2009 Civil Rights: Best Practices
The IACP Civil Rights Committee, in collaboration with the winners of the 2009 IACP Civil Rights Award, agreed that the promotion of the best practices garnered from the awarded programs can be best replicated by sharing in detail the achievements of the awardees with other law enforcement agencies.
The winners and honorable mentioned awardees have set forth the processes that can be followed to emulate their activities and achievements.
Award Winners
Single Agency Program – City of Westbrook Maine Police Department
Foreign exchange program and Human Relations Committee:
The City of Westbrook Police Department created a police officer foreign exchange program and Human Relations Committee. The exchange program provides the Department’s officers with a more global view of their responsibility as police officers. It offers unique insight into the living conditions and perspectives of refugees and immigrants settling in the community. Other agencies that wish to replicate the program should first access the demographics of the refugee and immigrant populations being served by the agency, articulate the challenges faced by serving these populations as victims, witnesses, suspects and residents, organize meetings with representatives of those communities to build relationships and better understand their needs, craft a Memorandum of Understanding on expectations and responsibilities between all parties, fundraise the cost of sending two officers at a time to one of these countries of origin, work through the Westbrook Police Department, Department of State, or Department of Justice to arrange for a visit by your officers to a foreign national police force and for their officers to return and police your streets.
The counterpart to the exchange program is the Human Relations Committee of Westbrook Maine which enjoys great success by building bridges between the police and the community, particularly people who felt disenfranchised. The vision statement was created to promote civil rights, personal dignity and positive relationships between people living in and visiting the city. A series of public forums were hosted and a broad cross-section of community, business and academic leaders, refugee and immigrant groups, advocates for physically and emotionally challenged individuals, people of color, media, legislators and others were in attendance. The Committee meets monthly and tackles concrete issues such as language and cultural assistance for the police during service calls. This Committee has significantly elevated the level of trust and confidence in the police.
Multi-Agency Team Award- Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP), Hennepin County, Minnesota
Cooperative relationship between the law enforcement departments and their diverse communities:
The Hennepin County Minnesota Joint Police Partnership intertwines a combination of recruitment of cadets of diverse backgrounds, daily roll calls on key diversity topics, language classes for officers, and the formation of a Multi Cultural Advisory Committee. The Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park and City of Richfield police departments partnered together to create a cooperative relationship between the law enforcement departments and their diverse communities. Although the Hennepin County Board provided funding to plan and implement the JCPP initiative, the following steps could be replicated by other police departments regardless of whether a significant amount of funding is available.
Establish internal leaders. Identify one or two individuals within the police department who are either formal leaders or are influential within the police department. It is important that these individuals truly believe in the importance of connecting with the community and have the skill to do so. It is more advantageous if these individuals can be identified at a meeting of geographical-proximate police departments so that the work can be jointly endorsed and performed collaboratively across city borders.
Acquire demographic information. Obtain recent, reliable data regarding city demographics. Compare this objective data to anecdotal information about the diversity groups residing in the city to anecdotal information about which groups have the most contact with the police department and which have the least contact with the police department. The information can help paint a picture of who is living in city, who interacts with the police, and who may be disconnected from police services.
Prioritize issues and key messages. Agree on the set of messages the police department wants to use in approaching the city’s diverse communities. Is it to diffuse anger and engage in discussion about specific hot button issues that have arisen? Is it to ease community members’ misperceptions or fear the police? Is it to learn more about community members’ unique perceptions of how to improve community safety and livability?
Reach out to diverse community leaders and find out which topics they see as key issues. Begin seeking out individuals who function as formal or informal leaders of the diverse populations living in the city. These people may include service providers, business owners or religious leaders. Meet with people in their establishments, invite them to the police department, or attend their cultural and community events – whatever provides the best forum for conversation.
Form a multicultural advisory committee. Invite key leaders to form an advisory committee. Interview interested candidates to help ensure a mutual understanding of the purpose and scope of the committee. Provide a space for the committee to meet monthly and discuss community issues. Plan for the officers to regularly be present at these meetings, and remove barriers to participation by offering small stipends or child care services.
Prioritize biculturalism/bilingualism in hiring practices. If possible use the funding to establish a multicultural cadet position. If not possible, consider revising recruitment and hiring practices to include biculturalism as an asset. For example, post position openings in culturally diverse media outlets, and share information about job openings with members of the advisory committee. Consider revising the department interview scoring systems to award points for bilingual and knowledge/expertise in cross-cultural relations.
Increase community members’ knowledge of and familiarity with the police. Partner with advisory committee members to host informational sessions or community dialogue sessions. The purpose of these meetings could be to address misconceptions about specific laws or the role of the police or to provide a forum for a two way conversation about community safety. It is important to leverage the “insider” leaders’ knowledge of the community to ensure the event’s topical focus, location, and invitation strategies will be appropriate and effective for the target audience. Also, consider assigning officers to attend culturally-specific events.
Individual Achievement Award- James Cavanaugh, ATF, Nashville Field Office
Importance of conducting effective hate crime investigations:
Mr. Cavanaugh has played a pivotal role in investigating hate crimes in the south. This 33 year veteran supervises ATF operations in Tennessee and Alabama. He has investigated more than 50 church arson fires in Alabama and Mississippi. When asked what can a Chief, Commander, Special Agent in Charge, Colonel, Director or other leader do to make hate crimes investigations important and successful, Cavanaugh promotes the following principles.
- Make verbal and written statements that hate crime enforcement is important and top precinct commanders or other leaders should personally review all reports of hate crimes.
