Salinas police introduces ‘Here to Hear’ program

Working to build trust in the community, the Salinas Police Department launched a new outreach program Wednesday. The “Here to Hear” meetingsare designed to let residents bring their issues and concerns straight to the top.
“Clearly this year in Salinas we’ve been challenged with community relations,” said Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin.

McMillin said in a news conference that after the recent officer-involved shootings, the police department has been trying to find ways to regain the trust of certain communities and be more transparent.

How the “Here to Hear” program works is any resident of Salinas will be able to request small group meetings with the chief. No more than six people are allowed to attend, McMillin explains why.

“Those small meetings where people are in a good space to listen are very effective, sometimes a lot more effective than the large public gatherings that we’ve had,” said McMillin.

“Here to Hear” is also confidential, the chief said he will not disclose publicly who he’s meeting with. Pastor Andrew Lopez said many community members prefer to go to the church to air their grievances.

“We have people that come with legal problems and they don’t know what and how to deal with those issues,” said Lopez.

While Pastor Lopez said he’s happy to listen, he feels the community should trust the police to handle certain situations.

“I think it will work, I think it can work. I think it can bring a lot of positive change to the great city we live in,” said Lopez.

And to help bring change in this community, McMillin said residents and police need to work together.

“We do have some good ideas, but at the end of the day we can’t do it alone. We need the community’s help,” said McMillin.

Salinas residents can start signing up to request a “Here to Hear” meeting. Information is available by going to the Salinas Police Department Website or by visiting the police station.