Aggressive, sometimes fatal encounters between law enforcement and African-American men have become commonplace in US society. The situation is untenable, requiring a nationwide effort to build trust and understanding on both sides.
The solution, Reverend Dr. Maulin C. Herring argues, lies in biblical principles and a firm spiritual foundation. A veteran of law enforcement, an instructor of criminal justice college courses, and an ordained minister, Herring sees both sides of the struggle, making him an ideal mediator for this complex, often volatile problem.
Herring offers a systematic, evidence-based model for change, using practical theology and cultural conflict theory to educate African-American men and police officers on improving relationships through Christian principles-resulting in positive community encounters, lower rates of community crime, and changes to criminal justice policies.
Herring's system incorporates a sermon, Bible study, workshops revealing the relationship between Christian men and police authority, and roundtable discussions with law enforcement to facilitate understanding on both sides of the issue.
A bold model for change easily duplicated throughout the United States, Herring's spiritual approach to a secular crisis offers hope for mutual change and understanding for the betterment of individuals, the community, and the nation.
About the Author:
Reverend Dr. Maulin C. Herring has over thirty-three years in the public safety field as a practitioner, professor, and consultant, progressing from public safety officer to police chief.
Herring serves as executive director of the Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development and a criminal justice professor at North Carolina Central University. He has facilitated community policing workshops for the US Department of Justice and homeland security courses for the US Department of Homeland security.
With twenty-seven years of college-level teaching experience in the disciplines of homeland security, fire services management, criminal justice, public administration, and sociology, Herring is the author of Destiny Fulfilled: A Black Man's Prevention and Survival Guide to Police Encounters.
Licensed as a minister of the Gospel in 2005 and ordained in 2007, he serves as a Pastor of International Ministries and Teaching and Discipleship. He is the executive vice-president of Outstretched Hands CDC, Inc.
