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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PCSTC-1992 `'ECErterr) Jrr t 91992 Police/Community Sensitivity Training Committee Meeting Minutes: Monday, June 1 , 1992 7:00-8:30PM (Recorder. Ed Liebe) The overall tone of this first meeting was one of introductions: to each other, to the evolution of the committee, to historical perspectives of human relations work with the Ithaca City Police in the past, to considerations about police defensiveness as we consider our objectives, to our Sept.1 deadline for reporting our progress and requests to the Human Services Committee of the Common Council. Decided: To meet for four hours, 6:00-10:00PM, Tuesday June 23 and at that time to schedule a full Saturday in July. To insure as full community representation on the committee as possible by inviting more people to the June 23 meeting, at which time our membership will be considered final. Discussed: Began to identify resources within the group such as communication skill training capability and "street-smart" experience with police, and external resources such as the Alternatives to Violence Project for establishing trust and community building, and RC workshops on racism/sexism. Important to recognize the police for what they enti doing now, such as having beat/bicycle persons, and to know their training programs. Do we want a PBA rep, or police trainers, involved in our group? Importance of clarity about which of our objectives with the police will truly be negotiable and which will eventually require power to achieve. Our police/community training should o come from a "making yourjobs easier vs. a "you need this perspective o create opportunities for a variety of dialogues o target the core group of 7-9 supervisors (sergeants and lieutenants) o answer the question for police :"What's the standard of my behavior?" o focus on by the police sometimes choose not to act properly, given that they probably know flim to, and find interventions to get at that. y9 Meeting Minutes: Police/Community Sensitivity Training Committee Tuesday June 23,1992 6:15-9:45PM (Recorder: Camilla Lisbe) Present Neil H. Golder,Laura Branca, Kirby Edmunds,Kris Miller, Ed Lisbe, Camille Lisbe, Ellen Grimm, Dee Dee Loeb,Marie Johnson, and two members of the Ithaca Police Force: Officer Barry Lengerlan end Chief Harlin McEwen Meeting Times Decision to meet every other Tuesday,beginning June 30. Issues Discusseg > 1. The core group of police for training would best be The Chief,The Deputy Chief,the sergeants and lieutenants. These people wouitbe in the best position to transfer information to the rest of the police force. 2. The frustration and powerlessness people feel in not being able to impact or influence the police covering any street situation they are involved in or witnessing. 3. How some people have to be in a desperate state before calling the police, as a lest resort, for help. Some adults and teens feel their interactions with the police would cause more stress in their lives than the event itself. This was felt to be a very serious issue for the community. 4. Other interventions besides formal "training" would be useful for this committee to explore. 5. The need to compare notes with the Community Relations Committee to insure that their needs are met by our training recommendations. 6. Since the role of the police involves them in difficult situations,they are often seen as adversaries when they are just doing their Job enforcing laws and ordinances. Since there is no established place in Ithaca to skateboard, for example, the kids blame the police for preventing them from skateboarding. To help strengthen positive relationships with youth, it was suggested that police officers begin to teach children and youth their rights with respect to law enforcement officers' actual or perceived harrassment. 8. There is a positive community response to police on foot and bicycle,examples of pro- active vs. reactive police work. Support for this neighborhood-oriented approach is strong -- funding is a problem. 9. The Ithaca Police Force needs help with the language barrier in dealing with non-English speaking community members. 10. The article `Black Men in Public Places" was suggested as a reading for anyone interested inincreesing their awareness of others'perspectives. 11. Before the police could be expected to admit mistakes or shortcomings, the community must find a way to work at correction without blame. They are emotionally and legally vulner- able, so we went to encourage an attitude of community support as we work out problems. Doals Targeted 1. To Learn How To Listen: Demonstrated in this meeting was the need for compassionate and skillful listening In dialogues between the police and the community. It is a necessary first step to Insure clear understanding of one anthers concerns and issues. This would decrease the reactivity and defensiveness in these dialogues, as for example, was present in our meeting where members felt the Chief didn't understand our feelings or the principles wewere trying to address through our examples, and the Chief felt the committe members didn't know enough about the police perspective,either on the street or with respect to training needs. As similar stress would tend to occur in any community dialogue group created out of our committee,our committee process would have to be a model of effective listening as a standard for communication before we can expect it from others. 2. To Understand The Police Perspective: Chief McEwen agreed to present an overview of police training and related issues (e.g. budget,priorities)at our next meeting. He felt this was important because most peoples' understanding of the police comes from their own direct experiences, not from a broader perspective. The Committee felt this information would be an important first step. We need to know the current trainings and rationales before making recommendations for processes end strategies for meeting community needs.The presentation and the question/answer period will be videotaped so that others can have access to this Information. 