(CNN) The police department in Washington DC has added a nearly 10-hour training program that includes a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture so that officers can learn about the historical interactions between law enforcement and minority communities.

Crime is down in the city, but negative interactions between police and communities of color remain a concern, Mayor Muriel Bowser said. And this initiative is meant to address issues of bias and use of force that police departments around the country are dealing with.

The program began in January, and the department plans to train all of its 3,800 sworn officers and 660 civilian members by the end of summer.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture

"We are excited that with [Police] Chief [Peter] Newsham's leadership, more people in our city, specially police officers, will understand the African American experience in the city, and how it affects the work that they do today," the mayor said in a news conference held at the museum last week.

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