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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGeneral Information from Mayor's Task Force Meetings Nk `.r�i l3b 1 /• CO ti•ti ..•�0; eORAI CITY OF ITHACA COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD 120 EAST CLINTON STREET (6071 272-9973 ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850-5689 EXTENSION 3(0 Summary of Complaints Received 1991 Nature of Complaint Outcome of Complaint 1. Procedural Complaint* Resolved through meeting of complainant and commissioner. 2. Procedural Complaint* Withdrawn after explanation. 3. Police Harassment Not sustained - follow up meetings were scheduled with complainant to discuss other police/youth of color issues. 4. Excessive Force Complaint received 8 months after incident. Case closed after efforts to contact complainant failed. 5. Excessive Force Not sustained. 6. Procedural Complaint* Letter of explanation sent - no response received. 7. Excessive Force Not sustained. 8. Procedural Complaint* Resolved through conversation between complainant and a commissioner. 9. Procedural Complaint* Contact made with complainant - case closed when complainant moved out of town with no forwarding address. Complaint brought out a procedural problem which was addressed by the Chief. 10. Personal Property damaged in jail Referred complainant to Small Claims Court. 11. Excessive Force Not sustained. 12. Procedural Complaint* Sustained, disciplinary action pending. *Procedural complaints involve questions concerning how an officer handled a complaint,why someone was or wasn't arrested,etc. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION - JULY 3, 1991 course. The officials wanted MINORITY UPDATE - some police officers—especially those assigned to.areas in and • Temple U. professors reject required course on racial issues around the schools—to enroll in the class designed for teach- • Hunter College president creates$50,000 a year`diversity fund' ers. Fourteen schoolteachers, two • `American pluralism' proposal stirs debate at U. of Washington librarians, and four police offi- cers took the course. • Cornell offers course on racism to police officers, teachers The course was still geared to • Professor and students stage a funeral for`color blindness' having Mr. Turner Bai But g poolice officers among the students prompted him and Mr. ism out into the classroom as understand the role of culture in professors felt that that was too Barr to concentrate more on the themes for debate." the teaching and learning proc- narrowly conceived.They broad- relationships between minority ess. ened the measure to include gen- communities and public agencies, The college's department of der,sexual preference,class,dis- such as the police and the The president of Hunter Romance languages received a ability,and other factors. schools. College has earmarked $50,- $4,150 grant to diversify the cam- While many students support Mr.Turner said the course had 000 a year for the next five pus library's French collection to the requirement,others are angry enabled the school teachers and years to create a "Pluralism include works by Franco-African that its original intent—to expose the police officers to exchange and Diversity Fund" on the and Franco-Caribbean writers as students to courses about blacks, views on racial issues such as po- campus. well as works by French women. Hispanics, American Indians, lice brutality toward . minority Up to 20 per cent of the money A 17-member committee made and other ethnic groups—hay youths and the problems of urban is being used to finance lectures up of professors, administrators, been diluted. schools. and seminars on issues related to and students selects the recipi- race and cultural diversity. The ents. • • rest will be divided among faculty • Police officers and school- A professor of social work at members in a competitive-grants teachers in Ithaca,N.Y.,came Governors State University program. Professors may apply Professors at the University together to examine racism in and his students staged a mock for grants to support projects that of Washington are at odds American life in a course of- funeral service to bury the no- improve understanding of the over whether to require fresh- fered last semester by Cornell tion of"color blindness." roots of prejudice, stereotyping, men to take courses on"Amer- University. Mwalimu David R. Burgest and discrimination. ican pluralism." Two professors at Cornell have said he had decided to stage the Paul LeClerc, Hunter's presi- In May the faculty senate voted been jointly teaching a class ceremony as part of a course he dent, set aside $250,000 for the 46 to 34 to require students to called "Racism in American So- teaches called "Social Work next five years from money the complete five credits in courses ciety" to undergraduates since With Diverse Populations."Over college received from an alum- involving some aspect of the na- 1984. Four years ago, they were the years,he said,he has stressed na's estate. Mr. LeClerc plans tion's diversity: The measure approached by officials of Rho- that social workers cannot and to raise more money for the fund would have become a formal part ca's public schools to design a should not ignore race and ethnic- if the project proves success- of the university's requirements .special section of the course for ity in treating people. The pur- ful. for a bachelor's degree had not its teachers. pose of the burial,he says,was to The first grants to faculty mem- 250 professors petitioned for the James Turner, an associate underscore that color blindness is bers have been awarded for aca- issue to be brought before the full professor of Africana studies, a dead idea. demic 1991-92. Among other faculty in September. teaches the course jointly with Students in the class helped or- grants, four assistant professors Some faculty members criti- Donald Barr, professor of hu- ganize a funeral march,complete in the college's department of ed- cized the measure as too politi- man-service studies. Mr. Turner with lighted candles. A service ucational foundations and coun- cized. But supporters of the said the section of the course de- was held with music and eulogies. seling received $6,000. They are measure said the university had signed for school teachers em- Then the mourners marched to a using the money this summer to an obligation to educate students phasized the problems of race in spot on the campus where they acquire curricular materials and about diversity. - education in America. planted a tree and installed a to do research on ways to help Originally, the proposed re- This past year, the professors plaque beneath it with the words, graduate students in advanced quirement at Washington only in- were approached by Ithaca city “R.I.P.Color Blindness.". : .- educational psychology better volved ethnic studies. But some officials who had heard about the -DENISE K. MAGNER • • • CITY OF ITHACA `� �i8 F COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD 1p4/ CIVILIAN COMPLAINT AGAINST POLICE PERSONNEL PROCEDURE • 1. Purpose The purpose of this procedure is to provide everyone with the • opportunity to present a complaint regarding police action. 2 . Definition of Complaint Complaint shall mean any claimed violation, misinterpretation, or inequitable application of the existing laws, rules, procedures, regulations, administrative orders, or work rules of the Police Department, City of Ithaca, New York. 3 . Presentation of Complaint a. Complaint forms shall be available to the public at the Police Department, from any member of the Community Police Board, the office of the City Clerk, the office of the Mayor or at any other location designated by the Board. Other concerns or questions may be directed to individual members of the Community Police Board. b. Anyone who wishes to make a complaint as defined in Section 2 may do so either directly with the Ithaca Police Chief' s Office or by filing a written complaint with the Community Police Board on a form approved by the Board. c. A person making a complaint has the right to be represented by a person of his or her own choosing at all stages of complaint procedures, but is not required to do so. d. A complaint must be filed on the required form and should be filed as a written statement signed and sworn to before a Notary Public by the Complainant. e. Whenever an employee of the Ithaca Police Department • receives a complaint directly from a civilian, the employee receiving the complaint shall inform the civilian of his or her right to file an independent complaint with the Board at any time. A written statement of the procedure to make a complaint along with a Police Board complaint form shall be available too and shall be given to any civilian making a complaint directly to the Ithaca Police Department. f. A complaint may be addressed to the Ithaca Community Police Board at the Hall of Justice, 120 East Clinton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 or at the City Clerk' s Office, 108 East Green Street, Ithaca NY 14850 . g. In order to allow for the Community Police Board to properly investigate a complaint, the complaint should be made as soon as possible, but no more than 30 days after the incident. That time period may be extended for good cause shown. 