A little more than a year ago, local religious leaders joined with law enforcement to form Pastors on Patrol in an effort to curb violence in Albany.

One pastor says by mending the relationships between the community and police, he’s been able to heal from his own trauma.

The partnership between Albany Police and local religious leaders began in July 2020.

“It’s all about unity in the community, between the police and us,” said Pastor Mike Williams of Pastors on Patrol.

With frequent patrols of neighborhoods and community events like a recent BBQ in Swinburne Park, Pastors on Patrol is trying to build trust through faith and service.

“The community was wanting to see the pastors and when trouble comes, they were like, ‘Where is the church?’ The crime that’s happening in our neighborhood, and it’s not happening anywhere else, we have a plan that we’re working on and we hope that it works,” said Williams.

The driving force behind his efforts is love. For 36 years, love came in the form of his wife Anita. He recalls their wedding day in May 1984 as the best day of his life.

“She loved God, she loved people and she had her little attitude at whatever was bad, and if it was bad, you knew she was upset and everybody did; the whole community knows,” said Williams.

They traveled the world together, grew their family with seven children, and through their volunteer work and in-home day care, the couple became an integral part of the community.

“I don’t know no children on the block of Second and Judson that don’t know Anita,” Mike Williams said.

Then she got sick, being diagnosed with cancer in 2019.

“Close to September [of 2020] I had to stop doing Pastors on Patrol because I couldn’t leave her bedside. She was too sick,” Mike Williams said.

Anita Williams passed away in January. Mike was devastated. Albany wasn’t home without his wife. He considered moving away.

“I had to take a break and go to the doctors and check on me,” Mike said. “So when they saw that I had a few issues, I got back to the Pastors on Patrol to really reset my mind.”

It wasn’t easy to get back into the world he shared with his late wife. But, after a few months, he saw progress.

“I went back to the doctors. I had no high blood pressure, I had no high cholesterol, no diabetes. Everything was good because doing what I do relieved me of all my stress,” Williams said.

In mending the divide, he found himself healing, too, physically and emotionally.

“I had a chance to talk to the police about things and we were talking about the trials and tribulations on the street, and it became a therapy to me,” said Williams.

And for the first time, he started seeing himself the way his wife had.

“Looking at this picture, my wife taught me how to fall in love with myself,” he said. “So now, I love me and because I love me, I never had that experience. Now I can feel great about doing Pastors on Patrol because I can show them true love out there, because I know how to show to love to myself."

Pastors on Patrol will provide back-to-school and winter supplies for the community at their next big event, scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Sept. 30 outside of The Palace Theater in Albany.