DOVER, Del.- The Dover Police Department has been chosen as an inaugural member of the nation's first ever Law Enforcement-Community Engagement Network (LECEN).
The program, run by the non-profit organization MovementForward Inc., aims to revolutionize community engagement efforts across the county.
Dover PD's current community engagement efforts caught the attention of MovementForward Inc. during their National Faith & Blue Weekend, leading to their selection for the program.
Patrolman First Class (PFC) Adalberto Aviles will act as a representative for the department.
Dover Police expressed their dedication to serving and engaging with their community, but have faced the roadblock of lacking resources for engagement officers.
"There has been no training available for how to engage your community," according to Master Corporal Ryan Schmid.
LECEN will provide guidance through peer support, with DPD joining 20 other agencies from across the nation.
MovementForward Chief Operating Officer Jared Feuer believes community is at the heart of effective policing.
"When the country feels torn apart, when communities feel torn apart, that's when communities become less secure, and when crime increases," said Feuer. "That's when morale goes down, so we have seen the cost. You cannot do law enforcement work without the communities' active participation."
He believes the program will both improve safety and address law enforcement recruitment efforts.
"Officers feel unsupported by the community, and the community likewise feels distant from officers, and when these two factors come together it makes law enforcement a very unattractive field," Feuer notes. "We need to switch it from being a vicious loop to a vicarious loop."
The 2023 trial will set the stage for the full launch of the network later this year. MovementForward Inc. hopes to eventually open the network up to all law enforcement agencies across the nation.