Franklin police hosts first-ever engagement meeting in hopes of building trust with community
While Franklin Police Chief Cedric Handy has been in office for less than a year, he knows his priorities.
FRANKLIN, La. (KLFY)-- Franklin police are making it their mission to build trust in the community. The first step was hosting the first-ever police and community engagement meeting Thursday evening.
While Franklin Police Chief Cedric Handy has been in office for less than a year, he knows his priorities.
"The thing about it is being transparent," Handy said. "The more you're transparent, you can have a foundation of trust. That's what I'm trying to build."
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard appointed Handy as chief last year after the former chief resigned for health reasons. The duo shares the same passion.
"Trust is a two-way street. The community needs to have a trust factor with the police department, and the police department needs to have a trust factor with the community," Mayor Foulcard told News 10.
To build that trust, Handy organized the first-ever police and community engagement, or PACE, meeting. It's something the community welcomed with open arms.
"This is a good opportunity for us to come and have a seat at the table. We can hear the input," Pearl Barnes Rack with Delta Sigma Theta said.
Handy said from May to December 2023, crime in Franklin was cut in half, but that's not his only goal.
"For us as a police department, we hope to re-establish that strong relationship with the community," Handy said. "Once that's done, we can start to build the next chapter in the future of Franklin."
"If you see something, say something. Engage. Give us information so that we can bring the wrong doers to justice. We're open and transparent, and that's one of the mantras in what we wanted to do," Foulcard added.
Since the first meeting was so productive, Handy said he'd like to have these community meetings several times a year.