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May 1, 2008 10:45 am US/Eastern
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Clergy Go Through Police Training In Worcester
WORCESTER (WBZ) ―
For 25 years, Pastor Roosevelt Hughes has been walking up the aisle of John Street Baptist Church in Worcester. It seems far from walking up an alley with the police gang unit or riding up Main Street in a police cruiser; but that's what Rev. Hughes has been doing lately.
"This is a bridge," Rev. Hughes explained. "It's a door. It's an opportunity."
And that is why Rev. Hughes and 18 diverse members of the cloth became students of the Worcester Police Department, and graduated from the first-ever Worcester Police-Clergy Academy.
"They have the relationships and trust and the credibility to go out into the community, particularly where we've seen an increase in violence," said Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme.
With the street as their classroom, they took two months of instruction in sessions ranging from Constitutional Law to domestic violence, vice and use of force. The program follows a model from Forth Worth, Texas.
"Maybe ten years ago, we were listed as one of the top murder capitals of the United States," said Rev. Lance McLune, who takes part in the Fort Worth program. "We're now the 7th safest city in the United States."
Just as they minister to those in their houses of worship, these clergy members can now minister to diverse victims of violence.
"One of the things we fail to remember is that police officers who witness violence on a regular basis become victims of that violence as well," said Lt. Rick Bates, the director of the Worcester Police-Clergy Academy.
Just a block away from Rev. Hughes's church is an apartment building where, within the past year, there was a murder. He is hoping and praying along with his fellow clergy members that their work with the police department will prevent such things.
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