Officials speak on building trust between police and the community

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Clarksville Coalition of Concerned Citizens of Clarksville-Montgomery County (CCCC) hosted an open forum with City of Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan, Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett and Clarksville Police Chief Al Ansley at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 17 at the Kenwood High School auditorium.

The community leaders spoke about the role of law enforcement in the city and county.

Mayor McMillan talked about a recent report from The United States Conference of Mayors, which gathered mayors from cities in the United States with a population of 30,000 or greater to discuss ways to “strengthen police-community relations in America’s cities.” Clarksville is one out of 1,400 cities which fall into this category. Mayor McMillan explained that the group discussed how cities can work together to share ideas, learn from and prevent incidents such as the recent violence in Ferguson, Missouri.

“We have to have the help of our community working together and then we can really make a difference,” McMillan said.

Mayor Durrett addressed the need for an open flow of communication between the community and the police department, as well as the possibility of developing a facility in Montgomery County to host activities for the local youth on the weekends and after school, as a way of discouraging criminal behavior at an early age.

Police Chief Ansley spoke on a variety of subjects including the building of trust between the police and the public, details on the Clarksville Police Department’s use of force and diversity, as well as a possible future grant for body cameras to be issued to CPD officers.

Following the remarks, community members who attended the event submitted questions for the officials to answer.

CCCC was formed after controversial events in Ferguson, Missouri sparked a national conversation about race issues and police accountability. The mission of The Coalition is to reduce and prevent any unrest associated with the results of citizen-law enforcement engagements.

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