- Never play down hate crimes, inside the department or to the media (no need to hype them either). It should be understood that hurt from hate crimes runs deep, the crimes effect not only the victims directly but all persons of the same race, national origin, religion or lifestyle and all people of good conscious.
- Establish your aggressive response and never let anyone say “it is just kids”. Columbine was just kids. Every citizen wants to know that their police officials value them for who they are. A hate crime attacks the very heart of who they are.
- Take the steps to get your officers hate crime training.
Certificates of Recognition
Director Vernon Keenan, Georgia Board of Investigation:
Building relationships and trust among the public and a state agency’s investigative resources:
The Georgia Board of Investigation (GBI) was recognized for building relationships and trust among the public and a state agency’s investigative resources. Duplication of this working relationship is an on-going task that requires continued effort. However, once the relationships of trust is achieved and maintained, the investigative process that follows is manageable. The GBI approaches the process with a response plan to use of force investigations.
Trained and experienced investigators are assigned to conduct these types of inquiries. Adequate crime scene, supervisory and investigative resources are identified and dedicated to a request for assistance. The GBI Major Case Protocol is taught to each agent and checklists are generated to ensure that the necessary components of the system are activated. This protocol is teachable through traditional classroom training and by observation of a real-world case. A user-friendly leads tracking system is available for use and is maintained on the computers of personnel from each GBI work unit. This leads tracking system is available for distribution upon request. The GBI’s case management system was created in-house to perform the necessary functions of a case file system.
Most departments have a case management system in place. Moreover, every agent possesses the GBI Law Enforcement Use of Force and Custodial Death Investigations Manual which ensures the completion of a thorough and objective use of force investigation. All of these concepts (relationships, training and expertise supported by policy and investigative guidelines) can be followed by any agency wishing to develop a response to use of force incidents. If an agency wishes to conduct its own use of force investigations, the methods and procedures outlined above will still be useful in such a response. The key in either option is to support the truth with facts and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions. The GBI Major Case Protocol is a system that can be taught and reviewed in a classroom setting. GBI Leads tracker software is a Microsoft Access based system that was developed internally by agents and can be shared upon request by law enforcement personnel for implementation purposes only.
The GBI case management system is agency specific. It can be demonstrated to interested law enforcement agency personnel but cannot be replicated in its entirety. The GBI Law Enforcement Use of Force and Custodial Death Investigations Manual can be shared with other law enforcement agencies upon request. This manual is constantly updated and revised but can serve as a guide to other agencies who are contemplating drafting their own such set of investigative guidelines.
Chief Charlie T. Deane, Prince William County (VA) Police Department:
A balanced illegal immigration enforcement policy:
Prince William County Police Chief Charlie T. Deane received a certificate of recognition for his leadership following the issuance of a local government directive requiring aggressive illegal immigration enforcement by county police. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) voted to require police officers to check the illegal immigration status of any person detained if probable cause existed to believe the individual was illegally present in the country. This mandate, one of the most aggressive enforcement policies in the nation, resulted in intense public reaction and community debate on both sides of the issue.
Chief Deane was required only to follow the precept of the Board and to begin implementation. However, the Chief realized it was essential to strike the right balance so as to avoid polarization of the community and to avoid creating more problems than might be solved. After intense research and analysis, a proposed implementation policy was drafted and presented it to the BOCS. The Board agreed to a measured, three-phase approach:
- Phase I – Policy development and acquisition of federal immigration authority.
- Phase II – Comprehensive public information campaign focused on the immigrant community.
- Phase III – Multi-year evaluation project conducted by the University of Virginia and the Police Executive Research Forum to determine the impact of the new policy on the community. For those agencies facing similar circumstances the three phase approach offers an opportunity to work with all the stakeholders and achieve a fair, lawful and reasonable policy.
Public Safety Manager Police Chief Jack Harris, City of Phoenix (AZ) Police Department:
Equal justice for all:
As a recipient of the IACP Civil Rights Certificate of Recognition, Phoenix Public Safety Manager Police Chief Jack Harris’ approach to public safety is focused on the best interests of representing the overall community and to ensure the safety and protection of all persons living within the City of Phoenix.
What began as the identified need to consistently police communities without focusing on specific demographics is accomplished in part by ensuring that all laws which the Phoenix Police Department has jurisdictional authority over are properly enforced.
PSM Harris’ leadership approach consisted of:
- Focus on supporting the existing Department vision and mission
- Leadership from all ranks within the Department
- Enforcement efforts that continue to focus on the “worst of the worst” – those criminals who pose the greatest risk to the safety and quality of life for all of our residents
- Strategic brainstorming with partners such as City Management, Labor Groups, and other local, state and federal partners
- Researching how other law enforcement agencies of comparable size and populations were performing, information sharing, policy development and conducting employee training
Unquestionably, illegal immigration reform is one of the most debated and emotionally charged issues in the country today. The solution to this complex matter however, does not reside with the Phoenix Police Department. It rests with the federal government. Only the federal government has the authority to develop some type of comprehensive immigration reform. Until then, PSM Police Chief Harris continues to operate within the scope of his authority to protect the people living within the City of Phoenix.
Contact
For more information about these programs or to apply for the 2010 IACP Civil Rights Award (extended due date of April 1, 2010), please visit the awards section of the IACP Web site, www.theiacp.org or contact Mark Lomax at the IACP, 515 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2357, by phone at 1-800-THE-IACP, extension 234, or email at lomax@theiacp.org