BOSTON -- President Barack Obama will meet at the White House on Thursday with the Cambridge police sergeant and Harvard professor whose run-in sparked a national debate on race.

The meeting with Professor Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley is expected to take place at 6 p.m. Thursday. Last week, Crowley suggested that he, Gates and the president discuss the controversial arrest over a beer.

Chief White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the three men will meet at a picnic table outside the Oval Office on Thursday at about 6 p.m. Although Crowley's family will also be traveling to Washington, the meeting will only be between the officer, Gates and Obama.

Officials said that the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association is paying for the trip for Crowley and his family.

Gibbs said there is no formal agenda for Thursday's meeting -- it's just an opportunity for the parties to talk.

Gates has said that he does not drink beer, but local brewer Narragansett sent a case of beer to his house as a peace offering.

The announcement of the meeting came after Cambridge police released the 911 call and radio transmissions of the July 16 encounter at Gates' home.

In the radio call, Crowley describes Gates as "uncooperative" as he was questioning him at his Cambridge residence.

Gates was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge as he was trying to force open the front door of his home. Gates accused Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, of being a racist.

During radio communication with the dispatcher, Crowley said Gates was not cooperating and told the dispatcher to "keep the cars coming."

Crowley responded to the home on Ware Street after Lucia Whalen, 40, who is of Portuguese descent, called police to report that two men may be breaking into a home. She said she was walking down Ware Street when a concerned neighbor stopped her.

"An older woman noticed two gentlemen trying to get into a house at that number at 17 Ware St. They kind of had to barge in and they broke the screen door, and they finally got in. When I looked, I went further closer to the house after the gentlemen were already in the house. I noticed two suitcases. So I am not sure of these were two individuals who actually work there, I mean who live there," she said.

"What do you mean by barge in? Did they kick the door in?" the dispatcher said.

"No. They were pushing the door in, like the screen part of the front door," Whalen said. "I didn't see a key or anything because I was a little bit away from the door."

"I don't know if they live there and they had a hard time with their key, but I noticed they had to use their shoulder to barge in, and they got in. I didn't notice if they had a key or not, because I couldn't see from my angle," Whalen said.

Whalen's attorney, Wendy Murphy, said Whalen was aware of recent break-ins in the area.

Whalen told the dispatcher that the men were still in the house.

"Are they white, black or Hispanic?" the dispatcher said.

"There were two larger men. One looked kind of Hispanic but I am not sure. The other one entered, and I did not see him at all," she said.

Whelan has not commented on the phone call, but her mother said she was proud of her daughter.

"I am proud of her, the way she did it. I am very proud of my daughter and I hope she would do it again," said Whelan's mother, Aldina Santos.

Earlier Monday, officials announced the creation of a new committee devoted to conflict resolution and examining police policies.

"I am committed to making sure that our city is not defined by that day. Today is the day to move forward," Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy said. "(We) are pleased to announce that the city has taken significant steps toward that end."

A group of nationally recognized experts will help the city determine what lessons officials can learn from Gates' arrest. The committee will develop recommendations that the department can use as guidance in the future, Healy said.

"The mission of this committee is larger than a mere investigation into the events of July 16. While it is important for the committee to understand those events, this committee will not be conducting an internal investigation, nor will it make any official judgments on the actions of the officers in the department. Rather, the committee will identify lessons to be taken from the circumstances surrounding the incident and how those lessons can be applied to the policies, practices and training programs of the Cambridge Police Department," Healey said.

On Friday, Crowley received an unexpected phone call from President Barack Obama, who called to clarify his comments about the arrest.

Gates told Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, "If Sgt. Crowley and the president and I meet, it's clearly not going to be like 'Judge Joe Brown,' OK? You tell your side; you tell your side. We have to agree to disagree. But I would be surprised if somebody didn't say, 'I'm sorry you were arrested.'"