We all have our part to play in public safety

Thank you to our Boulder Police Department for hosting last week’s Coffee with a Cop and the Daily Camera’s advance announcement to invite residents to meet and talk with police officers about public safety. I found it very worthwhile to meet officers and other staff to openly talk about community needs to balance safety, compassion and accountability for police and the public. We hear a lot about instances where harmful processes or outcomes occurred, but relatively few examples of the ongoing good work our officers are doing every day as they put their own lives on the line and must make instant decisions to keep the public safe, while often protecting vulnerable people.

I appreciated learning today about the help and services provided by officers such as Keith Steinman on the Homeless Outreach team to provide transportation and needed services to connect people with shelter and essential life-changing support. I’d like the Daily Camera to report on examples like that, along with information on the interconnected organizations and resources that are working hard and collaborating to meet community needs for health and safety.

For example, Boulder residents could take Mental Health First Aid training from Mental Health Partners (our local community mental health center) to learn to do initial safety assessments for people in crisis and support referrals to appropriate professional resources.

Of course, our police officers are essential to protecting us and keeping our community safe, and I hope our community members can consider how we all can contribute to community safety and support the valuable work they do. I appreciated today’s gathering to interact with our police officers and staff, and encourage other residents to participate in meetings like this so we all can learn from each other and support our shared community goals for safe and healthy living.

— Linda Laganga, Boulder