WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The mayor of Wilkes-Barre is looking for applications for members of the community to join a police advisory committee.
The mayor says that in light of everything that is going on around the country, he wanted to put together a committee made up of residents from diverse backgrounds to be a resource between police and the public in Wilkes-Barre.
"I think we have great leadership in the police department, but I think there also has to be someplace that people can come if they feel in any way that they have a concern about the way they've been treated by the police department, that they have a place to go," said Mayor George Brown.
The mayor and the police chief will be on the committee, but not as voting members. They will be there to make sure concerns brought to the committee are addressed appropriately.
"It's going to be made up of a diverse part of the city of Wilkes-Barre. I want everyone that makes up the city of Wilkes-Barre to please apply for these positions because I want to show the diversity in the city, and I want their representation on this committee," the mayor said.
The police chief in the city of Wilkes-Barre was not available to speak with Newswatch 16 on camera, but he tells us that the mayor has his full support in the creation of this committee.
"Gov. Wolf has imposed several new initiatives for the police, we have that. We're going to be putting body cams on our police officers, another thing. Now we have the police advisory committee. There's three things that are new as of this week."
If selected for the position, your term would be 3 or 5 years. You would need to attend bi-monthly meetings. You must be a resident of the city, and you cannot apply if you are already a public official or a city employee.
"I keep stressing I want to show a good outpouring of diversity within the city, OK? I want anyone that feels like they want representation to be on that board," Mayor Brown added.
If you are interested in learning more about the position, you can find more about the expectations and goals of the committee here. You can also get an application in person at the city clerk's offices on the 4th floor of Wilkes-Barre City Hall.