Community Safety is Everybody’s Safety

In our third episode, we focus on the topic of Public Safety. This episode features retired police officer Vanessa Westley in conversation with Andrea Hernandez, who first met Westley as part of the Chicago Police Department’s Youth District Advisory Council (YDAC). Westley shares a photo from the first YDAC leadership session: it features a uniformed white male police officer (left) seated alongside two young men of color (center and right). They sit at eye level and around the same table, positioning that Westley sees as an important recognition of the values of all voices in conversations about community safety.