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Immediate Past President Ogden Promotes National Faith & Blue Weekend

Earlier today, IACLEA Immediate Past President and Associate Vice President/Chief of Police at the University of Delaware Patrick Ogden spoke at a press conference at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C. to promote the upcoming National Faith & Blue Weekend which takes place Oct. 7-10 in communities across the United States. Click here to view the entire press event (Chief Ogden’s remarks begin at 33:17).

IACLEA is excited to once again be a partner of this important event. Last fall, IACLEA member institutions across the U.S. hosted their own local events which brought together the community and police and public safety officers in unity.

The National Faith & Blue Weekend organizers represent most of the major national law enforcement membership and professional organizations in the U.S., as well as many of the major faith traditions. This effort at bridging community divisions is being co-convened by MovementForward, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Office. National Faith & Blue Weekend is sponsored by FirstNet Built with AT&T and the Motorola Solutions Foundation.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO Marcia Ferranto kicked off the event, followed by an overview of the upcoming weekend, with remarks by Movement Forward’s the Rev. Markel Hutchins. Movement Forward and the National Faith and Blue Weekend partners also welcomed U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who offered his remarks on the importance of efforts to bring police and communities together.

Immediate Past President Patrick OgdenEach partner offered their remarks on the importance of National Faith and Blue Weekend as well. Chief Ogden said: “Our robust association of 7,000+ dedicated professionals, representing over 1,000 institutions of higher education, in 14 countries around the world, is committed to global networking, problem solving and maintaining best practices. Put simply, we believe in working together, and sharing resources to accomplish our collective goals.

"IACLEA is honored to have the opportunity to partner with National Faith & Blue Weekend, in this noble effort to build stronger relationships between houses of worship and law enforcement entities,” he continued. 

“We are improving but remain at a time of an unprecedented crossroads in our country, with challenges at many fronts; and at IACLEA, we recognize that collaboration between police agencies and faith-based institutions will enhance trust in the communities we are sworn to serve. As we take time to reflect upon the past few years and prepare for the years ahead, police and faith leaders have a unique opportunity to be catalysts for positive change, by creating a culture of innovation, through creative vision,” Chief Ogden continued.  

“I am confident that brighter days are ahead, based on partnerships like Faith & Blue, that are committed to providing high quality, contemporary and forward-thinking programs to ensure we are aligned to rebuild trust and enhance accountability, while forging a constructive path forward. I am humbled to stand here today with our partnering organizations to join Faith & Blue, in the hope of inspiring communities across the country to host mutual gatherings centered around service projects, athletic contests, picnics, forums, and other activities that will result in positive engagement,” Chief Ogden concluded.

Other partner organizations in attendance included the FBI National Academy Associates, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, the National District Attorneys’ Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the National Sheriffs’ Association.

The Rev. Markel Hutchins concluded the event by recognizing the importance of partnerships.

“For the past several years, we've seen enormous strains in the relationship between law enforcement and communities. Recent times have proven that we cannot simply march and protest away the problems—we have to turn our pain into power. Our pathway to progress around policing as a nation is a collaborative one that focuses on our commonalities rather than our differences,” Hutchins said.

If your campus would like to take part in National Faith & Blue Weekend, be on the lookout for an email on Aug. 15 explaining how you can get involved.



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