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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-02-1999 Articles Opinion Page 11A Wednesday, February 24, 1999 Iowa City Press-Citizen Our view Public. has a right to all details Why are we so afraid of identifying police officers? The issue: In an apparent agreement, · Police board will get the Iowa City Council and numbers, not names, of the Police Citizens Review officers in complaints. Board decided that only numbers will be used to We suggest: identify officers when com- · The board was creat- plaints are made. Later, there will be dis- ed to improve public cussion on whether the board confidence. If it can't do can publicly identify the offi- that, it has no purpose. cer if a complaint is substan- tiated, complaint being sustained or Oh, and by the way, the rejected. ordinance governing the What purpose is there to bom-d will specify that "an keeping officers' names a allegation/accnsation of mis- secret -- at any point in the conduct is not evidence of process. Board members misconduct." know the names of people Well, of course it's not. who file complaints. Why That's the whole point of the not the names of officers? board--to investigate eom- And why shouldn't the plaints against police and public know, too? determine if they*re valid. There's no reason. There's something wrong Numbers? No. with all this tiptoeing around If tile public can't know officers, l.ct's remember the details of complaints why the bom'd was formed including who's involved-- · --to make sure civilians had and how they're resolved, a non-police nutlet for cony the board has no purpose. plaints aguinst officers. The bnard was designed Even thongh the board to generate public confi has no authority to punish, at dence, not institutional least people who file eom- secrecy. plaints can believe they've Give tis tile names, or t, onen a fair hem'im, with the dumn ~t~e hnard. The Gazette, February 26, 1999, 2B Iowa City lawyer picked as judge in 6th District By Lynn M. Tefft He said he has no Gazette Johnson County Bureau concerns about fac- IOWA CITY -- Doug Russell, an lng those colleagues attorney in private practice in Iowa from the other side City for 18 years, will become the 6th of the bench. Judicial District's newest judge next A I978 graduate of month, the University of Io- Gov. Tom Vilsack on Wednesday wa Law School, Rus- tapped Russell to replace Van Zimmer, sell has been with who was appointed to the state Court his current firm for of Appeals in December. 15V~ years. He was "I'm very honored to be appointed," with another firm Doug Russell said Russell, 50, a partner in the Stein, for three years prior Replaces Russell & Pugh law firm. to that and began Van Zimme~ Twenty-three people, including dis- his career as a prosecutor with the trict associate judges, county attor- Johnson County Attorney's Office. neys, an assistant county attorney, Russell also has served as counsel assistant U.S. attorneys and an assis- for the Iowa City Police Citizens Re- tant public defender, applied for the view Board. position. Being a judge, Russell said, is an The 6th Judicial District Nominating important form of public service. Commission, chaired by Judge William "I can put my training to good use in Ends, chose Russell and Assistant U.S. public service," he said. "It's a very Attorney Robert Teig as the two nomi- challenging job to do." nees to pass on to Vilsack. The full-time position pays $97,600 a Russell said he will take the next few year. weeks to complete some of his cases Russell said his first assignment will and transfer the rest to his partners, L. be in Linn County District Court. The Jay Stein and Catherine Pugh. There 6th Judicial District covers Benton, are no immediate plans to name a new Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Tama partner to the firm, Russell said. counties. "I'm going to miss the work of being A resident of Iowa City since 1975, a trial lawyer," he said. "It's always Russell said he has no plans to move. challenging and interesting. And I'm He is engaged to Susan Feeney of Iowa going to miss seeing my lawyer col- City, who works in the Johnson Coun- leagues as much as I have." ty Clerk of Court's Off]ce. : Cedar Rapids Gazette, Saturday, 2/27/99, 3 B Iowa City mayor asks council to support police review board By Amber Hunt Gazette news intern IOWA CITY -- Until the Police Citizens Review Board gives City Council members a reason not to trust it, the board should be allowed to track officers' identities when resolving complaints. That's what Mayor Ernie Lehman suggested in a memo to council members this week. Lehman said Friday it's important for the council to support the board, which was estab- lished in 1997 to investigate complaints about Iowa City police officers and make recommenda- tions to the council and police chief. "I personally do not believe they need that information," Lehman said of board members' request that the police chief use specific officer identification numbers in issuing his reports about complaints to the board. "But they do need the support of the council," Lehman said. Lehman said he had asked the board to submit a letter to the council explaining its members' reasons for wanting to track the officers. Unless the board's reasons seem unjust to officers, Lehman said he would support the request. "(The board has) absolutely no power whatsoev- er, except maybe political power," Lehman said. "There are enough safeguards in place." Board Chairwoman Leah Cohen said the letter to council members was sent this week. "Basically, we feel to do our job, it's necessary to track the officers in some way," Cohen said. She added that knowing the officers' identities would not change the board's recommendations to the council. Iowa