Mt. Pleasant is setting a precedent in the state of Michigan, becoming the first community to host a Fair & Impartial Policing training session not just for the police department, but for the community itself.
The Mt. Pleasant Police Department has partnered with the Michigan State Police to offer a Fair & Impartial Policing Community Training Session on Thursday, Nov. 14.
While police departments across the state take such classes, this is the first of its kind for a Michigan community.
It came about, says Officer Autume Balcom, public information officer for the City of Mt. Pleasant, because the community members themselves expressed interest in attending the course, too.
"This class is an incredible opportunity for people to learn about implicit bias and how it affects daily life," Balcom says.
"The course provides skills to manage that bias even when people don’t even realize that they might have it."
The Fair & Impartial Policing training session itself occurred earlier this year. The MPPD is always training, always learning in order to stay on top of new laws and social media and the like, says Balcom.
The community session will teach the science of implicit bias, how the police department trains its personnel to combat it, reflect on its daily effects, and discuss how police officers and residents alike can reduce and manage biases.
"We are here to educate and to learn from one another," Balcom says.
The Fair & Impartial Policing Community Training Session is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Mt. Pleasant Division of Public Safety which is located at 804 E. High St.
The event, while free and open to the public, has limited seating. Organizers ask that people register by Friday, Nov. 1, by either emailing cdush@mt-pleasant.org or calling (989) 779-5148.
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