WORKING GROUP UPDATE: CITIZEN-LAW ENFORCEMENT RELATIONS Co-Chairs: Dr. Dan Isom, Brittany Packnett

Transcription

1 WORKING GROUP UPDATE: CITIZEN-LAW ENFORCEMENT RELATIONS Co-Chairs: Dr. Dan Isom, Brittany Packnett

2 CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT

3 KEY QUESTIONS & CALL(S) TO ACTION KEY QUESTIONS CALL(S) TO ACTION ACCOUNTABLE BODY(IES) Should civilian oversight include enforcement powers? Should each jurisdiction have its own oversight board or would it be a regional approach? Meeting Community Needs Municipalities create own oversight boards Each defines appropriate form/structure to meet individual needs Provide hearings for citizens who wish to appeal dismissed citizen complaints County-Level Independent Review Office Reinforces municipal oversight when local efforts are insufficient Systematic review of police department policies and practices Less vulnerable to varying political and financial support at local level Potentially more resources to conduct more thorough investigations and reviews, when necessary Potential Drawbacks Animus between boards and police departments Reduced willingness to cooperate Reduced financial and political support necessary to make boards effective over time MO General Assembly Governor St. Louis County Executive

4 COMMUNITY RESPONSE I support the following Call to Action: Municipal police departments across the state should establish independent civilian oversight boards designed to meet the unique needs of each municipality. A. Strongly Agree B. Agree C. Neither Agree nor Disagree D. Disagree E. Strongly Disagree

5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE I support the following Call to Action: Counties across the state should establish independent civilian oversight boards designed to manage municipal oversight boards and civilian investigations, particularly when local efforts cannot sufficiently address incidents under review. A. Strongly Agree B. Agree C. Neither Agree nor Disagree D. Disagree E. Strongly Disagree

6 PROTECTING COMMUNITIES AND POLICE ACT

7 COMMUNITY RESPONSE Protecting Communities and Police Act of 2015 (S.1245) A bill to provide for oversight of, and place restrictions on, federal programs that provide equipment to law enforcement agencies. Sponsor o Sen. Claire McCaskill (D MO) Actions o May 7, 2015 Introduced o May 7, 2015 referred to Senate Judiciary Committee Broad Support o National Tactical Officers Association o NAACP o Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis o Rev. Starsky Wilson, Co-Chair, Ferguson Commission o Jon Belmar, Chief of Police, St. Louis County o Sam Dotson, Chief of Police, St. Louis City o Darryl Forté, Chief of Police, Kansas City

8 KEY QUESTIONS & CALL(S) TO ACTION CALLS TO ACTION Strengthens federal oversight and coordination when equipment and funding is given to local police DoD, DHS, and DOJ task forces determines what suitable, prohibited, and restricted equipment for local law enforcement Restricts departments with fewer than 10 sworn full-time officers from obtaining a tactical military vehicle if they already have 1 or more Prevents departments under consent decrees by the DOJ for civil rights violations or excessive use of force from receiving most weapons or funding to obtain weapons with DOJ approval ACCOUNTABLE BODY(IES) U.S. Congress Missouri s Representatives and Senators to the U.S. Congress MO Director of Public Safety Local Department executives Involves local elected officials Requires law enforcement agencies to obtain approval from state or local executives prior to submitting request for certain grant funding and requests for equipment (e.g., tactical vehicles, grenades, etc.) Imposes minimum training requirements Requires states to establish programs to certify law enforcement trainers Establishes annual training requirements for officers, including training for deployment of SWAT teams Improves data collection on the use of military-grade weapons and SWAT teams Authorizes DOJ to collect and analyze data on use and development of SWAT teams Requires departments requesting funding and/or equipment to provide additional details on why they need it

9 COMMUNITY RESPONSE I support the following Call to Action: The Ferguson Commission should exercise its influence and national platform to support the passage of the Protecting Communities and Police Act of A. Strongly Agree B. Agree C. Neither Agree nor Disagree D. Disagree E. Strongly Disagree