4 . Procedure Upon Complaint to the Board a. Whenever a complaint is filed with the Board, the complainant shall be notified in writing by the chairperson that the Board has received the complaint. The complainant shall immediately be assigned by the chairperson of the Board to an individual Commissioner for a preliminary review as set forth in Section 5 below. b. The complainant must be _informed that if any charges are pending against the complainant, only the court of jurisdiction may dispose of the charges, and a complaint to the Community Police Board will have no effect upon such charges. • c. The assigned Commissioner shall request that the Chief of Police immediately send notice in writing to any officers identified in the complaint containing the following information: (1) a statement that the officer is the subject of a civilian complaint. (2) a copy of the complaint. (3 ) a statement that the Commissioner will set up a meeting with the civilian to discuss the complaint and that the officer will be notified of the outcome of that meeting. d. The assigned Commissioner shall review the complaint and relevant police records with the Chief of Police or Deputy Chief and shall meet with the complainant for a preliminary review as soon as possible. e. After the complainant has been interviewed by the assigned Commissioner, the officer identified in the complaint will be advised of an opportunity to meet with the Commissioner and the Chief or Deputy Chief so that they can offer information which might be helpful to the Commissioner in the preliminary review of the complaint. 5 . Preliminary Review a. At or after the initial meeting with the complainant and the officer(s) identified in the complaint, the Commissioner shall make an initial determination as to what further action, if any, may be warranted. The Commissioner may: (1) further define the nature of the complaint and assist the complainant to clarify the complaint if necessary. (2) attempt to conciliate the complaint by providing information or explanation to the complainant. • (3) request assistance from the Chief or Deputy Chief for clarification of departmental policy or procedures; or (4) request that a more in-depth investigation should be conducted with the assistance of the Chief of Police. If further investigation is requested, the officer will be promptly notified in writing. 6. Commissioner' s Recommendation The Commissioner' s recommendation to the Board shall be in writing and shall state at least one of the . following recommendations: a. No further action is necessary because the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the civilian. b. No further action should be taken because the complaint is frivolous or otherwise lacks merit. c. Changes should be considered in departmental policy or procedure only. However, the officer(s) should be exonerated. d. The allegations should be upheld and disciplinary action is recommended against the officer(s) . 7 . Board Decision The Board, after reviewing the report and recommendation of the assigned Commissioner, shall determine what, if any, further investigation or action is necessary. 8 . Conclusion of Investigation When the Ithaca Community Police Board completes its investigation, it will inform the complainant and the officer(s) identified in the complaint of the completion of the investigations• and within the legal limitations set forth by state and federal 'Si statutes and local labor agreements concerning the confidentiality y. • of personnel matters, indicate what the Board' s action was. . 2 dlr HRM/rhk 01/07/91 ' Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 77 .. • Ile had pricked the right nerve. There is probably no subject that so predictably raises the hackles of police as civilian investiga- tion and review of citizens'complaints against officers.' Conversely, Reviewing among those who most ardently challenge the efficacy of police ex- ercise of their authority, probably the most frequently sought after curative is civilian review: if the large number of requests to the Citizens, c: T:. rr'q: Ic•JIr1tS Police Foundation for information are any indicator,civilian review boards are a matter of increasing concern in American cities. Inquiries about civilian review boards generally come from Against P three sources. First are citizens' groups, civil liberties organiza- tions, and government officials who perceive problems of local po- lice accountability, and who seek to establish independent mecha- nisms for assuring that the last word on accusations of police James J. Fyfe misconduct does not come from in-house. Second are police officials in crisis. Typically these officials oversee agencies in which contro- A cantankerous friend loves his work but regards as tiresome the • versial incidents involving accusations of police misconduct have led many Washington parties and receptions it requires him to attend. theselfor officials s ekiamm unitionifortargume t that dciviliantreview He takes out his frustrations by slyly attempting to antagonize the is a redundant and inhibiting form of oversight.Third are the jour- new acquaintances he is obliged to make at these events. The tech- nalists who cover these policy arguments, and who typically seek nique he uses is surefire: he has carefully compiled a mental list of =. information concerning the experiences of police jurisdictions that phrases, questions, and opinions he calls "occupational anathema," t have established and operated civilian complaint review boards. and ingenuously drops them into conversations. ' All three of At a legislative reception for union organizers, for example, he there is little hard linformat o in avalablelto them: as far as can be might respond to a question by stating that, yes, he lives in Wash- determined,there are only a few civilian complaint review boards in ington, but will soon be moving to Virginia. There, he says, "right- existence,2 and there is no central source of data on their operations. to-work" laws keep the cost of constructing his new home lower t Still, it is psible han in places where construction workers are unionized. On an- obser ati ns a outttheficosts some general, but necessrily anecdotal, and benefits of attempting to establish other occasion,he asks a wealthy surgeon why we should not adopt a 4 1 and operate such forums. British-style system of nationalized medicine. The doctor opines that such a system would violate the American free-market ideal ` and would decrease the quality of medical care. My friend has a Police resistance to establishment of boards ready answer: "You're right,I suppose. If the government ran rnedi t As my friend knows,civilian participation in the process of review- cine, doctors wouldn't have to worry about malpractice suits, and lug complaints against police officers is a form of occupational they wouldn't have to answer to anybody for their mistakes. As I L anathema which,almost invariably,meets great resistance from po- think about it, I guess the free-market system has its good points. lice. Some of that resistance may be only a reflection of an unrea At least you can take a doctor to court here if you're unhappy with sonable desire to avoid direct police accountability to the citizenry, him." i but much of it is valid, and should be carefully heard out. Civilian complaint review boards 1M Authority of the chief Police chiefs resist citizen review because His most lively discussion, however, occurred a few years ago, at a it impinges upon their authority as chief police administrators.The convention of police officials.He knew how hard it was to be a police reasons for this are clear where it is proposed that boards be officer, he observed, and was glad that he lived in Washington, . where the city council had just voted to establish a civilian com- granted power to discipline officers directly. In such instances,chiefs worry that having to share—or to lose altogether—one of the plaint review board. The board, he said, would be a good thing, be- most important of their disciplinary powers will result in erosion of cause it would show all the skeptics that their charges of police bru- the rest of their authority. A composite picture of the concerns of tality and official whitewashes were unfounded. the chiefs with whom I have spoken recently would read as follows: iiii 78 Police Management Today ,Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 79 1i ' i • l get is best avoided by establishing an ombudsman or a panel that can ,4 "How can 1 run this department and et officers to do what's neces- i' sary