“In Fresno, A Community-Policing Ethos Builds Ties Between Officers and Residents”

from the Washington Post:

Not long ago, the Hispanic residents of this gang-ridden neighborhood in Southwest Fresno would not have voluntarily spoken to a police officer, much less attended a police-sponsored block party and taken photos with the chief. But over the past decade, a sustained policing initiative marked by community meetings, Christmas gifts and dozens of neighborhood events has fundamentally altered police-resident relations.

more (there are serious limits to attempts to “reform the ethos of policing”–it’s still policing by outsiders, it’s not restorative or transformative justice, etc etc–but uh, it could be a lot worse, is the thing.)