Photo: Susan Wilkinson | Unsplash
In 2020, the Newark police didn't fire their weapons at all, and Trauma to Trust thinks its work helped make that (not) happen. Trauma to Trust is an initiative of the national nonprofit Equal Justice USA and, since 2016, its two-day trauma-informed trainings have brought Newark police officers and community members together asking, "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" Through 2019, more than 500 people took part -- 224 of them police. Civilian complaints against such officers dropped by almost 50 percent in 2018, and in 2019, the department created a new policy for interacting with members of the LGBTQ+ community. The training is two-way, so community members also learn about police trauma. Trauma to Trust has been a game changer in the city in terms of not just looking at ways to train [people], but to shift the culture and be able to have the uncomfortable conversations, said clinical social worker Keesha Eure.
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