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62 residents sign up to share information with CCPD

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Sixty-two residents have signed up to share their experiences with and opinions of the Cape Coral Police Department at a weekend forum.
Interim Police Chief Jay Murphy recently announced the creation of a community engagement program. The multi-part initiative is designed to break down the barriers between the police department and residents.
To kick off the program, a community engagement forum will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Tarpon Point Marina, at 5902 Silver King Blvd.
Residents were invited to sign up to share their comments and suggestions on how the police department can improve the quality of life in Cape Coral.
The deadline to register was Wednesday.
Lt. Tony Sizemore, spokesman for the police, said 62 people had registered to take part in the forum. The department was shooting for 80 participants.
“We’re certainly not disappointed,” he said. “We have a good cross-section of ages, ethnicities, races and genders.”
The department came up with the number 80 to cover for no shows.
“Sixty-two is less than 80, but it’s still a good representative sample of the city,” Sizemore said.
The participants will be separated into four, small workable groups with each group assigned a moderator. Dr. Jennifer James-Mesloh of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Institute of Government will be the overall facilitator.
According to Sizemore, some of the questions to be asked include if the participants have ever called the Cape police, what types of interaction they have had with officers, what response times are and whether they feel safe.
“We’re just excited to see what comes out of this one and see what information we’re able to gain,” he said.
James-Mesloh will compile the feedback that she receives during the forum to present to the community on March 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cape Coral City Council chambers, at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. This will be open to the public.
James-Mesloh’s report will be available online for those unable to attend.