we
are
the
training
site
for
other
cities
for
the
states.
So
let
us
tell
our
listening
and
viewing
audience
what
we
are
doing
to
retain
officers
here
in
columbus.
D
Okay,
so
my
focus
on
retention,
which
I'm
very
familiar
with.
As
far
as
that
being
a
concern,
we've
had
retention
problems
really
for
several
years,
and
I
remember,
even
as
I
was
in
our
human
resource
director
position,
it
was
even
more
something
that
I
dealt
with
on
a
day-to-day
basis
as
far
as
trying
to
bring
up
ideas
or
thoughts
or
suggestions.
D
As
well
as
the
co-workers.
We
want
to
make
sure
we
have
a
good
working
environment
first.
We
know
that
some
officers
may
decide
to
leave
for
salary
reasons.
Some
officers
decide
to
leave
for
work
hours
reasons.
In
fact,
recently,
we've
adjusted
our
work
schedule
to
in
the
effort
to
address
our
retention
concerns,
because
several
officers
were
concerned
about
the
work
schedule
in
which
they
were
assigned
with
working
certain
number
of
consecutive
days
in
their
work
schedule.
D
So
we
recently
addressed
the
work
schedule
and
we're
just
really
now
about
five
days
into
that
to
see
how
that
will
take
shape.
So
we
will
assess
our
new
schedule
for
a
few
months
to
see
how
effective
that
is.
But
we
definitely
understand
that
there
are
various
concerns,
so
one
person
may
leave
because
the
way
the
market
is
now
is
very
good
market
to
find
jobs
in
other
areas,
and
so
especially
the
way
the
climate
is
regarding
law
enforcement.
D
So
we
take
all
of
that
into
consideration
and
work
to
to
provide
the
best,
the
best
possible
work
environment
for
a
person
to
work
in.
So
we
want
to
make
sure
that
our
officers
are
trained
in
the
very
top
level
of
training
and
so
that
they're
comfortable
with
doing
their
jobs
and
then,
as
a
result
of
that
they'll,
be
able
to
go
forth
and
provide
the
best
possible
service
to
the
citizens
that
we
serve.
E
Attention
at
the
university
has
been
a
challenge.
I've
tried
to
do
different
things
to
offer
incentives,
I've
relaxed
the
facial
hair
policy,
tattoo
policy,
which
is
surprisingly
enough,
helped
morale
and
I've
looked
into
equipment
that
they've
wished
to
wear.
Like
external
vest,
says
it
takes
some
of
the
weight
of
the
gun
belt
off
of
their
back,
and
that's
been
a
very
proactive
approach
to
retention
and
offering
as
much
training
as
I
can.
E
E
C
Let's
see
how
you
fix
the
problem,
and
so
that
has
worked
out
in
some
cases,
but
just
relaxing
policies
and
just
finding
out
what
it
what
it
is
that
they're
looking
for,
because
when
you
look
at
the
trend,
this
is
a
national.
This
is
just
not
a
local
in
a
state.
This
is
the
national
pandemic,
in
which
I
call
it
that,
when
we're
competing
local
government
with
other
companies
that
can
pay
more,
we
have
people.
C
We
had
an
incident
within
the
sheriff's
office
recently
that
a
person
that
has
been
there
for
a
long
time.
This
is
the
decision
to
leave,
but
it's,
but
it's
about
him
taking
care
of
his
family
versus
him,
making
more
money,
although
that
we
provide
a
good
work
environment
in
some
cases,
it's
all
about
the
money
and
if
you
look
at
the
trend
of
those
that
are
leaving
it's
that
21
to
34
group,
but
that's
going
to
be
everywhere,
and
so
this
is
the
generational
thing
and
we
have
to
understand.
C
C
B
As
we
begin
to
wrap
up,
I
want
to
say
thank
you
to
chief
blackmon
to
chief
bennett
and
to
sheriff
countryman
for
being
here
tonight.
This
has
been
a
very
insightful
and
knowledgeable
conversation,
and
I
hope
that
those
that
are
viewing
have
have
a
greater
understanding
of
what
it
takes
in
law
enforcement
to
be
in
this
community
and
and
that
we
will
try
to
join
forces
that
columbus
georgia
will
be
a
better
place
to
live.
So
again.
A
A
Get
you
in
there
we
didn't
get
a
chance
to
hear
your
bio
earlier,
so
I
don't
want
to
shortchange
you,
but
as
you
as
being
a
man
of
the
clause
you
understand
giving
honor
to
whom
honor
is
due
sheriff
greg
countryman
was
born
in
plains
georgia.
