Macon Police Race & Culture Classes to Start Tuesday

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Required classes on race relations for Macon Police Officers start tomorrow.

As part of the fallout over the shooting death of Sammie Davis, Junior by Macon Police Officer Clayton Sutton, all MPD officers must go through these training sessions on racial profiling and cultural professionalism.

Four classes are planned over a 10 day period and officers are required to attend at least one.
Two are scheduled for in the morning, and two in the evening to accommodate everyone’s schedule. The public is also invited to attend these sessions.

Macon Police spokeswoman Jami Gaudet says these classes are designed to be constructive and help move the community forward.

The classes will be put on by two Department of Justice employees-Walter Atkinson of the Community Relations Service and his colleague, Suzanne Buchanan, a Conciliation Specialist.

According to Atkinson, “It is important for the public to understand that these are training sessions, not forums. While there is a segment in which attendees can share perceptions, the focus is instruction and training, which I conduct, along with Suzanne Buchanan.”

It is not necessary to make a reservation to attend, however, each citizen and officer will be required to sign-in upon entering.