if they know that I have nothing to say about what will happen review complaints against all city employees. • to them if they are accused of abusing citizens?Suppose I'm at a sit- • I N f l j in and order officers to remove and arrest demonstrators. What Non-professional of police conduct Police also j happens if the demonstrators complain that they were abused?Do I question the appropriateness of investigation and review of profes- testify before the board as a witness for my officers? If the people sional conduct by those not a part of the profession. Mere, police who want this board think I side with my officers now, what will frequently hold the position that the skills necessary to conduct ob- jective Con- happen when I do that?If I were an officer,I'd be tempted to take no jective and thorough investigations are rare outside policing.'Con- action until somebody from the board was present and could see sequently, they suggest, if the board is to have at its disposal all what I had done. Suppose I determine—or see—that an officer was i information relevant to the cases it is charged with reviewing, it wrong and should be disciplined,but the board disagrees:what hap- must necessarily employ police officers as staff investigators. But if pens then? Am I overruled? Will the officers learn that it doesn't • the board does so, much of its independence is lost: how can it be matter what the chief thinks?" perceived as independent when it bases its judgments on the results ' Those concerns are legitimate. Even where chiefs retain direct of investigations conducted by employees of the department it is • disciplinary authority and boards serve only to advise them of their charged with monitoring?' findings, such organizations are almost certain to be perceived by The question of citizen review of the propriety of police actions police as an unreasonable compromise of the authority of the chief. is equally complex. If we expect the police to be professional, why • Further,as Herman Goldstein suggests,no civilian board can exert , are they not allowed the power of judgment by peers found in other the kinds of immediate and day-to-day influences on officers'street professions? If it is true that the best judges of the efficacy of a performance that are traditionally the responsibilities of the chief. lawyer's response to a problem are his fellows, is it not also true If the chief is not exerting those influences in a way that is accept- . that police actions may best be judged by other officers? Bar associ- able to the community, Goldstein concludes, the answer is not to ation panels composed of experienced attorneys rather than unin- attempt to work around him by establishing a review board,but to formed laymen assess the propriety of each other's actions and, fire him and replace him with someone who is more responsive to where appropriate, render discipline. If a client who feels he has his community.' been wrongly treated is unhappy with their best professional judg- ment, he retains the option of seeking redress in the courts. "Singling out" the police Police officers frequently resist citi- Many police officials suggest that this model of peer judgment i zen review on the grounds that they, alone among municipal em- is appropriate for policing and,indeed, that it already exists in the ployees, are being singled out for close scrutiny by lay people who form of internal police disciplinary mechanisms. Several retorts to have little knowledge of their work,or of the nuances of investigat- their argument are possible. ing allegations of professional misconduct by them.' t Even though the tradition of self-monitoring is strong in well- Thus,they argue that while greater civilian oversight of police established professions such as medicine and law,there is far from • conduct might be desirable,the mechanism established should take universal agreement that the mechanisms involved are much more . the form of an ombudsman rather than a police board,and it should than window-dressing designed to protect a professional image.An also have jurisdiction over complaints against other municipal em- A American Bar Association committee reported of its three-year in- ployees—school teachers, bus drivers, telephone operators, and if vestigation of legal discipline, for example, that: clerks, for example. [T]he public dissatisfaction with the bar and the courts is much more in- tense than is generally believed within the profession.'1'he supreme court i One response to this suggestion is that civilian oversight of po- i lice may be more critical than for other employees,who do not have of one state recently withdrew disciplinary jurisdiction from the bar and the same life-or-death powers as the police. If experience in most :.;J placed it in a statewide disciplinary board of seven members,two of cities is any indicator, however, most citizens' complaints against 't whom are laymen.This should be a lesson to the profession that unless j police do not involve life-or-death questions.Instead,they allege the public dissatisfaction with existing disciplinary procedures is heeded and same kinds of discourtesy and violations of citizens dignity of concrete action taken to remedy the defects,the public soon will insist on which other municipal employees are often accused.' Thus, absent taking matters into its own hands[emphasis added].' some reason,symbolic or otherwise,for focusing solely on the police, Further,James Q. Wilson suggests,because the operative con- it may be that polarization between the police and the rest of a city f trols on police behavior are internal departmental rules rather than r' ar: I ; II i 80 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens'Complaints 81 � � � s l l external and universally observed codes,policing is more appropri officers (or doctors, or lawyers) may have a far greater stake in I' ately considered a craft than a profession. Ile concludes also that demonstrating that their employees' actions were justifiable than I! do professional colleagues i fundamental differences between policing and the established pro- gues not employed by the same organization. 31 fessions mitigate against police adoption and enforcement of exter- To what extent, for example,are the deliberations of a police inter- II i nal codes similar to those of the established professions: nal disciplinary body(or a hospital tissue committee)influenced by ;'{ the knowledge that a finding that Professionalism is a term that must be understood in a special sense an officer used unnecessary force when applying it to policemen.Generally speaking,a profession provides (or that a doctor performed unnecessary surgery) might expose its a service(such as medical aid or legal advice)the quality of which the employer—or even members themselves—to civil liability?While it client is not in a position to judge for himself;therefore,a professional may be argued that existing review in the professions is less than body and a professional code must be established to protect both the cli- totally objective,it certainly does not have built into it the conflicts ent from his ignorance and the profession from the client who supposes of interest inherent in organizational review. ! that he is not ignorant.The policeman differs from the doctor or lawyer, • however,in important respects:first,his role is not to cure or advise,but it< to restrain;and second,whereas health and counsel are welcomed by the Unrealistic expectations recipients,restraint is not.If this is true,the professionalism among po- Many of those who argue for establishment of civilian complaint li licemen will differ from professionalism in other occupations in that the review boards have extremely unrealistic expectations of what they primary function of the professional code will be to protect the practi- can accomplish. Except in rare, extreme cases, it is unlikely tioner from the client rather than the client from the practitioner.' y that such boards will provide a panacea for whatever police community Wilson is generally correct in his assertion that efforts to de- problems may exist. velop universally acceptable police professional standards will re The major reason that civilian complaint review boards are not salt in documents designed to protect the practitioner from the cli- panacea is that, regardless of the intensity of investigation, most ent. Most of the widely used texts and training materials designed citizens' allegations cannot be definitely resolved one way or the for use by street police officers(as opposed to police administrators) other.In most cases,three bits of information are available to those quite reasonably focus on means by which officers may defend who review citizens'complaints against police.The first is the citi- I themselves from those unwilling to submit to restraint. Stated zen's allegation that he was done wrong by an officer.The second is it • the officer's denial of the charge against him.The third is the inves- simply,the clientele who most frequently complain about police be- havior are those who are dissatisfied with the results of their adu'er_ tigator's conclusion that there exists little or no objective evidence sarial contacts with police,while those who complain about medical to support or refute the citizen's charge. Mr. Smith, for example, and legal behavior are dissatisfied with the results of their attempts displays a bump on his head, and claims that Officer Jones hit him unnecessary , to obtain aid. y, and then arrested him to cover up his misdeed. Offi Further,Wilson's argument points out the faults of the analogy cer Jones says he used only that degree of force necessary to restrain between medical and legal self-monitoring and that which currently Smith,who had taken a swing at the officer when told he was going 1 exists in the police field. It is true that surgeons and lawyers are to receive a speeding ticket.The bump on Smith's head,says Jones, subject to review by such internal disciplinary bodies as hospital occurred when he fell during their struggle. Smith's wife gives a "tissue committees," and law firms' committees that decide which version of the event that parallels that of her husband;Jones'part- associates will become partners and which will be asked to seek ner corroborates the Jones version. How can any objective body ac- other employment.The major provisions for professional review in cept either of these stories without calling the other party a liar? both these occupations,however,are external to immediate employ Consequently, unless the former review mechanism has habitually 4 engaged in blatant whitewashes,it is unlikely that establishment of ' ers.They are,respectively,the forums convened by medical and bar associations to decide not only whether a practitioner shall continue external review proceedings will significantly change the pattern of to ply his profession with a particular employer but, on occasion, dispositions of citizen complaint investigations: most are destined whether he will continue in his profession at all.Because there is no to be found unsubstantiated, which is certain to come as a disap- police analogue to either of these mechanisms, arguments that ex pointment to people who anticipate that the board will "crack ' isting internal police disciplinary proceedings are comparable to down"on brutal or discourteous police. those of the established professions are simply groundless." Thus, over the long haul, the board may be seen by some as The distinction between internal organizational review and ex- merely another part of the official establishment that almost al- i vernal professional review is significant because employers of police ways finds complaints"unsubstantiated." In addition,a citizen re 1 • i i 82 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 83 j � 9 view board's long-term credibility is threatened by another prob- lem: the subject of repeated complaints by independent citizens,none of how does a city administration establish and operate an j which can be individually sustained: what should be done about the independent review board to oversee its police department? Does officer who has been accused on eight or ten or more different occa the city's chief executive—the same person who has selected and sions of mistreating different citizens and,for want of objective evi appointed the police chief—select and appoint board members?Are Bence, has never been found in violation? board members to he paid by the city?If so,how many of those who 1 Phis is a ticklish problem:even though they recognize that most ,• feel the need for civilian review will continue to view such a board as complaint investigations eventually boil down to irresoluble swear ing contests,many police departments treat.citizens'complaints as �i' truly "independent"? individual events occu ring in a vacuum,and close each individually. '� I Accountability: the real issue But it means little to say that a complaint cannot be resolved,if it is il lt When one gets beyond the rhetoric on both sides of the civilian re- the tenth—or the twentieth—allegation of misconduct against an it view debates,it is clear that the real issue is police accountability to officer whose colleagues are rarely if ever accused of wrongdoing. the public.Those who demand civilian review do not believe the po Any complaint mechanism, therefore,should have the power to re lice are properly answerable to the people who pay their salaries, a view individual complaints in the context of an officer's whole charge which the police predictably deny. career history, and to make recommendations to the chief that go Cast in that light,it is also clear that the integrity and objectiv- beyond the findings in individual complaints.In fairness to the citi- I ity of the process of reviewing complaints are far more important zenry, those who review complaints must assume that where there is smoke, there is fire; officers with lengthy complaint histories than whether the process is staffed by civilians or by sworn officers, r especially when the chief reserves the final determination regard- should be looked at very closely and should be considered candidates • t ing disciplinary action.Given the polarization that accompanies the for counseling or for reassignment to duties that do not bring them _ mere mention of civilian complaint review boards,and given the dif- into close contact with citizens." i ficulties of establishing and maintaining such bodies,dice accountability Feedback on policies and practices The third purpose of citizen l; sizable to seek to increase opening to p the process,rather than by adding complaint procedures is to identify poor departmental policies and `,i another theriit item merely op g I p practices.Some complaints against police involve officers who have another item to the city budget. i To demonstrate how that might be accomplished,it is first nec- offended citizens, but who have acted perfectly in accordance with essary to define the purposes of mechanisms for receipt, invest.iga- departmental policy. In such cases, it might be unfair to discipline ' lion, and review of citizens' complaints against police officers. officers(who have only clone what was expected of them),but it may be that a poorly conceived departmental policy should be reviewed f Whether staffed by police officers or by civilians,such mechanisms a should provide management with information on the quality of po and changed. An extreme example involves the search policies of lice service being rendered, and should serve four very specific ob- some police departments, which specify that all arrestees be thor- oughly strip-searched. In such a case,the officer who strip-searches jectives. an elderly man he has arrested on a minor traffic warrant is only Documenting incidents The first is to determine whether indi- doing what is expected of him:but it may be that the expectation is vidual complaints against officers are founded and,where appropri- wrong.Thus, the complaint mechanism should also have the power ' ate, to provide a basis for discipline or other corrective action. As to hear cases based upon allegations of counterproductive policies, suggested above, however, except in the most clear-cut and well- and to recommend to the chief that policies (as well as police offs r. documented cases, it is very difficult to reconstruct definitively the cers)be brought into line with community expectations." events that lead to citizens' complaints. Unless the review process Credibility The fourth purpose is to demonstrate police credibil- a becomes a Star Chamber,it is unrealistic to assume that more than ity and responsiveness and to assure citizens that their grievances a very few officers will be disciplined as a result of determinations ;• that they have acted wrongly in specific incidents. (real or imagined) are welcomed and will be taken seriously. One g way to help accomplish that purpose is to involve as many people as p 1 , Identifying patterns of misconduct Thus,the second purpose— possible in the review procedure.That helps to reduce the possibility that complaint reviews will be perceived as whitewashes that occur , identifying patterns of wrongful conduct by officers—becomes very I important. Such patterns begin to emerge when an officer becomes behind the closed door of the chief's office." t ;, 84 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 85 \\. 