KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, city leaders hope to build trust in order to reduce crime through community policing. Some of those connections being made on a basketball court.
KCPD's East Patrol opened its doors for some hoops on Friday night.
"Them doing it here just shows that they actually care about us and that they are not bad," Qwanell Flag, a participant said.
Freedom Hoops, an urban basketball ministry, organized the event.
"We want them to formulate a well rounded opinion of the people who police our streets, the people who decide to risk their lives and respond to the things that are going on," D'Vante Mosby, a coach at Freedom Hoops said. "So this is just an opportunity for them to formulate a good relationship."
Before hitting the court, the group listened to KCPD officers and a cadet about their experiences and encounters.
In turn, officers gained perspective on how the community views law enforcement.
"Like the problem with this is that, it's not really like the police officers," another participant said. "It's kind of like the judge in court, that's who I feel isn’t doing a good job."
It's a candid conversation that these young men found rewarding.
"Like all police are not bad, like some are good, some are bad, but they’re all not— and [they told us the] things that we can do if we do encounter a bad one," Flag said.