3. To Understand the 'isms': We need to create structures for dialogue and strategies for community members and police to increase understanding and awareness of the experience of others. Different community groups (e.g. blacks, esians, orientels,gays, women,kids)need to help teach the police the kinds of behaviors, attitudes and customs that tend to be resented and/or appreciated by members of those groups. An individual from one of these groups spoke at our meeting about a time the police, when asked for support,didn't protect them from a potentially life-threatening situation. The police might not be aware of some of the ways they're perceived as being insensitive to people. Overall, we want to be creating the experience and perception of fair treatment regardless of personal issues. This would encourage people to feel more comfortable calling and using the services of the police. 4. To Develop a Climate of Learning: It is hard for citizens to feel supported when the pollee "in charge" of incidents tend to disregard our information,requests and suggestions in situations of conflict or crisis. Our goals,given the reality of the stresses the police are under,are to create ways for the community to give input to people necessarily taught to "take charge" and be In control"by(a) teaching people how to speak to the police in ways most likely to be well-received, and by (b)raising police responsiveness (when it would be appropriate) to citizen input. We want to use these daily encounters with the police(in addition to formal training sessions)as "learning moments" for creating dialogue and for improving relations. 5. To Create the Finenetel Resources to Implement Suggestions: The communtty needs to become proactive to supporting the police rather than reactive in response to problems. This would take the shape of community participation in resising funds to pay for recommended programs. 6, To Create Community Dialogues: we see one of our missions as bringing different groups together for the purpose of understanding and addressing police/community concerns. Police-Community Relations Training Committee Minutes of July 28, 1992 , meeting Next meeting will be Tuesday, August 11, 1992, at5 : 30 The group decided to go by the above name from now on, partially because of negative perceptions of the words "sensitivity training. " Minutes of July 14 meeting were approved. Barry Langerlans was present as the official representative of the PBA. Barry distributed an article entitled "Making Sense of Sensitivity, " and highlighted what he felt were important points, The discussion brought up the following points: 1. A major part of police work in the community is service and order maintenance rather than law enforcement. This aspect of police work needs to be enhanced by more foot patrols and also by less emphasis on the number of arrests made by each officer. A focus by the administration on "stats" (numbers of arrests) tends to undermine the police feeling part of the community. 2 . The community needs to understand what it is the police actually do, how much of their responsibility is helping people. 3. The police have nothing against training. What puts them off is ad hoc training which comes about as solely a reaction to an event and which is seen as simply a band aid. Training which would really help the police for the long term would be more welcomed. 4. The community should be involved in training as well as the police. 5. Any police training would have to take scheduling into con- sideration, so the police would not be left short-handed. 6. An important point in soliciting input from the police via questionnaires or surveys: anonymity. The officer needs to trust that the information they give would not be used against them. (The group discussed ways that the surveys could be totally anonymous, such as a strategically placed box to put them in. Obvously no one would put their names on them. ) 7. Barry felt that officers would generally not have a problem with a civilian accompanying them on a beat. To speak freely, trust would have to be established. The group had Barry go over the tentative list of questions we came up with at our last meeting. The purpose was not to get his answers, though we got some very helpful ones, but to see if he thought those questions were appropriate and clear. Barry' s general comment was not to require too much writing of officers who are already overburdened with writing reports, and to make questions short and simple. Based on Barry' s comments, there is an attempt at a redraft on the next page. Police-Community Relations Training Committee Minutes of July 28, 1992 , meeting Next meeting will be Tuesday, August 11, 1992, at5 : 30 The group decided to go by the above name from now on, partially because of negative perceptions of the worcb "sensitivity training. " Minutes of July 14 meeting were approved. Barry Langerlans was present as the official representative of the PBA. Barry distributed an article entitled "Making Sense of Sensitivity, " and highlighted what he felt were important points, The discussion brought up the following points: 1 . A major part of police work in the community is service and order maintenance rather than law enforcement. This aspect of police work needs to be enhanced by more foot patrols and also by less emphasis on the number of arrests made by each officer. A focus by the administration on "stats" (numbers of arrests) tends to undermine the police feeling part of the community. 2. The community needs to understand what it is the police actually do, how much of their responsibility is helping people. 3. The police have nothing against training. What puts them off is ad hoc training which comes about as solely a reaction to an event and which is seen as simply a band aid. Training which would really help the police for the long term would be more welcomed. 4. The community should be involved in training as well as the police. 5. Any police training would have to take scheduling into con- sideration, so the police would not be left short-handed. 6. An important point in soliciting input from the police via questionnaires or surveys: anonymity. The officer needs to trust that the information they give would not be used against them. (The group discussed ways that the surveys could be totally anonymous, such as a strategically placed box to put them in. Obvously no one would put their names on them. ) 7 . Barry felt that officers would generally not have a problem with a civilian accompanying them on a beat. To speak freely, trust would have to be established. The group had Barry go over the tentative list of questions we came up with at our last meeting. The purpose was not to get his answers, though we got some very helpful ones, but to see if he thought those questions were appropriate and clear. Barry' s general comment was not to require too much writing of officers who are already overburdened with writing reports, and to make questions short and simple. Based on Barry' s comments, there is an attempt at a redraft on the next page. Police-Community Relations Training Committee Minutes of July 28 , 1992, meeting Next meeting will be Tuesday, August 11, 1992, at5 : 30 The group decided to go by the above name from now on, partially because of negative perceptions of the word3 "sensitivity training. " Minutes of July 14 meeting were approved. Barry Langerlans was present as the official representative of the PBA. Barry distributed an article entitled "Making Sense of Sensitivity, " and highlighted what he felt were important points, The discussion brought up the following points: 1 . A major part of police work in the community is service and order maintenance rather than law enforcement. This aspect of police work needs to be enhanced by more foot patrols and also by less emphasis on the number of arrests made by each officer. A focus by the administration on "stats" (numbers of arrests) tends to undermine the police feeling part of the community. 2. The community needs to understand what it is the police actually do, how much of their responsibility is helping people. 3. The police have nothing against training. What puts them off is ad hoc training which comes about as solely a reaction to an event and which is seen as simply a band aid. Training which would really help the police for the long term would be more welcomed. 4. The community should be involved in training as well as the police. 5. Any police training would have to take scheduling into con- sideration, so the police would not be left short-handed. 6. An important point in soliciting input from the police via questionnaires or surveys: anonymity. The officer needs to trust that the information they give would not be used against them. (The group discussed ways that the surveys could be totally anonymous, such as a strategically placed box to put them in. Obvously no one would put their names on them. ) 7. Barry felt that officers would generally not have a problem with a civilian accompanying them on a beat. To speak freely trust would have to be established. The group had Barry go over the tentative list of questions we came up with at our last meeting. The purpose was not to get his answers, though we got some very helpful ones, but to see if he thought those questions were appropriate and clear. Barry' s general comment was not to require too much writing of officers who are already overburdened with writing reports, and to make questions short and simple. Based on Barry' s comments, there is an attempt at a redraft on the next page. Police-Community Relations Training Committee, Page 2 Second draft of questions to be asked of officers: 1 .a.How useful to you in your work with the community have trainings in the following areas been? --racism --sexism --homophobia --ageism --cultural diversity b. Which training (s) have been useful? c. Which ones have not? d. Which were effective in the short term? e. Which in the long term? f. Is there any/adequate follow-up? 2.4'In your present training on the above issues, are you given evaluation forms to evaluate the training?b'are you asked to comment on the effectiveness of the training for you? 3. Are there obstacles in the system that make it hard to use what you learn in trainings, for example policies or informal practices? b. Could you give an example of where there is such a conflict? 4. (Barry said that this question required too much writing and should be made into separate questions requiring yes, no, or maybe answers, or multiple choice. Since I am unsure of how to do this, I am including the question as it was on our last meeting minutes, to be worked on more. ) 4. What do you perceive as the major problem(s) between the police and diverse groups within the Ithaca community? For example, people of color, women, gay, lesbian & bisexual people, young people, elders. What things have helped you interact with these various communities in your training? What information, skills and/or resources would help you better interact with these and/ or other groups? 5. (OK as is, changing only the LETN) 5. How do you feel about the current process for selecting training topics, including LE JJprograms? 6. Would you appreciate an opportunity to talk about what you learned from the training afterwards with the instructor (s) and/or fellow officers, with this feedback being part of the training itself? 7. (As it was) 7. Are there situations which you deal with where your job would be made easier by additional training in: conflict resolution listening mediation other 8. As befog 8. Are there other questions we should be asking officers in order to guide our thinking about improving police and community relations? Barry' s comment on the importance of gaining the officers' confidence. Police - Community Relations Training Committee Continuation of minutes from 7128/92 Meeting Agreed to additional question for officers: *Do you have any special skills or information to share with fellow officers or the community to improve police/community relations? Agreed that the first question should be: *Are you skeptical of this process? (Needs clarification. Do we mean skeptical about filling out the questionaire or the our committees' objectives?) In closing, Barry recommended that any suggestions around training issues should be long-term, institutionalized, and part of IPD's regular training process. He strongly believes that the community also needs a learning process. Lastly, Barry wanted the committee to understand that police officers have no recourse if they are falsely accused of misconduct or are accused and exonerated. POLICE/COMMUNITY RELATIONS TRAINING COMMITTEE MEETING: Aug. 11 , 1992. Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 18, 1992, at 6:00. See below for details. Present: Laura, Neil , Kris, Barry, Shauna, Clay. 1 . Read minutes from last meeting and approved. (July 28, 1992) . 2. Please note: new meeting location for this committee will be at Clay' s office---309 N. Tioga St. , Ithaca, (Thaler & Thaler Bldg. ). If the door is locked, ring the buzzer and someone will come down and let you in. Clay will have to leave briefly during our meeting to go to another gathering nearby, but will return. New meeting time is 6:00. 3. We are moving the meetings to a weekly schedule until after September 1 in order to get together a proposal in time for consideration alongside the IPD budget proposal which has a due date of Sept. 1 . In cognizance of the fact that our recommendations will need some amount of funding, we will meet more often to try to put our committee' s sug- gestions on paper by then. This does not mean that we expect that all funds for our proposal would come from IPD' s budget. We also realize that our committee' s members will not all be able to attend all meetings . 4. We reviewed &_made:: further revisions to the Questionnaire which we would like to distribute to IPD officers to gather information about their concerns, perceptions and needs regarding training/community rela- tions . The final draft is attached and will be typed and given to Drew Martin. Clay will talk to Drew about how to distribute the quest- tionnaires to officers and about providing a collection place (possibly in the briefing room? ) where they can be returned. We will stress the importance of keeping the officers ' responses to our survey completely confidential so that they may answer as candidly as they wish. 5. Kirby has submitted an interesting proposal to the committee which we should all have received in the mail . If you didn' t get one, contact Clay to make sure your name is on the mailing list. We did begin reading the proposal toward the end of our meeting, however we did not discuss much of it. One issue was identified, however, which is the cost of implementing the proposal . We tabled the discussion until next time if Kirby can be present. If Kirby cannot attend, we will use our time to begin work on a questionnaire for community members. 6. We briefly discussed the starting time for our meetings and we agreed that even if all of us can' t show up on time, we should go ahead and try to get some work done as soon as a few of us arrive. 7. Clay gave us copies of an article from the N.Y. Times about the NYC Neighborhood Policing (or community policing) program and how it ' s been implemented and received. Clay has more copies if you didn' t get one . FROM: Police-Community Relations Training Committee TO: Ithaca Police Department Officers Our committee is very interested in having input from officers about your concerns, needs and perceptions about training for working with various communities in Ithaca. Please, for our information, read all of these questions and respond as candidly as you wish. These surveys will not identify individual officers, and will be used only to help us think more intelligently about how to improve police-community rela- tions . Your input will be appreciated. Our committee ' s purpose is to explore the possibility of using training to improve police and community relations, whether in-house for officers, in sessions for the community, and/or in sessions for the police and com- munity together. We recognize that gathering information is an essential part of our task, and we value hearing from you. 1 . a. How useful to you in your work with the community have trainings in the following areas been? racism sexism homophobia cultural diversity b. Which training(s ) have been useful? c. Which ones have not? d. Which were effective in the short term? e. Which in the long term? f. Is there any/adequate follow-up? 2. a. In your present training on the above issues, are you given evaluation forms to evaluate the training? b. Are you asked to comment on the effectiveness of the training for you? 3. a. Are there obstacles in the system that make it hard to use what you learn in trainings, for example--policies or informal practices? b. Could you give an example of where there is such a conflict? 4. a . Do you perceive any major problems between the police as a group and any of the following diverse groups within the Ithaca community? For example: people of color: NO YES . Could you summarize the- problem? Women: NO YES Could you summarize the problem? Gay, lesbian and bisexual people: NO YES Could you summarize the problem? Young people: NO YES . Could you summarize the problem? Elders : NO YES • Could you, summarize the problem? Any other group: .Could you summarize the problem? b. Has anything in your training helped you interact with these various communities? If so, how? c. What information or skills might help you better interact with these or other groups? 5. How do you feel about the current process for selecting training topics, including the LETN programs? 6. Would you appreciate an opportunity to talktabout- what you learned from the trainings, afterwards, with_ thc instructor(s) and/off fellow officers, with this feedback being part' of the training itself? 7. Are there situations which you deal with where your job would be made easier by additional training in: conflict resolution mediation listening skills -other skills 8. Do you have any special skills or information to share with fellow officers or the community that you feel might help improve police/commun- ity relations? 9. What do you think would improve police/community relations? 10. What would increase your confidence in this process? 11 . Are there other questions we should be asking officers in order to guide our thinking about improving police/community relations? Police-Community Relations Training Committee Meeting: Unapproved Minutes from September 21, 1992 5:30-?:00PM Present: Laura, Kirby,5heuna,Clay Scribe: Marie Next Meeting: Tuesday,October 6, 1992 6:00PM St. James A1'IE .Zion Church, 116 Cleveland Ave. The meeting generally focussed on the response of the Task Force to our Recommendations as well as how the final reports from the sub-committees will be presented to Common Council. 1. The Mayor and Task Force Steering Committee granted our request to extend the life of our committee until February 28. 1993. We therefore agreed. to meet bi-weeklu on tuesdaus from 6:00-7:30 PM. 2. The Steering Committee will continue to meet to "oversee"our work on a needs basis. 