California Police Chief- Fall 2013 | Page 14

is extremely humbling” added Chief Sianez. The presentation ended with Captain Worrall answering over a dozen questions from the community members in the room. Buena Park Police Department was not sure how many people from the community would attend and aimed low, estimating attendance at 20 people. The final attendee count was 92. In addition to the public, those in attendance included Buena Park City Council members, the Orange County Fire Authority, police chiefs from surrounding agencies, PTA members and the media. According to one of the community members attending, “It was evident that a lot of thought and planning went into this program. It was so professionally done, and in a format that really connected with those who were there. I kept looking around the audience and everyone was so engaged.” Chief Corey Sianez and his two Captains, Gary Worrall and Gary Hendricks presenting at the community meeting focusing on the Understanding Police Use of Force program. 14 California Police Chief | www.californiapolicechiefs.org a suspect is considered compliant vs. non-compliant, what type of training officers receive for specific incidents, weapons used (lethal and non-lethal) and the ever growing challenges that each officer faces on a daily basis. In addition, the presentation included the use of force video scenario that featured the enlisted member of the community. The reaction from the audience was to be expected. “When you see someone you know from the community placed in the position we as officers are in daily, it The presentation was extremely well received by the community members attending, more so than the Buena Park Police Department had expected. Community members flooded the chief’s inbox with feedback regarding the evening, with examples including the following, “What an excellent program last night, with a great turnout. I am glad it was filmed, and I am going to encourage all my staff to watch it. I learned much, but more importantly, I left with such a great sense of pride for our police department. Please pass along my congratulations to your team for a great job!” Buena Park’s outreach to the community to help educate them about police use of force and to allow them the opportunity to ask questions of officers helped strengthen the department’s relationship with the community in a very positive way.  ■