PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Prince William County Police Chief Barry Barnard will host the first in a series of community conversations in the county.
The first event to be held at Westgate Elementary School near Manassas will be an open forum where Barnard will answer question on any topic, according to the police department:
Chief Barry Barnard of the Prince William County Police Department will be hosting a “Conversation with the Chief” on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at Westgate Elementary School located at 8031 Urbanna Road in Manassas starting at 7:00PM. We would like to extend an invitation to those who live in the community to come out and meet the new chief and engage in conversation. Chief Barnard will personally answer questions and discuss any topics of concern from community members and residents. The Police Department plans to hold additional community conversations at other locations across Prince William County in the future.
We asked 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok about the upcoming series of community talks:
PL: Is this the first such event like this?
Perok: This is the first meeting the department is hosting; however, the Chief has attended and spoken with numerous other groups by invitation over the last year.
PL: Can you tell us what prompted the department to begin a series of these events? The Chief remains committed to community engagement and wants to continue having and building upon meetings with the community to discuss issues.
Perok: The Chief remains committed to community engagement and wants to continue having and building upon meetings with the community to discuss issues.
PL: Any specific dates / times / locations on any future events in the series?
Perok: Not at this time. The plan is to host them at varying locations across the county so that it’s geographically convenient for community members to attend.
PL: It is envisioned that each event will be an open forum, or will each event focus on a specific topic relative to the area in which the event is held? It will depend on the location and audience participation. The Chief may open with a topic and defer to the audience for further conversation. These events are going to be somewhat informal.
Perok: It will depend on the location and audience participation. The Chief may open with a topic and defer to the audience for further conversation. These events are going to be somewhat informal.
