‘Bridging the Gap:’ Partnership Announced Between RPD and Urban League

On Wednesday (August 14th), members of the Rochester Police Department joined officials of the Urban League of Rochester to announce a historic partnership.

The Urban League if Rochester (Rochester, NY) has donated office space for the RPD at its headquarters on North Clinton Avenue in the city. It will be used by the police department to help foster regular conversation and give the opportunity for officers to work side-by-side with the agency’s staff and clients.

For 60 years, the agency has served as a pioneer of civil rights in Rochester. A few years ago, RPD Deputy Chief Keith Stith contacted Urban League’s President and CEO, Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, to brainstorm ways to better align the agencies.

“We are excited. This is so much more than shared space. This is a commitment to our community’s future. It’s an opportunity to take what was once tension to solution and hope, and that is what we hope to bring,” said Dr. Hawkins.

Through shared thinking and collaboration, Dr. Hawkins says the Urban League intends to address the needs of city residents by finding ways to bring together resources from both sides.

“If you think back 60 years ago, the foundation of that was pretty much anti-police. The police were the face of those civil rights violations all too frequently. Now, the employees that work in a civil rights organization and the employees that work in a police department are going to share hallways together, share elevators and break rooms together, and share day-to-day space to get to know each other’s people. It’s not just the uniforms or the jobs we have, but the people we are on a day-to-day basis who do those jobs,” said Capt. Greg Bello of RPD.

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