PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has unique new training for its deputies.

They are working with Bethune-Cookman University’s Center For Law and Social Justice to train on ways to better interact with the community.

In an interview, Sheriff Chris Nocco said it all centers on empathy.

“We will still hold people accountable for their actions. We also have to have that empathy where we understand to deescalate situations,” Nocco said.

According to a release from the sheriff’s office, the program will include additional empathy training, history of law enforcement in the community training, and community engagement.

Dr. Randy Nelson, the director of the Law and Social Justice Center at B-CU, works with police departments around the country on building community relationships.

“Policing isn’t something you do to a community. It’s something you do with a community,” Nelson said.

Nelson is a former probation and parole officer, so he's no stranger to law enforcement. He will be coming to Pasco County, taking deputies into communities, and offering some new perspectives.

“In order to serve a people, you have to know a people. Part of that is knowing their history. Good, bad or indifferent, relative to law enforcement. The badge means different things to different people,” Nelson said.

Sheriff Nocco welcomes deputies having a better understanding of the areas they serve.

“They all have different walks of life. We may not have had that walk, we may understand that walk, but at the same time, we should respect their walk. And work with them on it,” Nocco said.