The Penn State Abington Black Student Union hosted its second social justice dialogue with area police officers.
Penn State Abington students had a necessary conversation -- a conversation between students and police officers about officer/citizen conduct, protocols, and the controversial events that appear in the media.
A student opened the discussion by reading a poem, “A Black Man or a Cop, Doesn’t Even Matter.” Officers from the Philadelphia, Abington, and Cheltenham police departments answered questions about traffic stops, officer training and the recent officer/citizen issues that often appear in the media.
Responses to questions differed between each officer, but at the heart of each answer was that respect is a critical component of each officer/citizen encounter.
“Respect should come from both sides of the table,” Philadelphia police Lt. John Stanford said. “If an officer stops you then you should respect them, and they should respect you, too.”