NAACP Holds Town Hall Meeting

information you get from us, the better you can feel about the police agencies that represent you,” Healey said.

Community members asked how law enforcement is attempting to address mistrust issues and raised concerns about interactions that friends and loved ones have said they experienced with police. Some of the issues brought up involved police questioning, traffic stops, mental health calls and public intoxication arrests.

The panel of law enforcement leaders frequently emphasized their focus on maintaining high standards and strict accountability.

“You have to hold your people accountable for their actions,” Healey said. “It should be a simple thing in a police agency to put systems in place to hold your people accountable for their actions.

“None of us are perfect. And if we do have an officer that makes a mistake — that does something wrong — we hold them accountable to the policies and procedures, and to the letter of the law.”

Anderson emphasized the Auburn Police Department’s high standards, first citing a lengthy hiring process involving a sequence of in-depth interviews, a polygraph test and a psychological evaluation.

He also outlined training and supervision policies.

“Before we do anything else, we have them sit for weeks and read our directives,” Anderson said. “We make sure they know what’s expected of them, what the rules are that they have to follow at the Auburn Police Department.”

The conversation shifted toward relations with community members with input from local educator Dwight Howard.

“As we look at all the issues that take place on television, young people are affected,” Howard said. “I mentor young people in Lee County, and I want to make it real to you: