The faith community can and should be one of law enforcement’s strongest allies in keeping our streets and neighborhoods safe and protecting our residents from harm. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is proud to lead the way in bringing together, and working with, leaders in our faith community to identify issues of common concern, strengthen channels of communication, and fortify the community’s trust in the men and women charged with protecting the public.

While over the past year we have borne witness to tensions in Ferguson, New York and elsewhere, Los Angeles remained relatively calm in the wake of national flashpoints. That is due in no small part to the strong ties and longstanding relationships of trust among community leaders and our justice system partners. But we know we can – and we should – be doing more to partner with, and listen to, our community.

This is why I was proud to host an Interfaith Community Dialogue on March 17. Along with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow, we invited two dozen faith leaders to participate in a candid dialogue at the first official meeting in our county’s historic and newly redone Hall of Justice.

By opening the doors and inaugurating the renovated Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles – the new “home” of the Sheriff’s Department – with the voices of our community’s faith leaders, we are recognizing that law enforcement must police with and not simply in our community.

Law enforcement spends much of its time responding to calls for service, yet these cries for help are often the symptom of deeper, underlying social challenges. We need to work with our faith leaders – who are anchored to the pulse of our community – to address the challenges and root causes of these concerns and to develop smarter strategies that can help us prevent as well as address crime and make our community safer.

Community oriented policing is not something law enforcement agencies should do on the side or merely to appease critics. Rather, a focus on community oriented policing ensures law enforcement is viewed by the community as legitimate; that its actions are viewed with greater trust; and that community members are more willing to step forward and bear witness to crimes. Those are the strategies that will, in the long run, continue to keep our communities – and its residents – safe.

Jim McDonnell is Sheriff of Los Angeles County.