SALISBURY — The Salisbury Police Department continues its series of in-person conversations with neighbors in various Salisbury communities thanks in part to a $25,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation as part of the energy company’s $1 million pledge to social justice and racial equity in North Carolina.

The third “Cultivating Community Conversations” will be held Thursday, Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m. at Fire Station 6, 310 Cedar Springs Road. Residents who serve on the Police Chief’s Advisory Board will lead engagement between officers and residents in an open discussion format. Food will be served.

“We are excited to continue Community Conversations to engage and hear from our neighborhood residents,” said Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes in a news release. “Meeting residents where they are has been our mantra for a number of years. We hope visitors from various areas across the city will allow the opportunity to increase familiarity between officers and the communities we serve. In addition to discussing community needs, we’ll also collaborate on what residents want to see from us, and how we can all work together to make our community better. We look forward to seeing everyone in the Cedar Springs area on Thursday, Sept. 22.”

“Face-to-face dialog is a means of boosting communication within the community,” added Rev. Dr. Roy Dennis, Police Chief’s Advisory Board chair and pastor at Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church. “There is so much going on in the community that can only be articulated by those who live in the community. The Cultivating Community series is an outreach attempt to tap into a wealth of information happening in the community while building trust together. The only means to make our communities safer is through the teamwork of the community and law enforcement. The act of sharing information will close the gap between crime and a safe environment within our community.”

The Salisbury Police Department is one of 40 organizations across North Carolina selected as a recipient of the Duke Energy Foundation grant.