BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Members of the Brighton Police Department took part in a training program in an effort to better hold officers accountable and increase transparency within the department.

Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) aims to teach officers to intervene when they see something is wrong or is about to go wrong during an interaction between law enforcement and the community.

That could be anything from seeing an officer use an unreasonable amount of force during an arrest, to filing a report incorrectly.

“We have to understand there’s a bigger picture and it’s not just rank, it’s not just experience – we’re here for the greater good,” Brighton Police Sgt. Rebecca Halpin. “So if somebody newer sees something that somebody with more experience doesn’t see, or somebody of rank doesn’t see, we’re telling everybody right now that this is what we want and this is what’s acceptable.

The Brighton Police Department gives out business cards to the public whenever an interaction takes place, so they too can give feedback on officer conduct.