CHARLOTTE -- On Thursday night, a number of central division officers took a brief moment from their beats for a community safety forum inside First Presbyterian Church.
CMPD's Central Division encompasses areas like Uptown, Wilmore, and South End.
"We think we've managed to excel in the face of some challenges and some adversities," said central division Capt. Dave Johnson
The most high profile challenge for central division officers were the September riots.
"What I realized over the last month is we have to make a lot more concerted effort to connect with even more people," said Chief Kerr Putney.
Thursday night's forum is the ninth in a series of similar forums where the public is one on one with Putney.
"We're trying to re-engage with our community at a deeper level, and it's hard to hate up close," Putney said.
But it was more like a workshop where the chief is the team leader and not just for his officers.
"My test to see which divisions really know how to do community policing is to ask you how well you know your community police officers," Putney told the audience.
Quiz one, Putney said: "Each table is going to have to introduce their community officer and at least two things that you've learned."
The second exam delved deeper, using the example of a traffic stop.
"I want you to hear from them what their perspective and expectations are and then I want them to hear from you."
The idea is that the results of the community case study will help bridge the gap with law enforcement.
"We don't know really what the community's concerns are until we ask and we give them an opportunity to speak up," Johnson said.