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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 Procedural Complaint* Withdrawn after explanation.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
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CITY OF ITHACA `� �i8 F
COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD 1p4/
CIVILIAN COMPLAINT AGAINST POLICE PERSONNEL
PROCEDURE
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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
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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.
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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.
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(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
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HRM/rhk
01/07/91
' Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 77
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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
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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
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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'
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80 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens'Complaints 81 � �
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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
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82 Police Management Today Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 83 j
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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. '�
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Accountability: the real issue But it means little to say that a complaint cannot be resolved,if it is il
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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
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84 Police Management Today
Reviewing Citizens' Complaints 85 \\.
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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
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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.