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By Dalinda Ifill<\/strong><\/p>\n While conflict between police and the communities they serve intensifies across the nation as a result of the publicized killings of unarmed black men and women<\/span><\/a>, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is launching a program that may help alleviate some of that tension.<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201cBigs in Blue\u201d program launched in Boston on Jan. 12 at a press conference with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay manager Chris Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFolks in Boston and other places feel the impact of these instances regardless of what their police-community relationship might look like,\u201d said Jones, the community engagement and recruitment manager for the regional Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. The local program calls for Boston police officers to mentor youth between the ages of 7 and 12.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Big Brothers Big Sisters of America<\/a><\/span> started\u00a0 <\/span>Bigs In Blue<\/span><\/a> last November in an effort to rebuild trust between police and the communities they serve. The program exists in cities across the nation but each city tailors its own design of the program to meet its needs. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at some of the best practices and ways to recruit officers for the program,\u201d Jones said, noting that the initiative in Boston is just getting started. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n