DeKalb County virtual forum discusses community interactions with law enforcement

What to do when stopped by police, is a question asked by many in the community. Wednesday night, law enforcement explained what you can do to stay safe.

The goal was to educate people of their rights and to demonstrate the best approach to ensure a safe encounter with law enforcement. The panel hit on several topics like traffic stops and de-escalation methods.

During the conversation, hosted by the DeKalb County Juvenile Court, members of the panel said number one - fight the battle the next day.

"Just comply, pay attention with who you are dealing with and if there is anything that's wrong we will deal with it tomorrow," DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos explained.

In the immediate moment with law enforcement Pastor Calvin McCoy warns to be proactive.

He gave an example of a recent traffic stop where a teen was behind the wheel.

"I told him to turn on the dome lights so the officers could see inside the vehicle," the pastor explained. "I told him to turn the car off so as he can see we are not aggressive.

Attorney Keith Adams talked about a mistake clients make.

"One of the biggest mistakes clients make is they assume an aggressive attitude towards a police officer," the Attorney detailed. "If on the other side of that discussion or interaction with that police officer who is not the most patient or well-trained or gentle individual, it can just go downhill from here."

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While acknowledging officers are trained, the panelist said more needs to be done.

Protests have continued across the nation over the past few months calling for immediate reform.

"There needs to be a much more stringent vetting process, psychological testing upfront," Adams detailed.

"More empathy training and culture training," McCoy followed.

One of the attorneys in the Rayshard Brooks case, which led to protests across Atlanta, said never try to run from law enforcement.

"When they catch you, you're gonna jerk away or do something, something which they are now going to go hands-on. It's just gonna end bad," Attorney Chris Stewart explained.

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Chief Ramos said even in those intense moments, try to remain calm.

"I don’t think trying to scream or throw information out at them while they are trying to get the situation under control will resolve anything," the chief detailed.

The panelist covered many topics.

You can see the full forum here.