4 • 1I'i Another important way to demonstrate the integrity of a com- intentioned, to support in writing the disposition of a complaint plaint mechanism is to encourage citizens to complain when they that is not warranted by the evidence he has found,or to twist facts i feel they have been wronged.How easy is it for a citizen to complain or omit relevant evidence from a report that might he used in subse- j� about a police officer?Must he actually go into a police facility to do quent court proceedings. so? If a citizen feels he has been abused by a police officer,it takes a Attaining these objectives does not require that civilians inves- 1 lot of nerve for him to go into that officer's station (or any other tigate or review complaints against police. Instead,it requires that police facility) to complain. What can he expect when he goes in citizens be strongly encouraged to make complaints; that corn- and tells a desk officer that he wants to initiate an investigation plaints be investigated thoroughly and objectively; that depart- directed at showing that one of the officer's colleagues acted mental reporting requirements provide sufficient openness that it wrongly?" becomes nearly impossible to cover up misconduct,and that the sys- 1 Just as hotels and airlines regularly seek feedback from their tem be perceived as credible and fair by citizens and officers. ` t. customers by encouraging them to comment positively or negatively The chief's responsibilities about the quality of service, police agencies should encourage both ; laudatory and critical comments from the public. But they often There is no reason why those objectives cannot be attained by the t seek out only praise, and discourage or discard criticism. In most person who serves as police chief.`rue,there are some conflicts in- { police departments, anonymous letters of commendation become herent in internal organizational review of complaints against offi- r t valued parts of officers' personnel jackets; in those same places, cers, but by requiring that the processes involved be open and anonymous written complaints are often ignored because, in order documented,they can be minimized.They are,in fact,part and par- to be considered "official complaints," they must he signed. But if cel of the chief's responsibilities as an agency head.if the chief does ,; police regularly accept and act upon anonymous letters of corn- not live up to those responsibilities and is not responsive and not . mendation and upon anonymous tips about criminal activity, why accountable to the citizens or their elected officials, it is difficult to • do they require that complaints about officers be signed? All feed- see how the establishnnent of a board to review complaints against back from the public should be considered valuable management in- officers will make the chief more accountable and responsive. Fur- s formation. then,if the chief is not responsive and not accountable,and does not l• Like citizens' commendations, citizens' complaints should be administer the agency in a mannearn r consonant with the reasonable 1, r taken in any form.They should be acceptable if made by telephone, expectations of the people whose taxes support it, it is difficult to :_ by anonymous persons(it also takes a lot of courage to sign one's see why he or she continues on the police payroll. t name to a complaint against the police in one's neighborhood), in The person who sits in the chief's chai r is bests situated b4 ex } writing,or in person. All department personnel should be required perience, position, and day to day authority to run a notice de tart to take and forward to the proper authority any citizen's corn- ment, and to achieve the objectives of a citizen complaint review plaints." board.if the chief does not run the department satisfactorily,and is Finally, no complaint mechanism can he considered credible n ot committed to achieving those objectives, he or she should b c y p fired and replaced by someone whose views are more congruent le unless it informs complainants of the reasons that their investiga- I lions resulted in a certain finding. It is simply not adequate to tell a with those of the community. citizen who,rightly or wrongly,feels that he has been mistreated by Replacin a chief is a lot less polarizing i nd expensive than the police only that the complaint has been investigated, and that establishing ago hoard that is unlikely t.o rive u t to the unrealistic f "appropriate action has been taken," or that the complaint was expectations f its proponents. found unsubstantiated or unfounded. When that happens, corn- 1 Herman Goldstein(Poticinq a Free judge the legality and propriety of l plainants are justified in feeling that their grievances have been ig- Cambridge, Mass.: 1977, p. police action in an individrie case is Society, (tiler an action has been taken. In nored. At minimum,every complainant whose identity is known to 1,121 distinguishes between civilian eo contrast, citizen participation in the police deserves a written explanation of what occurred after he review boards (the subject of this article)and citizen artici cation in policy determinations has nothing lodged his complaint,and of the criteria used in adjudicating it. p 1 to do with sitting in judgment on police policy formulation: events that have already transpired, Thus, police complaint review mechanisms should rebe solve required 'The primary objective in propos- nor is it concerned with police transpired, to ze report thoroughly on the investigative steps taken to resolve their als for the creation of a civilian re- zens' complaints and to document on paper the reasons for their view board or another form of civil- tion in a given case. Rather,it is a : conclusions. It is very difficult for anybody, no matter how ill- ian review of police actions is to matter of citizens setting priorities If 1 1 t I ( , . i•Y 86 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens'Complaints 87 1 • and choosing from among alterna- vestigations Division (SID) would Hall,1971);Ronald J.Adams,Street reasons therefor are sequentially i': I tires so that the future actions of be available twenty-four hours a Survival:7bctics for Armed Encoun- prepared by the patrol captain on • the police will be in accord with the day to"roll out"and commence im- ters(Northbrook,Ill.:Calibre Press, duty at the time the firearms dis- 1 desires of the community. Civilian mediate investigations of police 19801;Robert J.Downey and Jordan charge occurred;the commander of t review is a negative form of control shootings. In this way, it was rea- T. Roth, Weapon Retention 7kch- the precinct in which it occurred; over police activity.Involvement of soned,prosecutors would not subse- piques for Officer Survival(Spring- the alternating members of"area- Y citizens in policy determinations,by quently be forced to rely so heavily 1 field,Ill.:Charles C.Thomas,1981). level" firearms discharge review 1' contrast,has a positive character." on police internal investigations in 11. There are,however,notable(if iso- boards, and the members of the 2. According to Robert M. Fogelson determining whether to initiate I lated)exceptions to the general rule headquarters firearms discharge (Big-City Police,Cambridge,Mass.: criminal charges against officers. that all police discipline is internal. review hoard.In all,approximately 1977,pp.283-87),the approximately As one might expect,police officers The State of Florida presently Ii- 12 officials ranging from the rank of half-dozen cities that established ci- were generally unenthusiastic censes local police officers and con- the officer who discharged the fire- i vilian review boards during the about this form of oversight.A re- ducts investigations and hearings arm through the department's j ' 1950s and 1960s had abolished them current complaint, especially into misconduct that may result in highest uniformed official are re- I by the late 1960s. More recently, among those responsible for con- license suspension or revocation. quired to document and to be held Washington,D.C.,has established a ducting internal police investiga- 12. A careful distinction should be accountable for their determina- civilian review board, and review tions of shootings, was that DAIs drawn between findings that corn- tions during this process. This `' board variants exist in Kansas City, were unqualified, inexperienced, plaints are "unsubstantiated" or broad participation minimizes room Missouri; Chicago; Detroit; Oak- and incompetent,despite consider- "not sustained" and findings that for speculation that these reviews ` land,California;Miami;and Dallas. able evidence to the contrary.Given complaints are"unfounded."As the are secretive whitewashes of unjus- tt United States Civil Rights Commis- the negative and near universal po- United States Civil Rights Commis- tifiable police actions. New York i sion, Who Is Guarding the Guard- lice view of even these apparently sion points out (Iiho Is Guarding City Police Department,Interim Or- l ions? (Washington, D.C.: USGPO, highly qualified investigators, it is the Guardians?,p. 169),complaints der 118(1973). 