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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-16-2001 Articles4A ■ The Gazette, Wed., May 9, 2001 GAZETTE EDITORIALS PCRB needs more power, not less THE POLICE CITIZENS Review Board prob- ably will survive its first official sunset, but the City Council may be about to lessen its powers. Bad move. Instead, consider giving the PCRB more clout. Created in the wake of the August 1996 police shooting of Eric Shaw, an unarmed local man, the PCRB reviews police investigations into allegations of misconduct by police officers. It reports on whether it sustains the chiefs findings, maintains a central registry of com- plaints against sworn police officers and re- views police policies and practices. Its sunset clause occurs in August. The council has already agreed informally to renew the ordinance that created the board — against the wishes of the Police Labor Relations Organi- zation of Iowa City. But some council members want to scale back the board's mission, Give the Police including reducing Citizens Review meetings from month- ly to an "as -needed" Board a dynamic basis to review com- mission that plaints. Mayor Ernie includes holding Lehman also suggest - regular, meaningful ed the PCRB could assist the council or forums on policy and police chief. procedure. Such suggestions run contrary to the reasons PCRB was created. It should continue, and remain inde- pendent of the police department. The council recognized that the PCRB has done a good job of reviewing complaints and that the number of complaints is dropping. That doesn't mean the community, in general, has any more confidence in the police department: Several policy and procedural issues, such as the use of garbage searches and knock -and - talks, remain current concerns. And the need for reviewing complaints has not diminished. Perhaps the. City Council should look at another model: Wisconsin state law allows for a police and fire commission that is responsible for hiring the chiefs of those departments, approving or disapproving promotions, and supervising departmental hiring. That system has been in place for decades. In Milwaukee, that board also handles policy oversight. Madison Assistant Police Chief Noble Ray says the relationship between the commission and the two departments is very good. It has helped the city weather some controversial situations and issues. He said the police depart- ment has worked hard to develop a "trust bank" in the community and notes that the effort depends on the department and communi- ty believing they have a vested interest in retaining that trust. That's exactly what's needed here. Give the Police Citizens Review Board a dynamic mis- sion that includes holding regular, meaningful forums on policy and procedure. And give the board some power to make changes in policy and procedure when the community wants it. 013iiaion Iowa City Press -Citizen Keep the city police board The Press -Citizen's edi(o- rial on April 24 suggested the Police Citizens Review Board should just fade away. Unfortunately the kind of problem that fostered (he board's creation will not fade away. Iowa City Mayor Ernie Lehman put his finger on the most likely reason when in the aftermath of Eric Shaws death he spoke on the week- ly KXIC program that airs on Friday mornings. The mayor said that our police today are trained to respond with deadly force when confronted with crimi- nal circumstances. However, instant judg- ments in the dark of night might be wrong, and not all criminal acts rightfully requh e deadly force. 'rite death in New York of the African immigrant named t niadou Diallo like wise testifies to the scone problem — a questionable policy. The mayor indirectly commented again on thm. policy at a recent meeting between the PCRB and the City Council. He voiced the viewpoint that the city's police action policy should not be a part of the PCRI3's pun-iew, but rather belongs to the City Council itself. If this view is shared by all the council, additional names- may well be added to the list of victims of acciden- tal death by police action policy. It IS (ante to question the present policy. Let the PCRB have more opportunity to serve than just hear complaints. Let it take a serious loot: at that. policy. Would this be too expen- sive? Not if compared to the life of just one victim or just one officers career or life. And if the hoard con- cludes that there is no good alternative to the current policy, then we all can start to directly address the cir- cumstances and values that bring us to that dilemuna. - Ronald Tyree Iowa City Police board is still needed The lowa City Press - Citizen's proposed solution to the Iowa City Police Citizens Review Board, as set forth in a recent edit orial, is extremely weak. The posi- tion taken exemplifies the recent critical comments made by Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen about Iowa's future. Among a litany of com- plaints set forth in his arti- cles, Yepsen states, "Also, we need to quit listening to the naysayers. They're every- where. It's that crotchety view that anytime someone Page 11A Thursday, May 10, 