Bridging the gap between community and law enforcement

BY YOLANDA COWART, Springtime Club Founder & CEO

ST. PETERSBURG – St. Petersburg Chief of Police Anthony Holloway, the newest appointed Chief of Police has partnered with Edie Darling, the radio show host of “Wake up with Edie Darling,” to help bridge the gap between community and law enforcement relations in the sunshine city.

Police Chief Anthony Holloway

Holloway’s desire is to listen to the citizens’ concerns and attempt to address and answer those underlining core issues that impact the community as a whole and has caused a distrust of the police department.

His ambition is to work with the community, to help rebuild the trust between those that protect and serve St. Petersburg residents. He is seeking feedback from the community to help formulate a plan of action to identify areas of concern and deal with sensitive situations that have the potential to insight the community and obstruct the progress he makes to mend relationships and reestablish the rapport among residents.

Looking for support from citizens, community leaders and law enforcement, Holloway hopes that they can all come together collaboratively  at a roundtable of peace to address the issues proactively as opposed to unconstructive reactive measures that impede safety, inhibit investigations and hamper police relations.

Judge Thomas McGrady of the 6th Judicial Circuit Pinellas/Pasco Counties and Momma Tee Lassiter, a local grassroots community activist, will also join Holloway for this segment of “Wake Up with Edie Darling” to share their perspectives on police relations, as they relate to crime and community issues.

Darling is not only a radio show host, but she is also a retired deputy sheriff from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. She has been in ministry since 2004 as the founder/CEO of Triune of God and Man International Church, End Time Message Ministries and recently Wake up with Edie Darling, LLC.

“Wake up with Edie Darling” is all about inspiration and motivation of faith hope and love. The show encourages you to think outside the box of tradition on your journey in life and it inspires you and motivates you to be more, and to do more in God. Edie’s hopes that her show and its message of love will inspire motivate and encourage everyone to look beyond them and to humanity as a whole.

“It allows you to focus on the now, the new day, which you have been blessed to see and experience in becoming a well-rounded individual in mind, body and soul”, said Darling.

You can take part in the taping of “Wake up with Edie Darling” TV Pilot Episode 2, “Bridging the Gap between Community and Law Enforcement Relations,” as part of the live studio audience.  The show will take place Sun., Nov. 23, in the freeFall Theater, located at 6099 Central Ave, in St. Petersburg.

The tapping takes place from 4-6p.m. Since this pilot will be used for syndication, participants in the studio audience must be over the age of 18.