By Alberto Suris
Mayor Daniel Rivera, with former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and Police Chief James Fitzpatrick, announced a series of trainings for the Lawrence Police Department that will be led by Edward Davis, LLC and his team at a press conference held July 12, 2010 at Northern Essex Community College located at 45 Franklin St., Lawrence.
The trainings will focus on customer service, de-escalation, interactions with the public, conflict resolution, perception vs. reality, cultural understanding with a focus on ESL, problem solving and maintaining community relationships. Every sworn officer will participate in the training series.
“The Lawrence Police Department was divided, demoralized and decimated for far too long,” said Mayor Daniel Rivera. “We now have a diversified, energetic and professional police force that will not only benefit from training with Commissioner Davis and his team, but it will reinforce and improve protocols on the crucial work these officers do on a daily basis. We are shifting our focus to increase the customer service satisfaction, trust between the community and the police and making our streets safer.”
“Our police force has come a long way both in numbers and in training and I thank Mayor Rivera for his leadership in helping to prioritize staffing our force,” said Police Chief James Fitzpatrick. “These training sessions with Former Commissioner Davis and his team will further train our police force, including our newest officers, in a way that increases their relationships with the public and strengthens the trust between the community and the police.”
“The business word equivalent to community policing is customer service. I applaud Mayor Rivera and Chief Fitzpatrick for recognizing this training and realizing the officers on the beat are the most important part of a police department,” said Ed Davis.