3. Final Reports & Recommendations: The Task Force will form a writing sub-committee to prepare their final report. Attached to that report will be each of the sub-committees' recommendations. In cases where the Steering Committee does not agree with a specific recommendation(s) from a sub-committee, they will note or highlight that particular recommendation separately. Also, the Steering Committee is planning to have a town meeting some time in late October or early November to present all of the findings to the public. Their idea is to get feedback from the public so that they can include that information in their final report. We discussed how the timing of such a meeting might put our sub-committee at a disadvantage since we have not finished our work and therefore may be misperceived by the community. Kirby suggested a "public hearing" format to ensure a more productive meeting. We agreed that if we could speed up the work of our committee that we should do that - especially in terms of getting the questionnaires back from IPD, and in identifying community people who can be involved in the community education/information gathering piece. Regardless, the town meeting will take place and our committee will have to be represented. 4. We went over the minutes from the September 14, 1992 Task Force meeting that Laura attended and agreed to make some adjustments to our final recommendations. (See the revised final Recommendations). 5. Clay will contact Drew Martin to finalize the questionnaire for IPD. 6. Laura and Marie will work on revising/editing the final Recommendations. 7. Shaun wiil begin researching possible formats for the community information gathering process. TO: Police-Community Relations Task Force Steering Committee FROM: Police-Community Relations Training Sub-Committee RE: Final Recommendations DATE: September 24, 1992 Our committee's purpose has been to explore the possibility of using training and education to improve police-community relations,whether in-house trainings for officers, in sessions for the community,and/or in sessions for the police and community together. Although our committee has met frequently, regularly, and for long hours, we do not feel that we have had enough time to complete our task. From our earliest meetings with one another it was clear to us that, given our diverse perspectives and experiences, it was essential to develop respectful communication, build trust in one another and to gather more information before we could make intelligent recommendations that would create any lasting positive changes. We have, however, made quite a lot of progress and have come up with several suggestions which we think will result in a real shift in how IPD serves the community,and in how Ithaca residents will perceive and relate to the police force. We have been granted an extension to continue our work until February 28, 1993, and we will oversee the following steps in what we envision as a process with three phases. Phase I). We will distribute the questionnaire(see attached), to IPD officers through Drew Martin. We designed this instrument to gather information from officer's about their concerns, needs and perceptions about training for working with various communities in Ithaca. We believe that this information gathering is an essential prerequisite for effective training and programming that will assist officers and meet their training needs. 2). We will develop a process for gathering information from Ithaca residents about what education, information, and training would be valuable to community members in dealing with police. The process might be a questionnaire or forum(s)for information gathering. We will ask residents their views on designating trusted community members as lay advocates who could act as guides through the process of using the services of IPD, or filing a grievance with police commissioners through the Community-Police Board,etc. We foresee asking residents what would I make the roles of the advocates credible for them. We will also ask residents who they would like to see serving as lay advocates. We recommend providing thorough trainings for individuals to become advocates. 3). We recommend organizing an information session for community members, youth in particular, called "Know Your Rights." This event would be led by a police officer, a police commissioner and a community leader. Hopefully,this workshop could be offered every year. The content should include solid information on how to respond when stopped and questioned by police, what particular ordinances citizens should know about,and what our rights are when dealing with law enforcement, and/or when we think we are victims of crime. For example, "Are their curfews for youth?" "Must you answer an officer's questions?" "When is a fight an assault?" We see this type of information as very empowering for the community and something which could be offered fairly soon. By having officers deliver this information, the workshop will provide additional opportunities for police to interact positively with the community, particularly young people, by bringing a supportive message to them regarding their rights. There may be similar informational training events that can involve police and community which might be identified by the questionnaire. 4). We recommend that the city explore expanding and deepening the Neighborhood Policing Program. We recommend that the Mayor and Common Council should consider what funds would need to be allocated for implementation and intensive training for officers involved in neighborhood policing. The reason our sub—committee sees neighborhood policing as appealing is because it ski-the emphasil fr s eloping crime prevention strategies and cooperative problem solving within communities. As we understand neighborhood policing, it describes an entire approach to peacekeeping that requires a deeper level of relationship between officers and the communities they serve as opposed to the level that can be developed when officers are shifted from one area to another. However,those of us who were present at the Southside Community Center's meetings which preceded the formation of this Task Force, remember the misgivings and apprehensions which our neighbors expressed about the possibility of an increased presence of police on our streets. We think that in order for neighborhood policing to succeed in Ithaca, the community must understand how it works, how it will benefit us, and also gain a sense of ownership and inclusion in the process,strategy,and programming. 3 Phase 11 1). Our committee will review the questionnaires returned from IPD. 2). We will consider how to meet the training/skill building needs and suggestions expressed by officers in the surveys. It should be noted that the Community Dispute Resolution Center is a local resource which can provide valuable trainings in conflict resolution and communication skills, Common Council may want to fund putting CDRC on retainer to provide those skill building workshops. In addition, trainings on Dealing with Differences (which focus on multicultural awareness and increasing effectiveness in work with diverse populations), are not currently offered to all IPD officers. It seems important that funding for such possible trainings be allocated by the city, as well as in the Chief's budget. We anticipate that some combination of the above types of trainings need to be instituted as a routine part of officer's training, and NOT as one-shot crisis interventions or band-aid solutions that have not worked in the past. We will pay close attention to the input we get from officers about what has worked well, and recommend only programs which will create long term change. 3). We will implement the process for gathering information from the diverse communities of Ithaca(which we will develop in Phase I) 4). In the event that Neighborhood Policing is going to be expanded, we recommend that members of the IPD force receive an orientation to the Neighborhood Policing strategy and be apprised of the likely impact of its implementation both upon their jobs and on the community. 5). We recommend inviting one or two officers from another city where neighborhood policing is already being practiced to come to Ithaca to present an information session to the community to describe what it is and how well it's working. It seems very important that all of us be able to get our questions answered and to feel comfortable with this strategy in order for such a program to i have the support of both the community and IPD, and thereby, a likelihood of succeeding here. If the city decides to designate certain neighborhoods as appropriate for neighborhood policing, the residents of these neighborhoods should have the opportunity to understand the likely impact it 1 will have on them. We believe that Chief McEwen has extensive knowledge of how various neighborhood policing programs elsewhere have been utilized,and that he also has some clear-cut ideas on how he would like to see neighborhood policing proceed in Ithaca. However, given the difficulties and mistrust that some Ithaca residents have with some IPD officers, we think that the best forum for giving i • 4 information to the community would be through a panel of people with expertise which would include - but not be limited to Chief McEwen and Officer Gilleran. Phase III 1). We will review the community questionnaires and/or other forms of input from residents and make recommendations as to what further workshops or informational sessions would be valuable to the community. 2). We will compile a list of individuals identified by the community,to serve as lay advocates (Refer to Phase I, 2). We will provide this list to the Police-Community Board. Based on our assessment of community needs,we would be happy to also give the Board suggestions and input on developing a training model that would benefit the lay advocate's in their roles. 3). Any officer assigned to Neighborhood Policing should be provided with high quality preparations for their duties to ensure their success. 4). Any officers who in the future are assigned to Neighborhood Policing could,as part of their duties, help set goals and have input into future training designs intended for the rest of the IPD force to enhance those officers' ability to interact more productively with the diverse communities of Ithaca and to be more supportive of Neighborhood Policing efforts. 5). We recommend that once lay advocates have been functioning in their roles that they be asked to help make presentations of future community workshops as mentioned above. We would like to point out that all of these suggestions regarding an expansion of Neighborhood Policing are being proposed only in the event that the community supports this as a good strategy for neighborhoods. As you can see most of the recommendations depend on the gathering of more information, but that seems more preferable than forcing trainings and strategies on people • without their consent. We see that the nature of effective human relations training and education takes time and full participation of all parties involved. We are committed to taking our task seriously and not offering quick fix solutions. We wish that we could attach a specific dollar amount to the cost of these programs, however, that was not the task set before us. What we have done is to share the best of our thinking thus far and, bring to your attention that any quality programming will require additional funds. Police-Community Relations Training Committee Meeting 10.6.92 Committee was joined by Hope, a Cornell student who is interested in police-community relations. Initially involved with Black People Who Want a Change, she has been at Steering Committee meetings and more generally , following the development of this most recent police-community relations effort. She expressed interest in the work of our committee. Committee discussed the revisions to the final proposal sent to the Steering Committee. Most changes were accepted . Two noted here are ( 1 ) the name change of the police board to the Citizens' Commission on Community-Police Relations and (2) , omission of the language "filing a grievance" due to union implications. The latter will be changed to "filing a complaint to the citizens' commission . " Committee discussed the questionnaire to be sent out to police officers. Drew requested a change in one question on training . We need to check with Marie about the status of questionnaires. Drew is ready to get it out. Clay will follow up with next steps including getting returned questionnaires to Neil . Committee set timeframe for working with officers' questionnaires: Out by 10/12 Back by Fri . 