C.O. Black Leaders Assembly meets with Bend Police Chief Krantz

(Update: Adding video, comments)

'Trust works both ways.'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Riccardo Waites, founder of the Central Oregon Black Leaders Assembly, met Thursday with Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Waites said later that his objectives are based on trust.

"Our members and our board feels that it's important to re-create trust between the community and law enforcement," Waites said.

COBLA says they have been in similar talks with various law enforcement agencies across Central Oregon, including the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the Redmond Police Department and the Prineville Police Department.

"Trust works both ways, and here I am, just knocking on the door saying hey I want to create a coalition," Waites said. "Law enforcement has to trust us, too."

His hope is to create a "coalition of caring" for victims of hate crimes or those who may experience negative encounters with law enforcement, and act as a liaison.

"As the months go by, and as we work with them and have that open line of communication and trust, we hope to get a partnership," Waites said.

As it stands, there are no partnerships in place, but Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins says Waites has met with city officials for months.

"He originally came down when the protests were going on here (last year)," Cummins said. "He acted as a voice of reason, talked to the city, and talked to the protesters."

Those initial points of contact led to meetings with city officials, where they engaged in diversity, equality, and inclusion training workshops, but Cummins says no specific meetings on law enforcement have taken place.

"We just haven't had the chance to hookup and decide how that would work," the police chief said.

But both Prineville and Redmond police say they don't yet understand the full scope of the coalition's goals.