Police-Community Relations Programs

Events, Opportunities and News:

Rusty Kennedy Addresses Fullerton City Council on Kelly Thomas Case
On August 16, 2011, OC Human Relations Executive Director was invited by the Fullerton City Manager to address Council regarding the issues emanating from the tragic death of Kelly Thomas in a confrontation with Fullerton Police.  Click here to read Mr. Kennedy's statement to the Fullerton City Council.

Programs and Services

OC Human Relations’ effort to improve community relationships with law enforcement date back to the formation of the Commission in 1971. By 1977, OC Human Relations had successfully facilitated discussions between youth and Anaheim and Fullerton Police Departments after several violent incidents, and 1978 presented the first trainings for Orange County Sheriff’s Academy recruits on ethnic and race relations. Since then literally thousands of recruits have received Cultural Competency training.

In the 1980s, OC Human Relations found common ground with the Orange County Police Chiefs and Sheriff and community groups in the effort to fight bias-related crime known as “hate crime.” In 1990, the organization worked with police and community members to develop protocols for responding to and reporting hate crimes. In 1991, the Hate Crime Network was founded to keep track of hate crimes and incidents occurring in the county, and the first annual Orange County Hate Crime Report was published. In the mid-2000's OC Human Relations collaborated with other community groups to form the Orange County Victims Assistance Partnership and a number of county-wide conferences on Hate Crime were organized.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, OC Human Relations began collaborative work with the OC Police Chiefs Association to improve police-community relations, sponsored the Police/Hispanic Luncheon to promote better relations between police and the Hispanic community, and convened the Law Enforcement–Asian Advisory Council to enhance relationships between law enforcement and diverse Asian communities.

In 2005, the Commission convened a series of community dialogues between Arab and Muslim businesses, older Anglo homeowners, Latino residents and the Anaheim Police Department to build understanding in the changing community. Later that decade, in collaboration with the Islamic Shura Council, OC Human Relations organized the Muslim American Law Enforcement Network to build awareness and positive relations between police and mosques in Orange County.
In 2008, OC Human Relations launched the Police Community Reconciliation Program, created by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to provide mediation between the community and officers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Over the years, HRC has also developed police training videos to promote Police/Disabled community understanding, educate police officers on Latino and Vietnamese cultures and increase awareness about Police/Gay and Lesbian community issues. In 1994, HRC hosted the first annual Community Policing Awards to recognize positive community policing efforts. Exemplary Community Policing initiatives continue to be recognized at the annual Human Relations Awards gala.