Pittsburgh police looking to become more engaged with faith groups

Pittsburgh City Council is considering a measure to expand partnerships between police and religious organizations.

Councilman Ricky Burgess, a pastor who was recently elected moderator of the Allegheny Union Baptist Association, introduced legislation that would have the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police participate in the One Congregation One Precinct, or OneCOP, program and National Faith and Blue Weekend.

The Atlanta-based social change organization MovementForward is behind both initiatives.

“National Faith and Blue Weekend provides an annual weekend of activity, but there is the need for … ongoing collaboration between residents and law enforcement officers,” said Ryan Yarrell, national director of the OneCOP program.

Burgess said the OneCOP program facilitates “positive, ongoing partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and diverse congregations of every faith tradition.”

He said there are about 300 houses of faith in the city, and he hopes the majority would participate.

Collaborative efforts between police and faith groups are already underway.

During the last Faith and Blue weekend, seven of the city’s houses of faith and 30 city police officers participated, said Sgt. Tiffany Kline-Costa with the Pittsburgh Police Community Engagement Office.

The police also have been hosting community meetings with faith leaders in an initiative called Restoring and Rebuilding, Kline-Costa said.

“Police officers are human beings. It’s really important that we get to look at each other through that prism, building relationships and therefore building trust,” she said. “If you call the police and you feel an overwhelming trust, you’re going to be more comfortable when they show up.”

Police officers have been meeting with faith leaders in the areas they serve so they can get to know the communities and their challenges better, Kline-Costa said.

“Whenever we sit down in those rooms together and break bread, what we realize is we’re all struggling with the same issues,” she said. “Faith-based leaders are seeing the same social issues that police are facing when they’re serving in the streets every day. We can come together to address some of these societal issues and serve as better neighbors to everyone around us.”

Bible Center Church in Homewood is one of several churches that have teamed up with police for such conversations. Police officers also joined the church for informal events, like a garden cleanup with the community, said Executive Pastor Cynthia Wallace.

“I’m a firm believer that having people interact in informal settings really helps to build relationships, and that’s what’s eroded,” Wallace said. “I think it will go a long way to rebuild faith and trust — going both ways.”

When faith leaders meet with police, she said, they realize they often are seeing similar problems in their neighborhoods. Sometimes concerns that police mention inspire her to preach on the topic or host events through the church to raise awareness, she said.

Wallace has been involved in talks between cops and clergy for about a year, and the church has gotten officers involved in recreational activities that allow people to build personal relationships with police.

“I grew up and police were like community helpers, who you went to if you needed help,” she said. “That image needs to be restored in the community, so children and adults really see police as individuals who will help. It goes back to building trust, spending time together outside of an emergency situation so that when there is a need for assistance, you feel like you can go to them and you can trust them.”

The OneCOP program would include organizing various crime and violence prevention efforts, hosting public safety briefings, offering cultural and sensitivity training, providing officer appreciation events, holding community safety workshops and hosting forums that focus on improving the relationship between police and citizens, according to the proposed legislation, which could gain final approval as soon as next week.