18th Annual Cops and Clergy Faith and Justice Summit

The 18th annual Faith and Justice Summit, sponsored by the National Cops and Clergy Network Inc. Redlands and Yucaipa chapters, is scheduled 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Yucaipa First Assembly Church, 12226 Second St., Yucaipa. The theme of this year’s summit is “Cops and Clergy Protect and Serve: Stop Bullying and Trafficking.”   Workshops will include “Protecting Children from Bullying and Trafficking;” “Trafficking the Dark Web and Use of Bitcoin;” “Police and Pastors’ Role in Protecting Children;” and “Behavioral Health Risk in Bullying.”   The keynote speaker will be Opal Singleton, president and CEO of Million Kids and director of development for Rapha House International, dedicated to combating human trafficking in the United States and internationally.   The Cops and Clergy Network’s vision is to save lives by offering training opportunities to police and the community to learn from each other, share and develop relationships. The Cops and Clergy Network was formed out of an informal coalition which began meeting in the fall of 1998.  The Inland Empire Cops and Clergy Network was co-founded by then-Redlands Police Chief Jim Buermann and Dr. Felix Roger Jones III, Pastor of All People Unity Baptist Church. The Cops and Clergy Network was formally incorporated under the leadership of President and CEO, Dr. Jones in 2003 to further promote community involvement in police and civic matters.  “I knew if we could just come together as human beings, rather than disparate community groups, something good would happen,” Jones said. The annual Faith and Justice Summit has addressed issues such as preventing and responding to domestic violence; mobilizing the church, city and community in the event of disaster; and igniting faith-based partnerships, among other topics. Registration is $25 per person or $125 for a table of six before March 1. After that date, registration is $35 per person or $150 for a table of six.