Port Huron Police Department to co-host first faith-based community event
The Port Huron Police Department and Michigan State Police will co-host a faith-based event Saturday as a way to foster positive relationships and dialogue between police and the community.
The Faith and Blue event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Municipal Office Center, 100 McMorran Blvd., and will include local faith-based organizations, a touch-a-truck, free candy, police dog demonstrations, a gaming trailer, interfaith prayer and food trucks. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
People from all faith and religious backgrounds, as well as those not affiliated with any faith or religion, are welcome to attend, said Port Huron Police Community Service Officer Sam Baker.
Michigan State Police Public Information Officer Kimberly Vetter said all posts will hold community events this weekend as a way to strengthen law enforcement's relationship with the community.
All St. Clair County law enforcement departments were also invited to attend, Baker said.
Faith and Blue is a national organization that encourages dialogue and cooperation between law enforcement and faith organizations as a way to build strong communities through mutual respect and understanding, according to their website.
Baker also said he hopes the event facilitates dialogue between law enforcement, faith organizations and residents in a relaxed, casual setting. Faith organizations reflect the community's diversity, and are often one of the largest organizations in a community, he said.
"The faith community is a pretty good demographic and a makeup of the communities that you serve, so it's basically putting those two pillars of the community, law enforcement and faith-based organizations, together and having a day or some time to just be able to have some dialogue," Baker said.
Andrew Seppo, executive director of Operation Transformation, said his organization is excited to participate in the event and show their support for the police department.
“It’s just a great morale booster for everybody to see we’re all the same page and we’re all believing and praying this area is going to be and remain safe and protected," Seppo said.
Mark Fancher, a staff attorney for the ACLU Racial Justice Project, said any efforts by police departments to hold community events and facilitate meaningful dialogue should be applauded.
Faith organizations could be an especially beneficial sector of the community to partner with for law enforcement departments. Most religions and faith traditions promote love, compassion, empathy and charity for others as a core belief, which departments can learn from and implement in their own practices, Fancher said.
"Most faith traditions have a set of values, a set of beliefs and tenants that are very much based on ensuring compassion for fellow human beings, assistance for them, elevation of the protection of them, things that affirm the humanity of all people, those are among the best features of most religious beliefs and communities of faith," Fancher said. "And I think for law enforcement, if they would be so bold, they can evaluate themselves, evaluate their culture, evaluate their practices and their policies against those kinds of standards."
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron Police Department to co-host first faith-based community event
