A former Rochester Police Chief joined the current City Mayor and a Councilman Tuesday night for a discussion of the current climate involving police and the citizens they serve and protect.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren was joined by Councilman Adam McFadden and RPD Chief Cedric Alexander, who now heads up public safety in Dekalb County, Georgia. He is also a CNN law enforcement analyst.

The discussion was held at WDKX Radio and it was billed as a candid conversation about race and police relations.

Alexander says he realizes there will be bad cops occasionally, just like there are bad people in any profession. But he believes the majority of police put themselves on the line to help the citizens of their communities. And with recent police shootings, Alexander says police really need to work on fostering the good relationships they already have with many people.

“Like in this community, I'm quite sure in Rochester, or Dekalb County, any community across America, at this very moment, more than anything else officers want to feel a sense of support, because they do feel as if they're under attack, there's no way you can deny them not feeling that way," Alexander told reporters.

Mayor Lovely Warren says the city administration has been active in trying to do community outreach about the relationship between citizens and police.

But with recent violent incidents, Warren says it makes the situation more difficult.

"What happens is this is now a national issue. When something happens in another city, another community, it is as if all the work that we've done to build bridges to build relationships. they've basically been torn down. Now you have to start all over again," Warren told us.

Before the program, Alexander was asked by reporters about the late word that Rochester police would be going back to one-person police cars as opposed to having two officers, which they had announced they were doing just a day ago.

Alexander says he doesn't want to comment on a specific situation, but says staffing will be a very individual issue for any community.

"I think each community across the country is going to have to make that judgement for itself , based on one, their relationship in the community, based on two, what's their resources and availability to be able to have two person vehicle and how long can they sustain that."

Warren says she was told by police officials they went back to the one person cars because after reviewing intelligence they saw no apparent threat.