As protests continue to break out across the nation, activists are calling for immediate policy reform at a local level.

Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said this policy reform will not happen overnight.

“We really need to be patient and make sure all the voices are heard and not succumb to that temptation to just do a few things quickly in the interest of being responsive,” Blue “I believe those are genuine interests but we’re talking about hundreds of years of work that needs to be undone.”

Blue said he sees this moment in history as an opportunity to stir change, listen and create a united effort between local law enforcement, residents and the town.

Chapel Hill Town Manager Maurice Jones said he acknowledges that many people are adamant about defunding the police, but it’s not just about policing. He said systemic racism is across the board, so it means addressing more than just the police department.

“It’s about those other issues as well,” Jones said. “It’s about making investments in the community, making investments in programs that help lift people up and help bring some level of equal access a lot of folks in our community – especially people of color – have not had.”

Chief Blue said it’s a legitimate call to think about how we can better allocate funds and create resources to aid our community – especially as there are certain issues police officers are not equipped to handle.

“I mean there is no question that we have become conditioned in our country that when you see a problem you call 9-1-1,” Blue said. “The reality of it is, I’m very proud of our police officers and they can solve many problems but there are many problems they cannot solve – yet we ask them to.”

He said applying a police officer to an issue of homelessness or a call regarding mental health issues is not an acceptable solution – and that’s where community involvement and input comes in.

“I’m really proud of what we do in our police department and I think we’re darn good,” Blue said. “I do not think for a minute that we’re exempt from the criticisms that other police departments are getting.”

Some of the criticism revolves around the public demand for Chapel Hill Police to implement the 8 Can’t Wait campaign into their policy. 8 Can’t Wait is a campaign designed to bring immediate change to police departments based off the research that implementing more restrictive use of force policies can reduce killings by police and save lives.

Blue said five or six of these eight de-escalation and intervention policies are already explicitly listed in their current policy, but that still leaves room for improvement.

According to Blue, while the Chapel Hill Police Department has always treated strikes around the head or neck and any neck restraint as deadly force, many departments do not and that is something that still needs to be more clearly outlined.

“That has not been expressly put in our policy,” Blue said. “It’s been put in our training – as an example of one of the things that we will make much more clear because saying it’s our practice is important but putting it in black and white is critical.”

Moving forward, Blue said to take advantage of existing organizations that can influence your local police department. The Town of Chapel Hill has a pre-established Community Policing Advisory Committee and a Justice in Action Committee.

Find out more about both of these committees here.

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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