Fayetteville police awarded $50,000 grant for racial equity training

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Fayetteville Police Department announced it is accepting a $50,000 grant to pay for racial equity training.

The grant is coming from the Cumberland Community Foundation. As part of the department's application for the funding, officials detailed the agency's needs, project budget, timeline and goals. The police chief said it is one of the many actions it is taking in response to calls for change.

"We would like to thank the Cumberland Community Foundation for its commitment to understanding the importance of educational awareness related to racial equity training," Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins said. "he department is able to further our mission while expanding our training on diversity and de-escalation for our community. It is paramount that we ensure everyone is served according to our core values."

A tentative plan for the department's equity training includes complete virtual sessions on racial and equity training for the department, diversity and de-escalation training and the implementation of a Train-the-Trainer program. All programs should be completed by July of next year.