Suffolk police and the sheriff's department met with county residents and community leaders Saturday in Central Islip to discuss ways to better the relationship between law enforcement and the public.
The town hall meeting was held at the NYIT campus in Central Islip in the wake of recent police-involved shootings and attacks on police officers.
Leaders of the African-American community and Suffolk law enforcement discussed ways to maintain a good relationship with one another, including improved community policing, how to better respond to complaints and how to keep lines of communication open at all times.
"The police department doesn't belong to him or I, it belongs to the citizens of Suffolk County," says Suffolk County Police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron. "We really need to be responsive and transparent to them. We have to tell them what we're doing and how we're doing it and allow them to give us feedback."