Cops, activists meet for law-enforcement roundtable

WHEN IT COMES to brainstorming sessions on building stronger bonds between law-enforcement officials and the communities they serve, one vital group seems to be missing:

Young people.

"Any police official will tell you these discussions are dominated by older folks," Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross said yesterday at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Center City after one such discussion.

"Without them, we can't get to the core of the issues at hand, and it's clear why: They have the most contact with police."

Still, Ross said, his department is happy to be "on the ground floor of what's happening" to bring about change in policing.

Ross was on hand along with Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Mayor Nutter and U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger for a roundtable discussion featuring dozens of community activists, public figures and civic leaders.

Memeger and Nutter convened the meeting, titled "Building Communities of Trust," as part of a national initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Justice to improve police relations. President Obama pushed for the program in the wake of recent police shootings of black men in Missouri, New York and South Carolina.

Yesterday's was the second installment of the series in Philly, after one in January moderated by Attorney General Eric Holder.

This time around, Holder was absent from the discussion, which was closed to the media. Afterward, panelists said the topics covered ran the gamut: helping returning citizens find work; reforming police training; improving education and reducing poverty.