Our communities are safest when all residents feel comfortable interacting with law enforcement. Unfortunately, long standing issues of injustice, trauma and social disparities have eroded  trust between many immigrant residents and local police. For decades, Neighbors Link has worked to build trust and improve communication between local police and the immigrant community. Some of these efforts include:

• Neighbors Link provides a half day Cultural Awareness training to each new recruit cohort of the Westchester County Police Academy. In this training we discuss diversity in Westchester, explore stereotypes, and act out role plays to experience challenging scenarios first-hand.
• Police and Family Initiative: this program is run in collaboration with the North American Family Institute and the Westchester County Police Department. This program brings local police officers and immigrant families together and is designed to break down stereotypes to create a new picture of police and community relations, using exercises and activities to open lines of communication. By sharing their preconceived notions and personal stories, participants explored common ground and built mutual respect.
• Regular trainings throughout Westchester County for employees of the Westchester County Department of Social Services (DSS) and Westchester County Police Department. The goal of these trainings is to build trust and open communication among police officers and DSS workers who often collaborate to respond to calls. We help the participants to gain an understanding of each other’s roles and develop new protocols to work together more effectively.
• Regular visits from Westchester County police office to our Family Center participants
• The Police and Community Together (PACT) program, which operates regular meetings and communities discussions to build trust and improve communication between police and the immigrant community in Mount Kisco.