The Rhode Island Guardians Association
(RIGA) presented a one-day training session entitled “From Warriors to Guardians:
Recommitting Police Culture” on November 2, 2018, at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel, 801 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, RI 02886. This training, hosted locally
by the Rhode Island Guardians Association, will involve the acquisition of
effective communication and active listening skills, as well as other
community-policing related techniques, designed to enhance and improve the
relationships between community members and their law enforcement guardians.

According to John P. A’Vant, a retired
Detective Lieutenant of the Rhode Island State Police and President of RIGA,
the conference has been designed for both law enforcement and members of the
community. Participants will receive instruction through both lectures and
panel discussions configured explicitly with both police officers and community
members in mind.  It was designed to be
of interest to both law enforcement personnel and their community partners;
featured workshops will cover topics designed to provide law enforcement
officers with greater tools, knowledge, and skills for interacting with people,
particularly in communities of color. The topics will include: “Understanding
Police Bias; Legal Consequences of the Use of Force; Race & Justice-Police
Use of Force-Common Ground or Battle Ground; Identifying Barriers to Diversity
in Recruiting.”

Opening remarks were provided by
Colonel Ann Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, with a
keynote address given by Peter Neronha, former United States Attorney for the
District of Rhode Island, and a candidate for State Attorney General of Rhode
Island.

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