KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A city-wide forum Thursday brought together Kansas City churches with police to try and fight crime in the city.

The forum will took place at the Kansas City Police Academy, 6885 N.E. Pleasant Valley Road, and runs from 9 to 11 a.m.

Kansas City Police Chief James Corwin said he is trying a different approach.

"As police, we can’t arrest our way out of every problem,” Corwin said. “We need to partner with community members who can bring about societal change, and the faith-based community has the power to do that.”

Corwin said the idea behind the forum is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community in order to lower crime rates.

Corwin said he thinks the communication and partnerships between the two groups could help bring some of the crime statistics down.

In 2009, there have been 101 homicides in Kansas City, with 117 in 2008. Those are a jump from the 88 homicides in 2007.

The church leaders attending the forum will get to meet officers, discuss issues in their neighborhoods and ideas for programs and to set up future meetings.