WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — After six weeks of preparation, "Pastors on Patrol" has officially put boots on the ground for Winston-Salem's new community engagement effort. Religious leaders in the area will now be riding with policemen in an effort to foster better relationships between the city's law enforcement and the surrounding community.
On the rides, religious leaders have a front-row seat to a policeman's job The initiative allows them to accompany police on calls across the city.
Pastor Dwayne Young of New Birth Baptist Church joined Officer Nick Powell for the initiative's first ride-along. He experienced conflict de-escalation, routine patrol and a smaller stop Officer Powell made to help a man whose car had broken down. The city hopes Pastor Young's first-hand experience of Officer Powell's daily responsibilities will help Young relate to police more completely.
"In the future, there's no doubt that I will be able to reference this day and this moment and these times with someone that may have had an issue [with police], and say, 'Hey, I was with them. I've seen what they've seen. I've seen their circumstances, and these guys are just like us," Pastor Young said.
The perception of law enforcement in recent years, Officer Powell noted, has sometimes made it difficult to build relationships with community members directly.
"There are times when I've approached people and said, 'Hello,' to them, in just a friendly way, and got the one-fingered salute just because I was in uniform," Officer Powell said.
"It's our job to help people," Officer Powell continued, "but also to enforce the law. We may not exactly agree with the law, but we still have to enforce it. People sometimes don't see that and that we're out to get them."
Winston-Salem's religious leaders and policemen teamed up at the start of the New Year after statistics showed violent crime in Winston-Salem had increased for the past three consecutive years. Both Pastor Young and Officer Powell said the key to bridging that gap begins with a renewed perspective towards police, especially in the hearts of young people.
"The church has to be a strong foundation in our community," Pastor Young said, "and our children need to understand law enforcement is not your enemy when you've done wrong. Law enforcement's your advocate, your friend."
"That's why it's important to be here. We both are trying to help people and heal people around here, and the left hand has to know what the right hand is doing," Pastor Young said.
"We have to repair those relationships. We want to repair those relationships," Officer Powell said, "and like Pastor Dwayne is saying, it's all got to start from there."