10/23 Committee then reviewed draft of questionnaire to be distributed to community members. Previous to this meeting , a draft was shared with Officer Gilleran who gave feedback on language. Group went on to make changes on draft, line by line. Shana made notes on revisions. We began to brainstorm methods for administering the community forms. Initial list included newspapers, public service notices, door-to-door interviews, utilizing student support for door-to- door. . . brainstorm to be continued . We agreed to work in two subgroups between now and the next full committee meeting , set for 10/27/92 at 6:00 at St.James A.M.E. Zion Church. Subgroup on community questionnaire: Shana, Camilla and Shana will ask Marie Subgroup to compile/organize officer responses: Laura, Kris & Neil Minutes, Kris Dec. 1,1992 Present: Clay, Hope, Shauna, Camilla Next meeting: Tuesday, Dec.8, 7:00, Police Station with PBA Steering Committee will be there also to give a report of the Task Force to the Police Following Meeting: Dec. 17, 4:15 City Hall, 2nd floor conference room Members of Steering Committee may be there if they have significant input to survey We are sending copies of the survey to members of the Steering Committee to get feedback from them after the PBA meeting or, for major input, on the 17th. Please send your ideas to 302 Lake Ave. if you can't come to meetings. Shauna will be drafting a generic letter to let churches and community organizations know that we are looking for volunteers to help us distribute surveys in the month of January. There are many names on lists from community meetings that we will call for help, also. We plan to do tabling the first two weekends and door to door the next two. Well need co- ordinators for these. (Martin Luther King breakfast is the 16th) We will have something in the papers at the end of December or early January about the survey. We must write our final recommendations during February to have reedy by Feb. 28th. POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS SURVEY The Police-Community Relations Training Sub-Committee,of the Mayor's Task Force,is making recommendations on programs for both city police and community. These will include skill training and information sessions. Your answers will guide us in our in our suggestions for making lasting positive changes. Thank you for your time and for being involved. SURVEY QUESTIONS All comments welcome (use margins or more paper if needed) 1) How do you feel about police spending regular time in your neighborhood,on foot or on bicycle, working with you to solve neighborhood problems? 2) Would you,or your children,be interested in a workshop or t.v.program called"Know Your Rights" to learn what is expected of you and the police when you are stopped,questioned,or arrested by the police? Do you have any specific questions about your rights or responsibilities? 3) What kind of feelings do you have about the police? 4) Are your feelings about the police based on: your own personal experience what you've witnessed what you've heard from others newspapers or television 5) Put letters by each statement to show how you feel: DK-Don't Know SA-Strongly Agree A-Agree D-Disagree SD-Strongly Disagree a) I think they do a good job. b) Sometimes the police are unfair. c) When police enforce a law that I don't think is fair,I hold it against the police. d) I feel fine about the police except for a) b) 6) Please put a number next to each of these ways the police serve community members, according to how important you feel each is: '1' for very important '2' for important '3' for not important stopping fights: in home_, on the street_, in bars , preventing crimes_, stopping crimes crimes , problem solving with citizens , calming upset people down preventing drug sales , directing traffic , • making arrests , teaching citizens'rights , patrol rides for interested citizens responding to crisis , protecting property , protecting people from assault and rape , other 7) Would you call the police if: a) you were being harassed or threatened by another citizenYes_ Maybe b) you were robbed Yes_ Maybe No c) you were assaulted or raped Yes_ Maybe No d) your neighbors wouldn't be quiet Yes Maybe No e) you had bad family fights Yes_ Maybe No f) you witnessed a violent crime Yes_ Maybe No g) you witnessed a robbery Yes_ Maybe_ No h) you witnessed a drug sale Yes_ Maybe No i) you saw someone using drugs Yes_ Maybe No j) other .... Yes_ Maybe No 8) If you answered"No" above,please explain why not,and what you would do instead? 9) Do you know what the Community-Police Board does? Yes No 10) What would help you trust a community support person who was trained to help people who are thinking about filing a complaint through the Community-Police Board about the police? 11) Would you ever want a support person to explain or to go with you to help you use police services? Yes_ No_ Maybe_ 12) Is there anyone you would recommend to be a support person? 13) Do you have any special skills or information to share with police or the community that might help improve police-community relations? (Please give name&address if you wish to help.) 14) Do you have any other ideas or concerns about police-community relations? 15) To help us better understand community needs and concerns,please identify your: Neighborhood Age Sex Ethnic background Other Please send completed surveys to Ithaca Police-Community Relations Training Committee c% T.F.C., Box 321,Ithaca NY 14851-0321 or bring to Mayor's Office,4th Floor,City Hall, 108 East Green Street,Ithaca; or Southside Community Center,GIAC;or the Public Library f TO: Police-Community Relations Task Force Steering Committee FROM: Police-Community Relations Training Sub-Committee • (Clay Hamilton (Chairperson) , Laura Branca (Vice- Chairperson) , Kirby Edmonds, Shauna Guidici, Camilla Lisbe, Kris Miller) RE: Final Recommendations DATE: April 2, 1993 A. TRAINING OVERSIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend that: 1) One of the senior officers assigned the duty of ongoing training be made specifically responsible for coordination and/or delivery of training in the areas listed below. This would serve to institutionalize the following training curriculum as a part of the department's ongoing qualifying training for all officers. 