1981,pp.124-27). not hard to imagine the response of are"unsubstantiated"or "not sus- 16. In one case with which I am fami- 1 3. Goldstein,Policing Free Society,p. police to less credentialed civilian tanned"when"the evidence is insuf- iar,a citizen called a police station I 174• ficient to either prove or disprove to complain about an officer's alle� E complaint investigators. P I P 6 4. See Walter Gellhorn, "Police Re- 7. Ironically, the experiences of the• the allegation";complaints are"un- edly abusive conduct at a traffic view Boards:Hoax or Hope?,"9 Co- Rollout investigators speak to this founded" when "the allegation is stop.The official who took his call lnmbia Forum 10(summer 1966). issue as well.While they were gen- false or not factual." requested that he proceed to the po- f, 5. The United States Civil Rights erally perceived by police as incom- 13. See Hans Toch, J.Douglas Grant, lice station to file a formal coo- t I Commission (Who Is Guarding the petent "headhunters," community and Raymond T. Galvin, Agents of plaint.When he arrived,he was ar- !i . Guardians?, p. 168) reports that activists held a very different view. Change(New York:John Wiley and rested for disorderly conduct by the 1 18.903 percent of the internal and First,these activists believe that re- Sons,1975)for an account of how so- officer in question,who had appar- ! external complaints against bus- liance on the police for investigative cial scientists worked with police to ently been summoned by the station i ton police officers during a two-year information prevents an objective attempt to identify and modify the official period alleged "use of excessive fact-finding investigation. Second, behavior of violence-prone police of- 17. Compliance with this requirement force"or"use of unnecessary force." they argue that since the DA inves- ficers. may'be tested by investigators who i 6. A related complaint was frequently tigators have law enforcement 14. Goldstein,(Policing a Free Society, periodically pose on the telephone t voiced by the police officers inter- backgrounds,they cannot be objec- p. 171) points out that, "If]or the as wronged citizens and attempt to viewed during an evaluation of the tive in their investigation of officer- progressive administrator, citizen lodge complaints with department Los Angeles County District Attor- involved shootings. complaints are often the best indi- personnel. Determining whether ney's"Rollout Program."(Craig D. 8. American Bar Association Special cators of long-standing practices in complaints are processed appropri- Uchida,Lawrence W.Sherman,and Committee on Evaluation of Disci- need of correction. They bring to ately then becomes a simple matter James J.Fyfe,Police Shootings and plinary Enforcement(Tom C.Clark, light police procedures that are of- of checking the records. In New the Prosecutor in Las Angeles chairman), Problems and Recent- ten more traditional than neces- York City, such "integrity tests" , 11 County:An Evaluation of Operation mendations in Disciplinary Enforce- sary." have virtually ended the inappro- bi Rollout, Washington, D.C.: Police ment(final draft,1970),p.2. 15. The New York City Police Depart- priate"quashing"of complaints by Foundation,1981).Following public 9. James Q.Wilson,"Police and Their ment provides a good model for in- officers: after a few widely publi- ri controversy over several police Problems:A Theory,"in Public Pot-- vestigation and review of police cized disciplinary actions against • shootings and related investiga- icy, Yearbook of the Harvard Uni- firearms discharges.Before a case is officers who failed to act correctly, tions conducted by the departments versity School of Public Adminis- closed, written reports with find- more recent tests of the system have involved, the district attorney es- tration, (Cambridge, Massachu- ings, recommendations, and the reported virtually total compliance. ! tablished this program under which setts),pp.200-201. i i teams of one deputy district attor- 10. See,for example,Thomas F.Adams, '! ney and one district attorney inves- Police Patrol: 'Indies �Y nd Tee'-- tigator(DA I) from his Special In- niques, (Englewood, N.J.: Prentice- 1 { 1 lCigl Ithaca Community Police Board Committee July 29 meeting summary Present: Sara Shenk, Alfredo Rossi, John Marcham; and Kirby Edmonds of the Police Board. We met from 7 p.m. until the last two left at 9:45. This was Alfredo Rossi ' s last meeting. He leaves for New York August 3 . He was thanked him for his regular attendance and many contributions. Full minutes were not kept, and we didn't have minutes of the July 21 meeting, but we charged ahead, debating a couple of key issues, disagreeing on occasion. Marcham, the writer of these notes, said he would try to frame some of the discussion in the form of "resolutions" or statements that could be debated at the next meeting to focus thinking, and if adopted or modified could be included in our committee ' s final or interim report to the full Task Force and Common Council. He also reported on the Task Force steering committee meeting of Monday, July 27, which he attended as representative of the chairman of our committee, Rick Williams. He and Sara Shenk from our committee were both present. They noted that the minutes of our July 21 meeting, which he carried to the Steering Committee from Rick Williams, included two ideas that had not been discussed at the July 21 meeting but apparently had been discussed at earlier meetings: 1) that the city hire an investigator for the Police Board, and 2) that additional members be elected to the Police Board by the GIAC and Southside communities. Early talk July 29 focussed on Kirby Edmonds 's experience as a Police Board member. He said he had done a lot of thinking and planning about the liason function of the board, which he thought was at least as important as the investigation function of the board. He stressed the importance of nailing down regular meeting dates for the board. After the regular date for meeting was changed, he had not been able to attend for a period of time, and had therefore been unable to follow up on some of his earlier ideas. Sara Shenk agreed that having only three of five members present made continuity and follow-through difficult. Both stressed the importance of a commitment to attendance before board members agree to serve. Possible statements for the committee report: General observation: The complaints mechanism alone is not going to bring about changes, particularly improvements, in community-police relations. Community contacts, police involvement in the community, advocates, etc. are much more likely. Board appointments: 1. The committee favors a continued five-person board, as at present, with three-year, staggered terms. 2 . The committee does not favor election of additional representatives from any particular neighborhood or segment of the community. Election would not necessarily assure more dedicated commissioners. It could create two classes of commissioners, cutting down on the cohesion of the board. The way would be opened to adding representatives of other factions, and making the board larger and potentially even less cohesive and dedicated. 3 . The mayor should take greater responsibility to assure that commissioners once appointed are able to serve, and to propose replacements as soon as a commissioner proves unable to serve. 4 . The board should adopt bylaws to require review by the mayor after a commissioner misses two meetings, and replacement after missing three. Investigator: The committee does not favor the hiring of an "independent" investigator. Many reasons: Not clear exactly to whom such a person would report, but in any case would diminish the role of commissioners in carrying out investigations. Not clear how such a person would be found in this community (former FBI, state police, or policemen?) , if hired hourly for current 12 cases (4 hours times 12 investigations) might have 50 hours or work a year. Reporting lines: to chief, to mayor, to chairman of police board? Would person be trusted in community? Confidentiality. How much would be available to the person? Community "advocates" : (Also could be called ombudsmen/persons, associates, whatever. ) Seek volunteers in key places, offices in the community, etc. where complainants may appear--people available to discuss the opportunity to complain and be available to help a person in the process. Give volunteers basic training in complaint and other procedures of the Police Board, and give them a supply of forms. Some offices mentioned were GIAC, Southside, OAR, DSS, schools. Individuals: Lucy Brown, a person in the boxing program at GIAC, Ray Waller, community director at Southside. Complaint documents: Further refinement of the language on the complaint form and procedures sheets is possible. (A committee member [me] has volunteered to undertake this and the board chair [Sara] said she'd welcome the offer. ) Board reports: A more complete annual written report of the board' s complaint and other activity is possible. Until community belief in the process increases, quarterly verbal reports to the Common Council might be considered. (Again, a