Officers with the DeLand Police Department have been participating in a week long training on Principled Policing, which emphasizes building trust and relationships with the community.

Led by Commander Eric Holmes of the Pittsburgh Police Department, the training which is being conducted at the Sanborn Activity and Event Center is centered around the six pillars of 21st Century Policing - Building trust and legitimacy; Policy and oversight; Technology and social media; Community policing and crime reduction, Officer training and education and Officer safety and wellness.

Holmes, who has been with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police since 1997 where he serves as Chief of Staff, said the sessions cover a number of issues including partnership-based policing, procedural justice, a historical overview of law enforcement as well as a mock exercise on the duty for law enforcement to intervene. 

"We have to be nimble in law enforcement because with society what people demand today may change," Holmes said. "We have to be ready to police in a manner with and alongside the community. We cannot do it alone."

Police Chief Jason Umberger said community policing and using the six pillars of 21st Century Policing as a guide is at the heart of how he wants the DeLand Police Department to operate. 

"It's important for us because, in my view, without relationships, we cannot solve crimes and cannot service the community in a meaningful way," Umberger said. "By building relationships with the community, it helps us keep our citizens and our officers safe."