Facilitate Dialogue between Citizens and Police in Sanford Florida (2018)

   The City of Sanford, through the auspices of the Sanford Housing Authority, was engaged in a community-wide planning process to qualify for federal Choice Neighborhoods funding, to economically transform the historic Goldsboro neighborhood, which had previously been an all-Black independent municipality. One of the important elements in this transformation was the need for better police-community relations, and SCI was engaged to provide third-party facilitation to that process. CEO William A Johnson spent eight months in the community, establishing relationships with key police and community leadership and engaging in activities that were designed to increase trust between the parties, and to create an environment where the two sides could collaboratively plan a series of programs that addressed issues of concern to both the community and the police. Four community sessions were planned and delivered prior to the project’s ending in June 2018. The City submitted a final application for CNI funding, and the police-community relations action plan is being included. SCI Associates assigned to this project were: Cameron Hebda, William A Johnson and Sarah J Read, Esq.