June 10, 2021 |
Actor Morgan Freeman and Professor Linda Keena of the University of Mississippi donated $ 1 million to the school for a new police center, CNN reported.
The Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform – pending approval from Mississippi higher education institutions – “will build relationships and share data with law enforcement agencies and use the data to improve student readiness for justice criminal ”, according to an outing from school.
Freeman said the events of 2020 inspired him to donate.
“It’s time to train the police and ensure that law enforcement is not defined as just a gun and a stick,” Freeman said. “Police services should wear that phrase ‘Serve’ that you find on most law enforcement vehicles. “
The center is intended to provide training to law enforcement officers on how best to engage with communities.
“The goal should be to give officers as many tools as possible to do their jobs more efficiently,” said Keena, associate professor of criminal justice. “Our faculty will address critical issues intrinsically linked to the current and historical landscape of policing, such as race, class, prejudice, and lack of compassion.”