The Virginia Beach Police will carve out time next month simply to listen to the public for two hours.
Governor Terry McAuliffe announced this week his administration will host listening sessions throughout the state for law enforcement and community residents. Virginia Beach is one of the places slated to participate, along with Richmond, Roanoke and Ashburn.
“Strong law enforcement and community partnerships are an integral part in making our communities safe,” Governor McAuliffe said in a release. “The recent violent tragedies in other states remind us that these relationships require constant attention. We will continue to help localities strengthen and sustain the ties between police and the communities they serve in the Commonwealth.”
The Law Enforcement and Community Relations Listening Sessions aim to seek recommendations on how to build more effective relationships between the police and residents of their communities. Though Virginia Beach hasn’t experienced the mass or targeted shootings recently seen in Orlando, Dallas and Baton Rouge, good communication between local law enforcement and residents is extremely important, according to Officer Tonya Pierce, a spokeswoman for the department.
“We’ve been very fortunate in our area, we are not seeing things that are happening nationwide,” Pierce said in a phone interview. Anything that strengthens the officers’ connection with residents is positive, Pierce said.
The Virginia Beach session is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on August 31 at 411 Integrity Way.