He
is
happily
married
to
his
lovely
wife,
angela
countryman.
A
They
have
been
blessed
with
three
sons.
He
is
a
30
year,
law
enforcement,
professional
prior
to
being
elected
sheriff.
He
served
16
years
as
the
elected
marshal
of
muskoka
county
countrymen
was
also
a
part
of
the
muskogee
county
sheriff's
office
family
welcome
back
home
where
he
had
the
distinct
honor
of
serving
in
the
following
divisions,
field,
services,
courts,
fugitives
and
the
jail
sheriff.
Greg
countryman
is
a
21st
century
thinker
who
believes
in
serving
the
community
as
a
whole
in
leaving
and
in
print
in
the
minds
of
those
we
serve.
A
He
leads
by
example,
and
does
not
mind
helping
to
serve
in
many
capacities
to
get
the
job
done.
He
is
a
1984
graduate
of
baker.
High
school,
he
obtained
an
associate's
degree
from
georgia.
Military
college
bachelor
of
science
degree
from
troy,
state
university,
master
of
public
administration
degree
from
columbus
state
university
and
a
master
of
arts
and
practical
theology
and
ministry
from
ohio,
ohio
christian
university.
A
He
was
also
bestowed
a
doctor
of
philosophy
and
christian
counseling
from
saint
thomas
christian
university.
He
is
a
graduate
of
georgia.
Regional
command
college
class,
number,
26
and
also
attended
fbi
leads
training
sheriff
greg
countryman
is
a
former
assistant
adjunct,
professor
with
georgia
military
college
sheriff
countryman
is
a
member
of
several
organizations
to
include
omega
sci-fi
fraternity,
incorporated
electric
city,
masonic
lodge
number
322
american
legion,
lodge
267
sal
member
national
organization
of
black
law,
executives,
police,
benevolent
association,
fraternal
order
of
police,
georgia,
sheriff's
association
and
the
georgia
association
of
chiefs
of
police.
A
A
This
is
not
something
that
you
can
go
at
alone
or
should
go
out
alone,
but
you
should
go
out
as
a
community
and
a
neighborhood,
and
you
have
our
task
force,
both
our
police
departments,
if
you
have
part
of
the
city,
if
you
have
university
students-
and
we
have
our
sheriff's
office
for
the
county,
where
you
can
reach
out
to
them
and
I'm
sure
that
they
will
be
amenable
to
coming
up
with
ideas
that
work
for
you
and
the
community.
We've
heard
several
things
as
involved
in
their
security
camera
programming
systems.
A
We've
heard,
even
as
it
pertains
to
complaints
that
you
have.
Maybe
there
are
some
people
that
they
don't
know
how
to
file
a
complaint.
Maybe
they
don't
know
how
to
voice
that.
You
can
be
that
voice
for
them.
You
can
be
a
a
preventative
voice
and,
as
as
it
pertains
to
taking
action
as
well,
so
we
want
to
thank
you
again
for
being
here.
A
We
also
want
to
encourage
everyone
to
continue
the
discussion
and
to
know
that
these
discussions
will
continue.
So
we
have
already
had
our
discussion
with
our
muskogee
county
school
district.
We've
had
it
with
our
officers
of
columbus.
Our
next
conversation
in
october
to
look
out
for
will
be
with
our
corporate
partners
by
corporate
partners.
I
mean
those
that
provide
jobs
and
opportunities
here
in
columbus,
and
so
we
want
to
know
that
how
they
are
tackling
issues
as
it
pertains
to
cultural,
flourishing
and
diversity,
because
economics
is
also
a
huge
part
of
this
cultural
flourishing.
A
Again,
this
project
has
been
birthed
out
of
the
community
remembrance
project
out
of
montgomery
alabama,
where
we're
claiming
and
reclaiming
our
history
around
lynching
and
racial
terrorism,
and
we
ultimately
want
to
include
the
social
welfare
of
those
who
have
been
terrorized
in
our
community
and
those
who
are
the
descendants
of
those
who
have
been
terrorized,
and
so
there
is
much
more
to
come
if
something
that
was
said
tonight
sparked
conversation
or
questions
that
I,
as
the
chair
of
the
mayor's
commission
on
unity,
diversion
prosperity
can
entertain.
Please
contact
me.