Amid mounting pressure to institute reform in the Philadelphia Police Department, specifically regarding its
policies for the use of force, a workshop for 80 new recruits will be held on Monday as part of a brand new training program.
According to a release from the department's Office of Public Affairs, the inaugural workshop, "Policing in a More Perfect Union," will take officers through a series of exhibits at the
National Constitution Center. The t
raining will focus on "the power and responsibility of officers' role as police in a democratic society to protect the constitutional rights of all people," the release states.
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey developed the program, funded by the nonprofit
Philadelphia Police Foundation, in an effort to provide innovative and progressive in-service training to new recruits and seasoned officers alike.
"The job of policing is getting more complex as time goes on," Commissioner Ramsey said. "And we have to stay rooted in the fundamentals of policing, those democratic values and constitutional principles that guide us."
Recruits will receive training in the concepts of individual rights, fair and impartial treatment, and the promises of the Constitution, historically and as they are applied today. Certain exhibits will examine instances when police were on the wrong side of justice and how those experiences have shaped police-community relationships.
An engagement exercise with high schoolers will be held as a way of exchanging experiences and perceptions to create a deeper connection with the community.
Last Wednesday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
signed an executive order to establish a task force that will oversee the implementation of reforms recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice and the President's Task Force on Twenty-First Century Policing, a national directive chaired by Commissioner Ramsey.
Not affiliated with the Philadelphia Police Department, Mayor Nutter's task force will be "an independent committee composed of community stakeholders, experts in the field of law enforcement and public safety professionals."
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
