Macon Police Department Attend Racial Profiling Training Session

MACON, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – Officers from the Macon Police Department and members of the Macon community met for a training session on racial profiling and cultural professionalism on Tuesday.

Walter Atkinson of the community relations service for the U.S. Department of Justice opened the meeting and made a point to address that he and his colleague Suzanne Buchanan were invited by outgoing police chief Mike Burns in light of last December’s police involved shooting of Sammie Davis Jr.

Tuesday’s training session was the first of four that will touch on properly identifying biases that police officers may have when locating a suspect.

The session began with an ice breaker to allow police officers and members of the community to work together in a scavenger hunt to build camaraderie.

During the three sessions scheduled in the next coming days, Atkinson and his team will address potential prejudices police may have.

There where also be an instructive session talking about the public vs. The police and the perception that the both have on one another.