City Police Chief R.3. Winkelhake said he supports Lehman's position. Iowa City Press Citizen, Saturday, 2/27/99, page 5A Vilsack appoints Russell as judge Jeff Charis-Carlson absorbed, however, is thc I~CI~.B. The Press-Citiaen l>,.usscll has been thc boa]d's all(llllCy Doug Russell, an Iowa Cily lawyer since its lk)rmation about 1[~ yom s whose clients include thc Police ago. Citizen's Review Bo~d, will become "The board is very excited the next judge Ik)r the 6th Judicial Doug a~ld we're very sad we're Dis~ict next month, to lose him," said Leah Cohen, ch;m Russell received the appointment woman of thc PCRI3. Wednesday fromGov. ToinVilsak. He "He now has considc~ahlc km~l will replace Van D. Zimmer. who was edge in regards to a dillk, rcnl side h~ appointed lo the state Court of the police dcpaHmcnl and wha[ om Ap~als last Decem~r. job actually is," Cohen said. "I l~k lbrw~d to watching Cia} The board will employ all l}om ~e other side of the bench," attomcy, still to bc ilanlcd, while Russell said. "My ho~ is Ihat cve~- advcaising for Russell's mplaccmcm. one who ap~s ~forc ~ne receives a Russell has been ill Iowa Cily Nil/CC 1~11 ~d hir he~ing." 1975, when t~ ~gan studying law at The 6th Judicial District the University of Iowa. Altc~ ~raduat No~nating Com~ssion l~t month lng in 1978, he spent 20 months as mi selected Russell and Assistant U.S. assistant Johnson County attorney. IIc Attorney Roan Teig lkoln a pool of went into private practice m 198(} 23 applicants, an asstriatc in thc iii'n/Left. HaupcH By law, Rus~II now has less than and Traw. In 1983, hc became a pall 30 days to give up his private practice, ncr in his present firm. His partners, L. Jay Stein and As a new dishicl .judge, Russ~ll'~ Catherine ~gh, will ~gin absorbing initial appointment will lasl until thc the majority of his clients, next general clcctkm, I1' hc is "I've received wonderful suppo~ by thc voters, he will stand Ik)t tctcu- from my lawyer colleagues in Iowa tion eve~ six years. City and the rest of the districL' As thc 6th District judge Ru~sdl fled by their kind words." Jones, Linn alia Tdll/a ct~ttlllies. One client that will nol be hill-time position cauics am salary tq $97.6~ The Daily Friday, February 26, 1999 Page 3A Board attorney heads to bench Police board lawyer Doug Russell will become a judge. Classifieds Online By Steven Cook Letters to the The Daily Iowan Editor Ad Info The Police Citizens Review Board is searching for a new lawyer, Subscription Info because its current one is moving fi.om arguing cases before the DI Staff bench to trying cases behind it. Copyright 1999 The Daily Iowan. Gov. Tom Vilsack appointed Doug Russell, 50, a UI alumnus, as a Copyright 1999 Associated Press. Sixth District Court judge Wednesday. All rights reserved. This material may With the appointment, Russell must end his stint as lawyer for the not be published, police board, a job he's had since the board's inception in September broadcast, rewritten 1997. or redistributed. He will end his 20 years of practicing law in Iowa City, the last 15 of which with the Pugh, Stein and Russell law firm. Russell is scheduled to be sworn in as a judge on March 2 at 4:45 p.m. at the Johnson County Courthouse. He has until March 26 to finish private practice and leave his job with the police board. His last day with the board will be in mid to late March, he said. He's looking forward to beginning his new job as a judge, he said, but he'll miss working with the board. "It was a very positive and very interesting experience," Russell said of his time with the board. "I was very impressed with the board and how thoughtful and careful it's been in its work." As the police board lawyer, he sat in on all its meetings, giving legal advice and helping to write its standard operating procedures and bylaws. The board will begin advertising for a new lawyer next week, President Leah Cohen said. The process should take about 60 to 90 days. ' of 3 2/26/9911:27 AM "He's been a tremendous counsel," she said. "He's mingled well with the board and fit right in. He's been a real asset to the group." Although the board will miss trim, Russell s departure shouldn t affect board business, Cohen said. A temporary lawyer will take over between Russell's exit and the hiring ora permanent lawyer. Russell received the judgeship because of his vast background in law and public service, said John Norris, Vilsack's chief of staff He noted Russell's work as assistant Johnson County attorney from 1978 to 1980 and his recent work with the police board. A native of Chicago, Russell came to Iowa in 1967 to attend Grinnell College. Following graduation 1971 and a three-year stint in the Army, Russell entered the UI law school and graduated in 1978. Russell was one of two finalists for the position. He was personally interviewed by Vilsack on Feb. 18. "He had a great interview," Norris said. "The governor thought he would do a good job being fair and impartial as a judge and run a good courtroom." Russell will join the 11 other district judges in the Sixth District. Iowa's Sixth Judicial District spans six counties -- Johnson, Linn, Benton, Iowa, Jones and Tama. He replaces District Judge Van Zimmer, who was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in December 1998. Russell's salary will be approximately $98,000. Russell, who received the call informing him he had received the job from Vilsack personally, said it was "one of the most welcome calls" he's ever received. "Until I received the call, there was no way of knowing how it would turn out," he said. "It was sort of like waiting for a jury to come back with a verdict." DI reporter Steven Cook can b~ reached at: sacoo~blue.weeg, uiowa, edu [ Home Seamh Front Metro & Imva Nation & World Viewpoints Sports Arts ] ~ of 3 2/26/99 8;27 AM