Greensboro, NC
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The Greensboro Police Department continues to develop initiatives for effective community engagement to build bridges and trust within the growing international community in Greensboro.
To support these efforts, Smita Sarkar works as the Outreach Specialist in the Office of Community Engagement.
BIOSmita is a fellow at UNCG's CNNC, which engages in research on refugee and immigrant communities, and is an elected member (Vice Chair) of the International Advisory Committee of Greensboro Human Rights. A journalist by training, Smita did her Masters in International Relations on Southeast Asia and has worked as a Producer with news agencies in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and London, before making Greensboro her home in 2021. Smita speaks five languages and has been involved with the international communities in different roles. She also worked with FaithAction International House as the Director of Education, Advocacy and Bridge-building (EAB) and with New Arrivals Institute as Outreach Director.
The Community Outreach role was created in July 2023 with the scope to develop initiatives for effective community engagement that can build relationships within our diverse and vibrant community. The goal is to meet the challenges of reducing crime, and help residents feel safe. The role involves reaching out to different communities, understanding their culture, concerns and bringing the knowledge back to GPD. It also includes educating the international and newly arrived members of the community about the Police, and advocate for their rights related to public safety, language access, diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) and mental health.
The Outreach Specialist and team of officers become the first point of contact for information sharing, queries and when there's a crisis within certain communities.
Panel discussions with Mayor of Durham, and refugee leaders and members about voting rights and civic engagement took place last year.
We attended and moderated listening sessions by Governor Roy Cooper's diversity equity and inclusion for Interagency Working Group for New Americans.
We've started a free women's only yoga class in Arabic for Muslim women who are going through mental turmoil due to war in their countries. Classes include female officers speaking about important topics including women safety tips and situational awareness. Haynes Taylor YMCA have partnered with us on this project.
International Engagement Newsletters: