The Bloomington Normal NAACP is working on multiple fronts to improve the relationship between the community, police and governmental agencies.
The issues we face are complex and simple at the same time. We want effective policing which removes the criminal element from our communities while at the same time respecting our rights and privacy.
Effective policing requires the police to establish strong relationship with the community and requires the community to be open to the police. However without respect for each other the relationship cannot be formed.
The police must use good judgement during interaction with citizens so that police actions do not work as a catalyst to escalate an interaction into a confrontation. Citizens must know their rights and their limits. Police must be willing to address the citizen’s misunderstanding of their rights in a manner that addresses the citizen’s misconception without creating a confrontation. Citizens must not become combative during these interactions to prevent their actions from being addressed by the legal system.