Letter: Community Policing Protects Us Amid Coronavirus

The following letter is from Sarah Emmert, director of community impact at United Way of Santa Cruz County and Amanda Gamban, youth violence prevention network coordinator at United Way of Santa Cruz County:

The current COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our everyday lives. The coronavirus and shelter in place orders have created new challenges for our entire community. Because of the unique challenges in this situation, local law enforcement are stepping up and taking on the additional role of public health educators. The new shelter in place restrictions have placed our law enforcement partners in an unfamiliar position, where enforcing public health orders comes first. Additionally, social distancing guidelines are ever-changing and challenging our sense of community. The question is, how can we come together during this time to make sure that we are being safe, responsible, and respectful to one another so that we can emerge on the other side of this crisis stronger and more united?

The United Way of Santa Cruz County and the initiatives we coordinate, including the Youth Violence Prevention Network (YVPN) and Project Thrive, are committed to addressing community needs. We know that communities are safer and healthier when strong, trusting relationships exist between law enforcement and those they serve. Community policing is a strategy that focuses on building working relationships with members of the community as a means of building trust. Last year, YVPN hosted a Community-Law Enforcement Dialogues Project focusing on community policing strategies, creating opportunities to connect and create shared understanding. While law enforcement's shifts to enforce social distancing for the greater good, community and trust-building remain a top priority.

In community policing, relationships are critical and it is in this moment that we must tap into the relationships we’ve built to support one another. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart wrote in a letter to residents as part of the Santa Cruz Law Enforcement Chief’s Association, “We must all work together in order to reduce person-to-person contact and to slow the spread of this virus.” We cannot deny that this global pandemic is a collective trauma impacting all communities, and also further magnifying the historical trauma and inequity experienced by communities of color. At this moment, we are being tested, but are also able to see our shared humanity so clearly. Like all other “essential workers,” members of law enforcement are risking their health for the safety of the broader community. By ensuring we are home, providing public health education, they are protecting all of us, no matter if we are Black, Latino or White.

United Way's commitment to our community members is stronger than ever during this time. During this challenging time, we continue to support law enforcement's ongoing efforts to engage in positive dialogues, education campaigns, and community-oriented practices. We can support their efforts by all being protectors of our health by staying informed of ever-changing shelter in place guidelines, maintaining a social distance, and only leaving home for essential activities. Despite the uncertainty and temporary changes to our social norms, we can support each other and come out as a stronger and more unified community.

We are continually working with community partners, updating our resources and ensuring that 211 is available 24/7.