Around 200 members of the Trinity Temple Church of God in Christ congregation welcomed Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez as part of a worship event on Wednesday, days after police shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Pastor Darwin Neal said the event was planned several months in advance, well before the shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte led to unrest.
"I invited him to come over and speak to our congregation not even knowing that the nation would be in such a crisis," Neal said on Wednesday before the event. "I said, 'I'm a pastor.’ From that point on, the chief and I just connected."
On Wednesday night, Donchez spoke to the crowd about his faith and the need for prayers for police and families affected by violence.
Donchez also put out a call for more minority police officers in the metro area, saying it could help bring communities and police closer together.
With the event happening days after the shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte, Donchez hoped having a conversation with members of the congregation could help lead to more understanding.
"If there's no communication, the relationship falters," explained Donchez, who has served as Overland Park police chief since October 2014. "The timing couldn't be better."
As protests continued in parts of the country on Wednesday night, Donchez said a solution to peace lied in community conversations.
"The message I want to convey is that we are sincere about wanting to help, and we want to hear from the community how we can do that better," he explained.
The conversations, he said, could help lead to less violence across the country, including in the metro area.
"[The conversations] are extremely important," said Donchez. "They should be happening before the incidents [in Tulsa and Charlotte] occur."
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
