GARY, Ind. (AP) _ The city of Gary has become one of six sites around the nation chosen for a federally-funded pilot program aimed at improving trust between law enforcement and the public.

The national program is being funded by a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The (Munster) Times reports (http://bit.ly/1GnJm0a ) Gary officials say the program grew out of the fatal 2012 shooting of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says she hopes the three-year initiative will help residents in her struggling city to feel closer to the police force, “and not view them as kind of a separate entity that imposes on them.''

Police Chief Larry McKinley says Gary residents will see more transparency when it comes to the department and surrounding law enforcement agencies.