committee member agreed to work with the board to the extent confidentiality rules allow, to make the written report more complete, understandable, and believable. ) Staff for the Community Police Board: We discussed pros and cons of having the chief 's secretary as the staff of the board and came to no conclusion. Board might ask help on more matters, or one or more community volunteers might help with phone calls, reports, etc. Board role with the police department budget, as "advocate" with Common Council: Marcham said he'd apparently misunderstood earlier testimony before the committee, and now that he had mentioned this, he found no support for it among police board or committee members and withdraws it. We don't need to include the idea in any recommendations or report we make. Community interest and support: Everyone is glad so many people expressed initial interest in the task force' s work, and hopes to retain that interest, both through the "advocates" mentioned above, and in other ways. But few people have been regular in attending meetings, and the problem of keeping interest among any volunteers is great. No solution proposed. And the job of maintaining a list of advocates, training them, and supplying information adds to the time demands on the board. The task force might be continued after September, possibly as one or two committees, to concentrate its busyness? John Marcham, 414 E. Buffalo St. 273-5754 P.S. : For persons not present July 21, I enclose a copy of a memo I gave out at that meeting. It has not been discussed in detail at the July 21 or 29 meetings. I 've greatly revised some of the ideas as a result of talk at later meetings. . ` end ews Vol. XVII, No. 347 A publication of John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY November 30, 1991 Making sense ' of s ensitivit ' • After more than two decades without any formal criticism, it's time to rethink the concept of sensitivity training Tor police. Forum! Page 8. , For. . St. George: 'Sensitivit ' training needs rethinki Y ng By Joyce St.George firmative action, racial quotas and equal rights delicate nature of this training—that ofconfront- laws, one can begin to appreciate the volatile ing bias, prejudice and/or racism on the parts of We all watched in horror as the evening news climate in which police officers perform their officers and the comrrunity—isenough cause for played the now infamous video recording of the nightstick beating of Rodney King by Los Ange- duties each day. police supervisors and instructors to reject any criticism and insist on its blanket acceptance. les police officers.The incident struck a nerve as The Training of Choice However,sensitivity training programs have in- it confronted the nation withthe unspeakable truth Many police departments experiencing these formally.beencriticized heavily by officers,and that certain encounters between civilians and the police are fraught with violence. tensions are flooding their in-service and recruit- often are not taken seriously by instructors and For many, that videotape and the turbulent ing training schedules with"sensitivity training" supervisors alike. Rather than viewing these community response to it marked a new aware- programs.Such training has become the response "under-the-table"critiques as subversive or un- ofchoice for many departments,and there are now professional, they can be seen as indicators of nest that the t:si •_f force by Alice officers is a major flaws in such training. significant public issue.For others,the response hundreds of such programs being conducted with j g high departmental hopes that officers will walk For instance,many police departments openly merely exemplified what is already known,that in away brimming with greater empathy for the or subtly condone thebelief that law enforcement many sections of the country the police and their people they serve.While thecommiunent to make is the predominant function of patrol, and that culturally diverse communities are desperately at officers more responsive to the needs and cultural service and order maintenance are of lesser sig- odds. differences of the community is admirable,cer- nificance,even though reports indicate that ser- The ever-increasing number of interracial vice and order actually dominate the conflicts, community disorders and hate crimes rain concerns inherent in this type of training are Y often clouded. patrol function. By emphasizing only the law are creating a backlash on police who are already If the training goals are to increase the level of enforcement function,a message is sent down to struggling to maintain credibility within the community. When the picture is completed by quality of police%orrrnunity interactions and to officers that catching crooks is what will be re- lower the possibilities of violent encounters be- warded,and that every citizen is a potential police tween police and civilians, sensitivity training problem. It is this sense of policing that many the devastation of neighborhoods by drugs,and programs may not be the answer,and if they are, officers believe sets up an adversarial relationship the current divisive arguments concerning of they are certainly only one part of an appropriate between themselves and the community. When training response. tensions arise between a community group and the Sensitivity training—the idea of introducing police,this belief will often override a sensitivity (Joyce St. George,a former law enforcement police officers to cultural differences and increas- training program's messages of cooperation with agent,is the co-founder and co-director of PACT ing their awareness of the weds and lifestyles of and care for the community. Unless the depart- Training Inc., which specializes in developing minority groups within their communities—is a men[views itself as being part of the community and presenting innovative training programs for traditional training model that has survived more and its job as serving the community—and not the public and private sectors.) than 20 years without formal criticism.Clearly the just enforcing laws—this kind of training will make a minimal impression at best. Ambiguous or Unrealistic Goals actions of police and citizens.Programs types of interactions with the publiet Another basic but significant problem with also emphasis how police relate to and would emphasize behavioral T sensitivity training concerns program goals and encounters with citizens solely on a changes and skills development in offi- expectations. Often goals are brand, sociologi- personal and interpersonal basis,with cers rather than attitude adjustment. little or no discussion of sen-based,and uruirzsurable.For example:"The Human dynamics training also util- sitive police/citizen interactions through program will heighten sensitivity of officers to the izes a building-block approach,in that African-American experience,"or"This program an organizational or community-based officers learn to manage simple inter- will increase awareness of tie police to the Asian perspective.And because the focus of actions with the public,such as helping the training is on how officers feel community's needs." Many times expectations an elderly woman who has been are overly optimistic and unrealistic,as in,"The versus how they act,officers are often mugged,and then build up to handling department expects that every officer taking this left man- behavior their determine i howtheir more complex interactions,like man- behavior affects their interactions with program will know how to treat each member of aging conflicts with several members the community." The most that these types of the public. of a minority community. goals will attain will be to help police learn a few Finally, ti ere are concerns that sociological or cultural points about certain groups. sensitivity programs are short-term The Well-Rounded Program How the goals will help to improve police interac- responses to long-term problems.These Whatever training a department may lions with the public,and how the goals will be programs are usually brought in fol- consider,such training should include measured,are often left ambiguous. lowing tensieris with the community certain criteria to ensurea well-rounded Sensitivity proerams can evoke negative reac- and are anc?