Modesto OKs continuing Police Department goal of improving race, cultural relations
A program focused on restoring and rebuilding the relationships between Modesto police and community members will continue, following unanimous approval from the City Council on Tuesday.
Police Chief Brandon Gillespie brought forth the proposal after 15 of his department’s officers and 15 community members participated in a pilot program that launched August 2020, in which friendships formed through honest talks about race and culture. The council-approved agreement for the cultural relations and community building series is for one year and includes two one-year options to extend the program.
Relationship barriers were torn down, perceptions changed, empathy grew and friendships formed as a result of this program, Gillespie said in an email to The Bee. He said the program serves as a model for how community and police relationships can be restored, built and strengthened.
“I haven’t found a program like this anywhere and I applaud the courage our officers and community members had to step up and try something different,” the chief said.
Michael Baldwin, founder and director of the program, applauded city leaders who are open to learning and are in support of the program because they want to see change in the area. He said he never wants to see his community go through the months of civil unrest across the country that followed the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020 in custody of Minneapolis police officers.
“We have an opportunity to change that,” he said.
The program will come at an annual cost of $98,500, and must not exceed a total of $295,500 over the three years. Funding will be provided through the city’s general fund, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the supplemental law enforcement services funds.
Baldwin said he’s also working to craft a cost projection so the program can be implemented countywide. The city of Ceres has expressed interest in the program, he said, and he’s scheduled to conduct training there soon.
He’d also like deputies from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department to participate in the program, he said.
Desire for the program is spreading across law enforcement departments in California, Baldwin said. He said he’s scheduled to meet with the Sacramento Police Department in the coming weeks, and other law enforcement departments in San Francisco and Bakersfield have expressed interest.
Baldwin said he is beginning to train other people to conduct the program. Participants who have gone through it will be highly considered for that type of training.
Austin Grant, a Black resident of Modesto who participated in the program, said he once despised police officers but now has a different perspective. “The United States of America should actually look at this program and implement it in every single city,” he told The Bee in an October article.
The next Modesto coaching series is set to start within two months. For more information, contact MBS Consulting at 209-482-6621.
