Facilitation of Public Safety Conversations with Interactive Technology
As the Founder, Owner, and CEO of Mayers Strategic Solutions, LLC, Carlton T. Mayers, II, Esq. works with communities nationwide to solve public safety challenges like gun violence and other forms of community violence with equity and inclusivity. Mr. Mayers developed and uses the Community Empowerment-Centered® Approach to identify, strategize, and implement long-term and positive changes in practices, policies, and culture related to public safety through its vehicle, the C.A.T. Method®.
The C.A.T. Method® stands for Community Empowerment, Accountability, Transparency. Utilizing the Community Empowerment-Centered® Approach and the C.A.T. Method® in combination with interactive technology, Mr. Mayers facilitates a variety of solutions-oriented public safety conversations such as Public Safety Listening Sessions, Gun Violence Youth Roundtable Discussions, Community-Informed Police Trainings, etc.
Interactive technology allows presenters and their audiences to anonymously interact in real-time; and makes presentations, meetings, and lectures more engaging for audiences by bringing the conversation to the cellphone, laptop, tablet, and any other Wi-Fi devices. These public safety conversations can range from 45 minutes to 8 hours long and are focused on creating solutions-oriented processes and mechanisms that are custom-tailored and authentic for each individual community.
Examples of Interactive Technology Implemented Across Communities
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Mayers II, Esq. presented at the September 28, 2024 virtual webinar organized by the Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation "Driving While Black, Ensuring Mutual Respect & Safety" alongside Kandice Mitchell, NFL Mom (Keaton Mitchell #34 Baltimore Ravens), Walt Harris, former NFL cornerback (Chicago Bears), and Tyrone Poole, former NFL cornerback (New England Patriots 2x Superbowl Champion).​
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Since 2020, Mayers Strategic Solutions, LLC has been on contract with the City of Milwaukee, WI to work with the Mayor’s Office, Milwaukee Police Department, Office of Violence Prevention, the civilian oversight authority called the Fire and Police Commission, and community-based organizations like Pathfinders and NAACP to address both crime and improving community-police relations in a Community-Oriented Policing Plan (also called Citywide Public Safety Plan). I assisted them in developing the run-of-show and program and in co-facilitating each of the 16 public safety listening sessions that were held from the summer of 2022 to the winter of 2024.​
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Currently, Mayers Strategic Solutions, LLC is using the Community Empowerment-Centered® Approach and the C.A.T. Method® in combination with interactive technology to develop and conduct Community-Informed Police Trainings. These trainings incorporate civilians, who reside in neighborhoods in the community where there are both high levels of crime and a history of high levels negative police interactions like racial profiling, excessive use of force, etc., into law enforcement trainings that involve direct police-civilian interactions such as implicit bias, crisis intervention techniques, and cultural sensitivity trainings.
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Earlier in 2024, Mayers Strategic Solutions, LLC was hired by the Human Rights Commission in Muncie, IN to conduct a Gun Violence Youth Roundtable Discussion with high school-aged youth and Muncie Police Department officers. I developed the program and the run-of-show, and I co-facilitated the event with two high school-age youth from Muncie. Similar to Milwaukee, the Community Empowerment-Centered® Approach and the C.A.T. Method® in combination with interactive technology was used to facilitate this discussion and empower young people in Muncie to be involved in identifying and solving public safety challenges.