On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Police Chief Bob Jonsen, Sgt. Ortega and two officers assigned to the Belle Haven neighborhood, participated in a community conversation with families from Belle Haven School. The meeting was a collaborative effort between the City and Belle Haven School that provided residents a chance to hear from Chief Jonsen and ask questions over a range of issues. Topics included neighborhood safety, traffic enforcement, and the support of the school and families. The Chief reported a 38 percent crime drop in 2015 and talked about Officer Mary Fergusson’s role and her work in support of the school and its families. One of the highlights of the evening was when the audience split into smaller groups to engage in a dialogue with the police officers. They discussed what the parents and police have common, how police officers can become more approachable in the community, racial profiling, mutual respect and relationship building. Those in attendance felt the dialogue was successful and expressed a strong desire to see similar conversations continue in the future. The next community dialogue planned for the neighborhood will be in the spring to talk about current and future library services in Belle Haven.