police training
Facilitating mutual trust and communication between police officers and the communities they protect and serve
our purpose
The YFO police training program is designed to facilitate mutual trust and communication between police officers and the communities they protect and serve. The purpose of the training is to reinforce life-saving interactions for law enforcement and to underscore its role in protecting residents. YFO is part of the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission Grant for Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC), awarded to the City of Kinston.
BJ Council (YFO Founder) said: “According to data from The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008 – developed during the Obama administration – there were 17,985 state and local law enforcement agencies across this country. Eighty-six percent (15,500) of these state and local agencies have fewer than 50 personnel. If we are going to transform the lens through which we view interactions between law enforcement and communities – Black and Brown communities in particular – it will begin at small and rural police departments across the country, and it will require all of us to reform our thinking in how we collectively approach and solve the current breakdown in these interactions. That is what the YFO training for police departments and presentations for community organizations will address.”
When local police departments embrace the community policing philosophy, and communities understand their role in it, both parties can work toward trust and mutual respect. When this initial step is taken, and when it’s accompanied by diversity and cultural training within law enforcement, YFO believes relationships between law enforcement and the citizens they serve can be improved.
- BJ Council, You & Five-O Founder & Presenter
pilot training
In June 2022, You and Five-O, LLC (YFO) presenters implemented a new law enforcement training program for 46 officers sworn to duty at the Kinston Police Department in Kinston, North Carolina.
Kinston Police Department Interim Chief of Police Jenee Spencer said: “YFO has been working with the Kinston Police Department and its community members for three years. Of my 75 sworn personnel, 50 sworn persons attended training over the course of five days in June. We offered a survey to the participants and the results are 90% approval of the impact and delivery of the information. My leadership team and I reviewed the training objectives and believe it can enhance our officers’ understanding of how the community perceives law enforcement. I believe that hearing those concerns can only enhance our work in building better relationships with our entire community of Kinston.”
Tarrah Callahan, Executive Director for Conservatives for Criminal Justice Reform: Conservatives for Criminal Justice Initiative, said: “Today’s presentation by You and Five-O offered a very candid, relevant and balanced perspective that every officer would benefit from. BJ’s reminder that, at the end of the day, in any interaction with citizens and law enforcement, both parties just want to get home safely, was a poignant reminder of the very real fears and perceptions felt by both sides.”
