ORLANDO, Fla. — After participating in listening sessions, Orlando activist Caila Coleman said she was impressed by The Bowman Group, the police consulting organization tasked with reviewing the Orlando Police Department and making recommendations on reforms.

“I do want to give some credence to what they’re doing as a group, to actually come and sit down and talk to different people,” Coleman said.

The Bowman Group held a second listening session with community members Wednesday to allow people in Orlando to share information about their experiences with Orlando police officers and to offer suggestions on how the department can address issues like racial bias.

“Maybe if OPD can hear from a different voice, an unbiased voice, that might help some,” Coleman said.

Dr. Theron Bowman, president and chief executive officer of The Bowman Group, said the organization will present to OPD its recommendations and all of the suggestions it received.

“So that they can understand not just what the police priorities are, but what the community priorities are,” Bowman said.

But Orlando activist Aston Mack, who also took part in the sessions, said community members have heard similar promises from the city in the past.

“They tend to throw a task force at us, write a report, throw it in a shoebox, and never see it again,” Mack said.

Bowman said from his talks with city leaders and seeing how the city paid the organization almost $800,000 to do this, he believes OPD is committed to taking recommendations seriously.

"The department has provided everything we’ve requested,” Bowman said. “They’ve been a complete open book. They provided access to all of their people, to every document that we've requested. And so there is no reason for us to believe that the department isn't fully committed to this project.”

But Mack said he wishes The Bowman Group would’ve instead set up face-to-face meetings with elected officials like Chief Orlando Rolon and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. He said his group has requested the meeting for months without any success.

“Unless we get a chance to actually fight [for] our cause and be put in a situation where elected officials are forced to interact with us, then there’s not really…. we don’t really have any confidence there’s going to be any real change,” Mack said.

None of this will mean much unless The Bowman Group follows up with the department, Coleman added.

“How are you gonna hold OPD accountable after this research is over?” she asked.

Bowman said his organization will come up with a system with the city on how to make sure the changes it proposes are implemented after they're recommended.

The process should be completed and recommendations should be provided to the Orlando Police Department in about four months, Bowman said.