2001 wants to do something dif- ferent, it's somehow bad. Don't need it. Was good enough for me. Like the way it is. We can not longer ld these old fuds guide pol- icy and thwart change. In other states the attitude i 'Right on! Let's give that a try.., Is the Editorial Board made up of naysayers and old fuds? You say: "This (Police Review Board) will never be the board we intended and hoped in the beginning? Why? Because of legal impediments to such a board are too great. It won't happen!" Of all of your editorials I have read over the past decade, this is the most dis appointing. Not only for the content of your position but moreover for the spineless approach you embody. If New York City, Los .Angeles and Milwaukee amongst countless other cities can overcome legal mid political impediments to such police review boards and create workable, usefut institutions to protect the civil liberties of citizens, I am certain that Iowa City can muster the courage to do the same. Your editorial position in this case has given a very negative message to old and young Iowans alike. You are proving Yepsen to be correct when he urger Iowa's youth to flee the state seeking empowerment. As a concerned lowar who has chosen to live in Iowa over New York California and our nation-, capital, I urge you to re -thin( your position on this am similar issues so that other. may be encouraged to floct to the Hawkeye State, not t+ flee. Richard Y. Carnpagno Coralville Racial profiling: How two police departments are addressing the issue acial profiling is it discriminatory practice in which it person is targeted by law enforcement officials on the hasis of skin color OF ethnicity. It is based on the faulty premise that minorities commit it majority of drug otfenscs. While many agree it is wrol „ there has been little consensus on how to address and ultimately eliminate this practice. The cities of Iowa City and Davenport have taken an approach to ensure racial profiling is not a practice of their police cicpartments and to diminish a public perception that it is occurring. The approach Both the Iowa City and Davenport police departments have incorporated data collection into every traffic stop. During the traffic stop the officer makes several ohscrvations about the driver such as race and gender. The _officer also records the reason for the 'op; whether it search was performed ,he authority under which the search was performed: and the result of the Comprehensive Engineering stop — citation, arrest, report. etc. File data collection challenges our officers to make lawful stops. Thcy should be able to articulate why it stop or it search was made," Said Chief Michael R. Bladel, Davenport Police Department. Another aspect of their approach to racial profiling IS training. Both Davenport and Iowa City police departments are trained in cultural diversity and sensitivity. The results Once the data is collected it statistician reviews It for any trends that indicate it practice of rto'll profiling. A trend can he indicated by tt disproportionate number of minorities being stopped or an uneven number of citations issued to it specific racial or ethnic group. If it trend IS d15COVCICd, the department will take appropriate corrective actions. Actions cam include trainim, & Planning Snyder & Associates, Inc. I rll Engineers 8; Plonner; tbltub;ap)& , ^ tv,r)(, non • Ervtrowtoeotal • t,tnt; DNveuwmeni Ankeny Atlantic Cedar Rapids rit , d;3 :':rrta 01, :,j .,A I 3,0,_ Au c_ , ,NebS, r�, 11a;e.;.1 . (retraining), disciplinary actions or othelSanctiom as deemed neccssan he the ticpartntcnt- The rewlt, of the data arc idso rcic:tscd to file public so tile% arc :ns:ue of the activity M the police department. We want the public tit kno„ what see rc doi n_, We deal h.i,c :urolhing to hidc. said Chicl R_I W'inkrlh:tkc. Cilc Police Department Taking a stand Clucl, A4'inke111akc and R1,1dcl h.i\c (71icl Ifinkel/take demonstrates the machine react( io rcad tltc traffic stop data sheet. both taken it stand against racial profiling for their departments. It works because it's it department stand that is instigated by the leaders of the department," commented Sergeant Sid Jackson, fowa City Police Department_ The chiefs of these departments have had it lot of help implementing ir the programs. Sergeant Jackson has been instrumental in devising it plan from which Iowa City is working. Davenport has relied on the efforts of Captain Jack Ackerman and Lieutenant Denm Bern. To help the efforts of the police department, Iowa City's City council passed a resolution aclopting it nondiscrimination policy for law cnforcement. "It shouldn't take it state law or a city resolution before anything is donc- Law cnforcement officials across the slate need to take it stand against racial profiling. There is no wa)' coo can µutih racial profiling legally or olltctwisc It's wrong and it shouldn l be tolerated.' concluded ('hict Winkclhake. For afore inloituation ahoin the programs in Iowa Citc and Davcnport. contact Chicf Winkelhakc, l000a Cite Police Department. aI (31t1) ', ,o i)7i and ( aptain Ackcr'men. Dacca port Policc Dcporuncnt, at (S63) 32h-_'78. 8 CITYSCAPE May 2001