CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings is making every CMPD employee participates in a new form of training. 

Jennings says he wants his department to be the Chick-fil-A of law enforcement. 

Officer Bruce Edwards has worked with CMPD for 16 years and said while this training is different, it helps bring officers back to the basics. Edwards joined CMPD because his mother was a police officer and he wanted to work with kids and teens to help keep them on the right track. 

“It just replenishes what it is or revitalize what it is that I have to do and what it is that I’m called to do every day,” he said. 

Edwards knows not every encounter with police is positive. 

“We don’t get called to the birthday parties, the high school graduations,” said Edwards. “We get called when something is wrong.”

Edwards is one of the first officers in the country to go through a unique customer service training to help improve interactions with communities. 

“We just need to go back to the basics,” he said. “Having empathy for people’s situations, making sure that we educate folks on what it is that we are doing.”

Jennings said his officers have more than 600,000 interactions with people each year. Edwards said every interaction is looked at under a microscope. 

“People who do things that are wrong, they need to be held accountable. However, in the process of holding them accountable, it doesn’t mean that I need to treat them like less of a citizen,” said Edwards. 

Jennings said this will be ongoing training for CMPD employees and he hopes to add a feedback option for Charlotteans. 

Not everyone is happy with the new training. The Charlotte chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement CMPD isn’t spending money in the right place. 

The full statement is as follows:

"The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's (CMPD) recent decision to hire the DiJulious Group, a national consulting firm, to train officers on "customer service" demonstrates the agency's prioritization of external appearance above officer welfare.

CMPD will pay approximately $60,000 in consulting fees to launch the new customer service program this summer. While this is not an exorbitant sum for a government agency to spend on training, we question whether this is an effective use of taxpayer's money. The Fraternal Order of Police believes these funds would be better served if allocated to morale-boosting programs.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 (FOP) has urged Chief Jennings for months to focus his attention on the internal problems of low morale, officer health, and safety. If officers feel that their voices are heard and concerns are addressed, reflected by the actions taken by senior department leadership, their on-the-job performance will reflect the positive outcomes sought by Chief Jennings.

By FOP request, CMPD distributed a "Culture and Climate" survey as an opportunity for officers to freely express their concerns. This survey intends to capture the potential changes and reforms needed to improve officer retention. In the last four months, twenty-six officers have voluntarily resigned from the department. At this rate, CMPD is losing more officers than it can replace and its ability to respond to emergencies suffers as a result. Retaining talented officers within the department is just as important as providing training when it comes to achieving positive outcomes in our community.

As another example, FOP leadership has requested a change in protective vest regulations to allow officers to wear an outer carrier, which mitigates hip and low back pain. Standard issue duty belts continue to increase in weight as more emergency life-saving tools are added. The outer carrier vest distributes this weight and eases bodily strain. However, we have been instructed that outer carrier vests are not part of CMPD leadership's current vision.

Furthermore, the DiJulious Group, while a company with substantial experience, has never worked with a police department. We fear they will make changes that are not concurrent with the law, putting officers and the community at risk.

Officers are professionals, working to treat everyone with dignity and respect. They train on how to engage and communicate in a vastly diverse set of scenarios. Unfortunately, cordial engagement during an arrest is not likely to be reciprocated. When it comes to compliance with the law, the "customer" is not always right.

The Fraternal Order of Police will continue to fight for what is best for law enforcement officers. We believe that low officer retention, inability to recruit new officers, and increased violent crime rates will all remain persistent challenges if officer morale remains unaddressed."