The Berkeley Police Department is kicking off a series of sessions designed to improve community relations and let locals get up close with BPD staff.

The Berkeley Police Department is kicking off a series of sessions next week designed to improve community relations and let locals get up close with BPD staff.

The first community forum is set to take place Monday, July 17, from 6-9 p.m. at the Berkeley Adult School, 1701 San Pablo Ave.

Attendees will be able to “engage staff from throughout the department,” BPD said in a prepared statement.

Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood will be at the event, as will detectives, dispatchers, patrol officers, Special Response Team members and more.

Greenwood has said building trust between police and the community is his top priority.

“These community forums will give us the opportunity to converse with our community; to hear our community’s perspective on what we’re doing well, where we can improve, and what priorities and concerns our community members have for our department,” said Greenwood in a prepared statement.

The meetings are set to take place around town, and they are open to the public.

Three more evening events are scheduled: Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Berkeley Public Library South Branch, 1901 Russell St.; Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Berkeley Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St., and Thursday, Sept. 7 at a location to be determined. All four events are scheduled to last from 6-9 p.m.

Questions about the events can be directed to the BPD Community Services Bureau at 510-981-5806.

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BPD has also recently announced that it is hiring, and that registration is underway for National Night Out, which comes Tuesday, Aug. 1.

Connect with BPD on Nixle and Twitter.