DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — The Decatur Police Department and the local branch of the NAACP say they’ve put together a response team to help deal with critical situations involving police and the black community in the central Illinois city.
WAND-TV in Decatur reports that the new Area Leaders and Educators Response Team includes black leaders from city schools, churches and other institutions.
Members of the team will help communicate with members of the black community about police responses to high-profile crimes in the community.
Local NAACP President Jeanelle Norman and Decatur Police Chief Brad Sweeney say they started talking about the idea in January after Norman questioned how the department planned to handle high-profile incidents.