►!ary to regular training.As program with predeternined and real- tions as they are introduced irto a department.For a result,they may lack the continuity istic outcomes. Departments should instance,what is the first thought that comes to the and commitment that ongoing programs consider such criteria as: mind of an officer who is ordered to attend a enjoy, and officers often view these ¶Outcome-Oriented.Start with the sensitivity training session? For many officers, "special"programs as interruptions in end in mind before implementing any the title of the training alone sends a message that their routine rather than as opportuni- type of sensitivity or human dynamics they are viewed as insensitive. Tie notion that ties to learn. program. Be acre that your goals are police are insensitive is repugnant to many offi- realistic,treasurable,and outcome-ori- cers who have been involved in pulling victims Alternative Approaches ented by determining behaviors and from car crashes, talking people out of suicide, There are alternatives to such sensi- actions that will support the kinds of and helping to deliver babies.And when this type tivity programs,but they require greater interactions expected from officers. of training follows an incident involving alleged commitment from management. For ¶Principle-Centered. Conduct use of excessive force that•stirs up the community, instance,recruit and in-service training programs that emphasize increasing of- it is often viewed by officersand supervisors alike programs should have multicultural per- ficers'understanding of principles and as punishment that officers will have to endure to spectives courses built into their cur- how they inflrence police performance appease the community. riculums to establish credibility for the The principle-centered approach Questions can also be raised concerning the topic.There must also be support and stresses fundamental ways of living ways in which sensitivity programs are conducted. discipline systems relative to police/ cooperatively and with dignity, and Some programs are overly structured, with sev- community interactions built into the highlights how those principles may eral hours of lecture an cultural/racial differences department's policies and procedures help guideofficers'beliefs,actions and and civil rights case studies,leaving little time for and discussed during training. Many motivations. discussion and experiential exercises.Other pro- departments today are also assessing ¶Multidimensional To learn to grams err in the other direction, providing too their own departmental "culture" to assess and confront sensitive enebun- little structurein the apparentbelief that all that the determine what informal codes of eth- tens with the public,police officers must officers requite is some tine to vent and discuss ie:exist to support or Underine he-2th), he taught to think and analyze on sev- how it feels to be a minority community police/community relations, and are eral levels,not only personal and inter- member.There are sensitivity programs building a new comnunity-oriented personal, but also from an organiza- which come right off a training shelf, culture which is then discussed in re- tional,community,and legal perspec- indicating that the material covered in cruit and in-service training. five to allow the totality.of circum- the program must be broad enough to If a special training program is stances to be considered.This does not relate to a number of training audi- warranted,another alternative to sensi- imply that police will think mime slowly, ences, and thus making the programs tivity programs is training in what may but that they will act mote strategically generic and not relevant to the partici- be called"Managing Human Dynam and deliberately. its. ics During Clanging Times." Human ¶Relevant. Every program must This form of training may also tend dynamics are the actions, interactions be relevant to its training audience. to serve as an oversimplistic answer to and reactions between officers and Packaged programs may provide lit- a complex issue. How sensitive offi- community members.A discussion of erature and a basic structure,but each cers view different conmunity groups changing times is important because program must then be adapted to satisfy is only a piece of the entire puzzle in police need to understand the current the specific interests and needs of the terms of their interactions with the demographic,cultural and social trap- officers and the community. Needs, public,yet training is often limited to an sitions that are taking place locally, goals,demographic and cultural infor- awareness of other cultures with little regionally and nationally. Such train- mation, and issues officers currently practical advice concerning what po- ing programs would focus on how offi- face should be specific to the training lice can do when those differences in- cers assess, confront and manage all audience and built into the program in fluence the actions,reactions and inter- as customized a fashion as possible. ¶Behavior-Bas .As much as one ¶Experiential. Training needs to may hope to influence the attitudes of provide a vehicle through which offs "` ' officers toward certain community cers canes and confront their abili - groups,it is very difficult to do so,and ties to understand and manage human officers,like all Americans,are consti- dynamics.There are several eicpenen tutionally entitled to believe what they vial models that can be used to provide want.The issue for policing,then,is to such a vehicle. Specifically designed dram focus on how officers express theirs based exercises allow officers attitudes through their actions and time to practice and/or refine their behaviors, which are governable and communication,conflict management can be legally and departmentally con- and confrontation skills in the safety trolled.Programs should focus,there- and control of a classroom setting.Other fore,on how officers express and pies- experiential exercises may be used,but ent themselves to the public, and be- should be relative to ther training audi- ence and practical in application and havioral change should be emphasized and tied into outcomes and goals. outcome. ¶Empathetic. Many sensitivity ¶Follow-up Supports. Training programs ask officers to empathize with should include discussions on follow- the feelings and concerns of minority ups to the training, such as clarifying community members.It is also impor policies procedures,legal mandates rant that the program empathize with and police%rammutrity agreements officers' feelings and concerns,as the which officers will be responsible for officers struggle to let goof belief sys- after the training.Departments should terns and behavior patterns for living initiate short but formal debriefing and policing that they have held for processes in which officers and their man ears supervisors may discuss.interactions ¶Practical. Programs must offer with the public on an ongoing basis. officers practical ways to assess and ¶Identifcation of Potentially Hrrs- confront human dynamics,especially tile Officers.Trainers conducting these as more complex dynamics are pre- programs should also distinguish be- , sented.For instance,during a training tween officers who are struggling to module on cultural differences,discus- adapt their performance to a commu- sion should identify and explore spe- nity-oriented policing approach and cific differences and their impact,and those who arestuck in the more aggrres- ways in which police can respond to sive, adversarial model of policing. them. For example, while discussing Follow-up training needs to be con- Latino customs,mention how eye con- ducted for those officers who are fix- tact with authority figures by women ated on working against certain com- • and children is considered rude.Since munity groups,and follow-up supervi- Americans view eye cortact as a sign of sion needs to be added to guard the openness and honesty, the impact of department against the ability of these that cultural difference in a policing officers to create hostile conditions with context is that some officers may feel a the public. Latino child or woman may be lying during an interview.To manage such a Meeting Unique Challenges situation,an officer may need to take Police managers must look to train- the cultural difference into account, ing to encourage their departments to and use other verbal and non-verbal meet the unique community oriented indicators to determine if the person is challenges of this decade. The hope offering truthful information that sensitivity training will prepare Allow for Controversy. Pro- 11 officers to confront these issues appro- grams on sensitive topics must allow priately remains only a hope so long as officers to openly resist and struggle this type of training is conducted as an with the materials presented.If they are aside and is used only as an awareness being asked to question their beliefs piece. and behaviors,trainers need to respect The complexities of policelcommu and support the amount of fear and re- nity issues demand that officers think sistance that will follow.Time and struc- differently about their roles in the cures need to be allotted so that officers community and in the way they interact may challenge their own beliefs as well with the public Today's police require as those being presented by the trainers. tinning that is multi leveled,principle driven and practical if officers are to gain the respect,cooperation and under- standing essential to their position in their communities.