‘Faith And Blue’ event helps bridge the gap between police and the community

Tupelo's West Jackson Street Baptist Church hosts dinner for police and the community

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Bridging the gap between the community, churches, and police, that’s the goal of a nationwide initiative that has come to the All America City.

Community members, police, and pastors met Monday evening at Tupelo’s West Jackson Street Baptist Church, as part of a “Faith And Blue’ outreach.

“Faith and Blue’ is a nationwide effort to connect law enforcement and the communities they serve through the influence of churches.

It is also a way for people to see and hear about the many ways the police are involved in the community.

“We all live in this community, law enforcement, faith-based, all of us live here so we want to serve the community in any way we can, we follow the example of Jesus, who ultimately served, and so we want to serve, our community, one way to serve is through instruction and having events like this,” said Dr. Keith Cochran, pastor of West Jackson Street Baptist Church.

“Another opportunity to partner with area churches, organizations, that gives us another reason to help keep our community safe.   That’s what we want to do, make sure our community is safe and partnering is definitely a  plus,” said Lt. Katarsha White, of the Tupelo Police Department.

During Monday’s meeting, Tupelo police talked about the importance of gun safety and answered a variety of questions from the audience. Dinner was also provided by the church.