News Releases

Mobile's "Bridging the Gap" Program Well-Received by FBI Top Officials

Oct 30th, 2015

At the FBI Special Agents in Charge Conference held in Chicago on Oct. 26, Mobile's program Bridging the Gap was well-received by FBI top officials. In collaboration with the Mobile Police Department and U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI has taken an unprecedented move to engage with the community and rebuild mutual respect between youth and law enforcement across the country.

Bridging the Gap is the first-ever youth program to be implemented by all 56 FBI field division offices. The program targets high school students, especially ninth graders, and will be presented at schools in each division office area. Some of the learning activities used in Bridging the Gap include watching an educational video, role-play, and roundtable discussion.

"The program equips youth with a better understanding of how their behavior during encounters with police may affect the way police officers respond," said Robert Lasky, FBI Special Agent in Charge.

Going nationwide, the program will address the present-day concerns young people see with use of force and the escalation that leads to the use of deadly force. According to Chief James Barber of the Mobile Police Department, at times the escalation of force is an unnecessary outcome to what otherwise should have been a routine encounter.

"It's time we look beyond simply enforcing the law and focus more on establishing trust and mutual respect," Chief Barber said. "Our role is to protect the community but we must use tactics that are acceptable to the community."

The educational video was produced in Mobile using actors from Murphy High School Drama Class who portray the wrong and right behaviors in typical law enforcement encounters such as a traffic stop, home encounter and street encounter. Police officers in the video reveal situation control techniques that are used to de-escalate a situation and lower stress levels for all involved.

Chief Barber's commitment to bridging the gap between youth and law enforcement in the city of Mobile is a top priority. To date, three schools (Leflore High School, Murphy High School and Blount High School) have received the training, which are about 90 ninth graders reached total. The students trained are a diverse group of students selected by the school's administrative team. The goal is to have all 12 high schools in the Mobile County Public School System participate in the program.

The FBI's efforts in rolling out Bridging the Gap nationally are timely. And, Chief Barber's stance to make Mobile the safest place in America with respect for everyone is a message of change other cities can adopt.

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Charlette Solis
Mobile Police Department
Public Affairs Officer
251 208-1918