2) This senior officer be the chair of an ongoing Training Committee comprised of officers (PBA representation) , a Police Commissioner, a professional trainer, and other members of the community, to review training curriculum, research what is being used in other communities, and to evaluate training efforts. This committee would make regular reports (quarterly or bi- annual) to the Community Police Board about progress and plans. B. POLICE EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend: 1) That communication skills training (initially utilizing local resources) be provided to all officers. a--These include active listening, cooperative conflict resolution, and problem solving. 2) Follow-up in-service training be provided on a regular basis for further skill development. 3) Ongoing supervision and support groups, facilitated in-house by officers, to discuss situations officers are encountering in the field related to issues of diversity, to problem-solve and develop strategies with fellow officers. 4) Group facilitation skills training for officers interested in leading on-going supervision and support groups. 5) Training in dealing with ethnically and culturally diverse populations (initially to be facilitated by professional human 2 relations trainer(s) in combination with police officers and trusted community workers who are familiar with the needs of diverse communities and eventually by officers who have demonstrated both commitment and skill in dealing effectively with issues of diversity. a--Cultural awareness sessions focusing on the norms, history and concerns of particular identity groups. b--Anti-bias training sessions focusing on unlearning misinformation and stereotypes about particular identity groups and developing more effective intervention strategies. 6) Training of trainers for officers involved in delivering in- house training in the above content areas. 7) The police department's training and overtime budgets be expanded enough to support additional training and supervision groups as necessary. C. NEIGHBORHOOD POLICING RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the positive responses to this idea from survey respondents, we recommend: 1) That neighborhood policing be expanded in selected neighborhoods in the city. 2) That officers assigned to those neighborhoods be provided with additional training tailored to the specific needs of this position. We expect that those needs will be varied, and should include skills to facilitate dialogue between police officers and community members in those neighborhoods. 3) That, since community involvement is fundamental for the success of this kind of program, that information be distributed throughout the neighborhoods being considered so that residents understand the intention of this type of effort and are able to fully participate as neighborhood policing strategies are developed and implemented. 4) That, in recognition of local budgetary constraints, the Mayor's office begin to work with our local congressional representatives to seek federal funding to take advantage of the current presidential budget recommendations to provide federal dollars to expand these types of programs. s 3 D. COMMUNITY EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend: 1) That the Community Police Board in conjunction with the Chief of Police sponsor "Know Your Rights/Responsibilities" Programs including: a) A TV program to be developed and aired on the government channel or channel 13 to address citizens' questions. b) Leaflets to be written and widely distributed to answer the community's questions and concerns. c) Utilization of a radio call-in talk show format to create a dialogue with the community) d) Similar programs be conducted in schools by police officers. By having officers deliver this information, the workshop will provide additional opportunities for the police to interact positively with the community. 2) That the Community Police Board better inform the community about its presence and functions by: a) Developing and widely distributing an informational pamphlet b) Producing a video program explaining how to use the Board and outlining its roles and functions to be aired on the Cable Access Channel. c) Making copies of this video program available to interested community organizations and groups. d) Producing and distributing radio and TV PSA's (Public Service Announcements) to the local media. 3) That lay advocates be selected and trained with the goals of: a) providing an individual who is considering making a formal D informal complaint through the Community Police Board with a trusted and informed support person who can explain t h e procedures and assist him/her in using these services. b) providing information and assistance for those citizens who might otherwise be hesitant to call or use IPD and to help them learn more about effectively using the services IPD offers. c) respectfully relating to people, in the midst of their related stress, with cultural awareness and communication skills throughout the advocacy process. 4 d) providing the person seeking the above types of support with referrals to additional community support services available in our city that may be appropriate to their situation. e) fostering more ongoing communication between neighborhoods and the police. These recommendations are made in conjuction with other recommendations regarding lay advocates. To get this program underway, we recommend: a) That the Community Police Board use the information from the survey (some respondents recommended particular people and/or selection criteria) as a starting place for developing a process for identification, nomination and selection of community lay advocates. For communities that tend not to be fluent in English, advocates who can act as translators should be given high priority as nominees. b) Training for this role should be overseen by the Community Police Board in conjunction with the Training Committee described above in A.-2 . E) Finally, we recommend that the resources be committed to finalizing the tabulation and statistical analysis of the survey results. This should require very little other than some clerical support. Our target for completion is the end of June given the schedules of the students working on this project.