Here's how you can help strengthen the police-community relationship in Chambersburg

Do you have ideas about how Chambersburg police can improve their relationship with the community? You could be a good candidate for the department's new police advisory committee. 

Chambersburg Police Department is looking for about a dozen people to form the group. 

"I think having a police advisory committee will be great to get opinions and ideas from civilians...that I might not necessarily think of myself," Police Chief Ron Camacho said. "These opinions really have to do with how we can improve the department, how we can improve the relationship between the community and the department and make Chambersburg a safer place to live."

Discussion about forming an advisory council has been going on for more than a year, but the death of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer at the start of summer kicked it into gear, Camacho said. 

Feeling the need to do more after that incident, Pastor Victor Johnson of Brownsville Church of God invited Camacho to join him and pastors and members of other local churches in a conversation about starting a "proactive movement" to build relationships between police and residents. The police chief came with the idea for the advisory committee already in his pocket, and the idea continued to develop from there. 

"Though Chief Camacho and his team (are) doing a great job, my hope is that there will be an even greater transparency between the local police department and the community.   My hope is also that with the joint effort of the advisory committee, the Chief of Police, and the Mayor there will be an ongoing journey of continuous improvement of policies and procedures that builds openness and trust," Johnson said. 

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Johnson's fellow pastor at Brownsville church, Charlie Jenkins, along with Pastor Lois Waters of Unity in Christ Church, Camacho and Mayor Walt Bietsch comprise the steering committee that will choose the members of the advisory committee. 

Camacho said it is important that the group attract diverse members so that a variety of perspectives are represented. Waters said good candidates should have a genuine interest in the community's well-being, as demonstrated through community involvement. 

In addition, people living in the greater Chambersburg area - not just the borough - are invited to apply to join the committee. 

Waters said she hopes the committee will serve as Camacho's "right hand" and keep him "apprised of how well the pulse of the community is beating and when it's not, advising him on strategies to employ to reverse the down beat."

Since taking the helm of the borough police force in 2016, Camacho has made an effort to improve its relationship with the community. To boost transparency, he got the department hooked up with the website Crimewatch; multiple incident reports, warrant notices, emergency alerts and/or announcements are posted there most days. During the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, Camacho and other officers joined people gathered in the square for conversations. In addition to regular professional development and training, the police chief even encourages officers at every level of the department to read titles from a reading list focused on building people and leadership skills. Among the current books are, "Emotional Intelligence 2.0," by Travis Bradberry and "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking," by Malcolm Gladwell. 

"We're kind of always evolving, really. We've been evolving for years and changing. What I'm looking for is just any way to make us better than we are," Camacho said. 

Applications for the advisory committee will be accepted through Oct. 23, and interviews are expected to take place in November. For the application and other information on the committee and how to apply, go to franklin.crimewatchpa.com/chambersburgpd and search for the Oct. 1 post, "Chambersburg PD Recruiting for Advisory Committee."

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.