Community

‘Cops and Barbers' program celebrates first CMPD graduate

In the wake of the 2014 officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown, a local barber found a way to help bridge a gap between local law enforcement and the community.  The simple name with an infinite mission is known as “Cops and Barbers.” 
The newest piece of the program has paired a barber student with a rookie cop.
Timothy Ellerbe is in barber school, and he spent his morning watching a police class graduate.
"I believe not all policemen are what they're portrayed on TV as or what I see on social media," Ellerbe said.
The cadet partnership is where Justin Cawley, a CMPD recruit graduate, comes in.  Ellerbe and Cawley are the first two people to go through the Cops and Barbers program together.
Cops and Barbers, founded by Shaun “Lucky” Corbett, owner of Lucky Spot Barbershop, starts with a scholarship-buddy program, where qualifying students receive a scholarship to attend barber school, participate in volunteer activities and peer-to-peer police academy cadet partnerships.
The program will start pairing a lot more people like them -- black barbers and white cops -- so when volatile situations flare up, they can work together to calm tensions.
The initiative was created to establish meaningful relationships thus making it easier to have much needed dialogue between police and the community.
"Getting introduced to the program influenced my standpoint and viewpoint on so many things," Cawley said. “Meeting Tim has shown me that I need to go to different people with different perspectives because not everybody is the same.”
For these two men, Cops and Barbers has gone from a program to a friendship giving both men a different viewpoint on the cultures they grew up in.
CMPD hopes to form dozens of partnerships like this in the future because they need the support.
“I feel like this program should grow.  If we can understand each other as a community, then we can better deal with situations that might scare us,” Ellerbe said.
The Cops and Barbers Foundation’s inaugural Game Changer Awards is May 2 from 6 to 8pm at the Betchler Museum of Modern Art at 420 S. Tryon St. and will be hosted by WSOC-TV anchor Erica Bryant.
The foundation will recognize those who have made an impact on the Cops and Barbers initiative, making contributions toward improving the relationships between the police and the community members they serve.  
If you have an inspiring story to share, email Kevin Campbell, WSOC-TV/WAXN-TV community affairs manager, at kevin.campbell@wsoctv.com.