Fact #1
"In a nationwide survey conducted in 2005, 178,000 drivers pulled over by police in 2005 felt police used or threatened excessive force against them."
-Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice
178,000 is too many victims of police misconduct and that was only in 2005. It has been proven that Civilian Review Boards curb misconduct of this sort.
-Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice
178,000 is too many victims of police misconduct and that was only in 2005. It has been proven that Civilian Review Boards curb misconduct of this sort.
FACT #2
In a recent Police Foundation survey of 121 police departments across the country, 50% of the officers interviewed agreed that police are more likely to arrest someone who displays a "bad attitude" and 25% agreed that it is "acceptable to use more force than is legally allowable to control someone who physically assaults an officer."
- Ronald Weitzer "Can the Police Be Reformed"
If officers themselves admit that they are breaking the law and that the are demonstrating police misconduct it is definitely time to do something about it and form Civilian Review Boards to handle this issue.
- Ronald Weitzer "Can the Police Be Reformed"
If officers themselves admit that they are breaking the law and that the are demonstrating police misconduct it is definitely time to do something about it and form Civilian Review Boards to handle this issue.
Victim Testimonial
“In September 1998, Robert Ellison, a 20-year old African American, was beaten and dragged by two white Bluefield police officers outside a nightclub, leaving him paralyzed below the neck. After filing suit against the city of Bluefield, Ellison and the city reached a settlement in June 2000. Under a consent decree, the city agreed to pay Ellison $1 million, increase its efforts to hire more minority police officers, and establish a civilian review panel by December 1, 2000, to review police misconduct investigations."
-Robert L. Ellison v. the City of Bluefield, U.S. Dist. Ct., Southern District of West Virginia, Consent Decree, June 5, 2000.
In this case "an internal investigation found no wrongdoing by the officers." This is a prime example of why Civilian Review Boards need to be instituted and they need to be made of civilians because obviously the police cannot objectively police themselves. If there was no so called wrongdoing from the officers then why did the City of Bluefield decide to pay Robert Ellison $1 million dollars and agree to other stipulations as well? I think that it is very clear that the City of Bluefield knew that they were in the wrong.
CRB's In Place
Civilian Review Boards are in place in numerous cities throughout the U.S. to oversee police conduct. A CRBs main agenda is to handle all aspects of a civilian complaint regarding a police officer and his or her conduct. In communities where CRBs exist a strong community/police relationship exists. Instances of police misconduct decline and the community’s opinion of the police department is improved. As you can see from the stories listed above, CRBs need to be put into place everywhere in the U.S.
PROOF THAT CIVILIAN REVEIW BOARDS WORK
This model was successfully used by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where an independent monitor was instituted in part because of strained police- community relations and high profile instances of police brutality. LASD's monitor believes excessive force has been "substantially curbed" to some extent by having a monitor. Indeed, the number of excessive force complaints dropped from 381 in 1992-1993 to only 70 in 1998-1999.
Before the Monitor /After the Monitor
381 /70
- Courtesy of Kendall Stagg, "Who should Police the Police?"
It is clear that police misconduct is and issue and it is proven that Civilian Review Boards work. Why should we the public to wait for more misconduct to occur, lets take a stand against injustice and form a preemptive stick against it. Civilian Review Boards work and are needed to curb police misconduct, brutality, excessive force, and racial profiling.
Before the Monitor /After the Monitor
381 /70
- Courtesy of Kendall Stagg, "Who should Police the Police?"
It is clear that police misconduct is and issue and it is proven that Civilian Review Boards work. Why should we the public to wait for more misconduct to occur, lets take a stand against injustice and form a preemptive stick against it. Civilian Review Boards work and are needed to curb police misconduct, brutality, excessive force, and racial profiling.
Support
The West Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights have conveyed the concerns of the citizens within the state and have conducted that various forms of police misconduct, including unnecessary force, have occurred in many area of the state, and will regrettably continue if action is not taken.
The ACLU, NAACP, NACOLE, and many other national groups are also in full support of external oversight of police in the U.S. There are far too many instances of police misconduct and something needs to be done to protect the rights of citizens.
A study of 17 law enforcement agencies found that Citizen Review Boards sustain police brutality complaints at a higher percentage than do the police, suggesting that such boards operate more fairly.
-Courtesy of Human Rights Watch, "Shielded from Justice; Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States," June 1998
Many Americans doubt that police departments are capable of effectively monitoring and punishing wayward officers. According to a 1992 Harris Poll, about 2/3 of the public felt that police were "too lenient" in investigating complaints against fellow officers. Americans prefer external oversight over internal reviews.
-Ronald Weitzer "Can the Police Be Reformed"
It is clear that the people have spoken. Civilian Review Boards are needed and wanted by the public.
The ACLU, NAACP, NACOLE, and many other national groups are also in full support of external oversight of police in the U.S. There are far too many instances of police misconduct and something needs to be done to protect the rights of citizens.
A study of 17 law enforcement agencies found that Citizen Review Boards sustain police brutality complaints at a higher percentage than do the police, suggesting that such boards operate more fairly.
-Courtesy of Human Rights Watch, "Shielded from Justice; Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States," June 1998
Many Americans doubt that police departments are capable of effectively monitoring and punishing wayward officers. According to a 1992 Harris Poll, about 2/3 of the public felt that police were "too lenient" in investigating complaints against fellow officers. Americans prefer external oversight over internal reviews.
-Ronald Weitzer "Can the Police Be Reformed"
It is clear that the people have spoken. Civilian Review Boards are needed and wanted by the public.
Strong Police/Community Relationships
Civilian Review Boards not only build a strong relationship between the community and the police they also assist the police department in handling complaints. This saves the police departments’ time and money and ensures the public that their concerns are being heard and addressed. The officers also benefit because CRBs handle all the paper work so that officers can focus their efforts on their job which is to protect and serve the community.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment