Inspiration and investigations
The National Night Out had a kickoff event at the Riverside Municipal Airport on Saturday which was called "Neighborhood Leaders to National Heroes Day". It was held during most of the day and many people turned out despite the heat.
Keynote speaker was Col. Danny McKnight, who was the inspiration for the film, Black Hawk Down about the rescue operation involving military personnel in Somalia.
There were many booths from different law enforcement agencies, state and federal agencies and city departments, as well as many planes, boats and even helicopters representing different departments including the Riverside Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and various military branches.
The Press Enterprise wrote about it here. A good time was had by all who attended it.
McKight talked about working in neighborhoods.
(excerpt)
"We can't rely on law enforcement, fire and rescue and public safety committees. We have to do it," he said. "Each and every one of us has a responsibility to be a leader and we need to make sure we're doing our part."
An earlier event took place at Bordwell Park on Friday, including a basketball game between neighborhood residents and city staff members. It's not clear who actually won the game because it was pretty much a free for all by its end, but everyone involved seemed to have a lot of fun.
Some city employees who were present said that they weren't playing because they were alas, too old or were afraid of hurting themselves. But former Riverside Police Department lieutenant and current Eastside coordinator, Alex Tortes was one of the star players and more than kept up with those younger than him.
The Los Angeles Times posted an article on the officer-involved shooting of Dominique Thompson, 19 in Riverside. A debate between the man who was shot, Thompson, 19, and Riverside Police Department sergeant, Leon Phillips has begun on the merits of that shooting in the Press Enterprise.
Thompson said that he did not know he had been shot until he saw blood and was on the ground. Ironically, Thompson said that he was all set to enter into the police academy before the shooting.
(excerpt)
"I grew up here, and I always dreamed of being on the Riverside Police Department," Thompson said.
A graduate of Caesar Chavez High School, Thompson works at a local pharmacy where an officer recently encouraged him to test for the police academy next week, he said.
"I still want to become an officer but not with those guys," added Thompson, referring to the Riverside Police Department.
Phillips who was once assigned to the Officer Involved Shooting Team in the shooting of Lee Deante Brown defended his officers.
(excerpt)
"I was told the officers did give multiple warnings," said Phillips. "Any time we have training, they command us to give orders and tell them to drop the gun. But in the real world, if we perceive that someone is going to shoot someone else, we have the duty to take action and there may not always be a lot of time to verbalize."
The article stated that three investigations would be conducted by the police department and Riverside County District Attorney's office but it sounds like the investigations have pretty much been completed.
Waving any kind of gun, real or fake, around a crowd is stupid and reckless behavior and makes one wonder if this person should even be a police officer. But the department in the early stages of an investigation is supposed to be doing just that, investigating and not defending or explaining its officers' actions away in public. The police department's ongoing practice of doing this is one of the reasons why there was an outcry in the community for independent investigations outside the police department of officer-involved deaths including those done by the Community Police Review Commission. That process is obviously still very important given the reaction by community leaders to attempts by the city manager's office and the police department to shut down the commission's timely investigation of officer-involved deaths earlier this year.
The practice of defending officers' actions early on sends the perception out into the community that the department doesn't really do investigations at all but merely defends its officers' behavior and that police agencies just can't objectively investigate themselves whether that's the reality or not. Not just in this city but many others as well.
What's also interesting is how Phillips said that Officer Michael Paul Stucker shot Thompson "only once" and the other two bullets fired hit a civilian and a passing vehicle, meaning that two out of the three shots fired hit civilian targets. That reality in itself is one reason for the department to keep investigating this incident as well as examining it under its state-mandated but very insulated critical incident review process before it delivers its findings through a department representative in a public forum only two days after a shooting.
People asked if Stucker had been the officer who shot Lee Deante Brown in April 2006 but though he was "involved" as the article stated, he did not fire his gun. At the time of the Brown shooting, Stucker was allegedly hitting Brown in the shin with his expandable baton when he heard the shots coming from just beside him, according to his statement.
Another interesting thing about this case in comparison to the Brown shooting is how much credence the eyewitnesses were given. Phillips in this article said that the eyewitnesses heard commands being given by the officers, yet in the Brown shooting, despite the fact that none of the eyewitnesses saw a taser in Brown's hand when he was shot and killed, they were written off as not being credible witnesses or in one case, as "liars".
Chief John Horton of the Banning Police Department is set to retire soon.
(excerpt, Press Enterprise)
When he arrived in Banning, "The department needed stability, it needed someone who understood what was going on in the community and understood what was going on in the Police Department," Horton said.
The city is ethnically diverse, and Horton remembered going with his wife, Kristin, to meet the congregations of more than 20 churches. Minorities he encountered "felt there was racism and they were second-class citizens. I did everything I could to address that issue," he said, including meeting with residents and recruiting more minority officers.
He believes he made inroads, but said there is a need to work on those relationships.
Anstine, Purvis and Horton agreed that highlights of Horton's term include community-oriented policing; youth outreach and prevention programs like KO Gangs; city leadership in regional crime task forces; and plans for a new police-station building, for which the city will seek bids later this year.
If you want to learn more about the civilian review process in Seattle, the blog at the Seattle Press Intelligencer is chock full of information.
Included is the history of the process to bring civilian oversight to the city's department which has been plagued with problems involving its Office of Professional Accountability Review Board in recent months especially after it found that Seattle's police chief inappropriately intervened in an internal investigation involving two officers.
Mayor Greg Nickels jockeyed to get his panel in place before the city council could do like. City Council President Nick Lecata still plans for the body to undergo its own review process.
More information on the panelists selected by Nickels is available at the blog and also here.
There are some openings for commissioners in Portland, Oregon.
The Independent Police Review Division is accepting applications for
volunteers to serve on the Citizen Review Committee (CRC). The citizen volunteers of the CRC hear appeals of investigative findings of complaints against Portland Police Bureau officers, help IPR develop policy recommendations, review the handling of complaints, and hear public concerns.
Together, IPR and the CRC work to improve police accountability to the public and help solve identified problems.Applications are due by 5:00 Friday, August 31, 2007.
Downloadable CRC Applications: CRC Application<http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=164120> (Microsoft Word,136 kb) CRC Application<http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=164121> (PDF,200 kb)
Independent Police Review Division: Who we are
The Independent Police Review Division (IPR) and the nine-member Citizen Review Committee ( CRC) were created in 2001 to help improve police accountability, promote higher standards of police services, and increase public confidence. IPR has five primary responsibilities:
* Receive citizen complaints alleging misconduct by Portland police officers.
* Monitor investigations conducted by the Bureau's Internal
Affairs Division (IAD) and conduct joint or independent investigations if necessary.
* Report on complaint and investigation activities and recommend policy changes to prevent future problems.
* Hire a qualified expert to review closed investigations of officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths and report on policy and quality of investigation issues.
* Coordinate appeals filed by citizens and officers with the CRC andCity Council. CRC members are appointed by City Council to perform four primary functions:
* Gather community concerns about police services.
* Help the IPR Director develop policy recommendations to address patterns of problems with police services and conduct.
* Review and advise on IPR and IAD handling of complaints.
* Hear appeals from complainants and officers and publicly report its findings.
And speaking of elections in this state, say goodbye to electronic voting machines at least for a while. Hopefully, a replacement voting system will be in place by the state's primaries early next year. Problems with security among others were cited as reasons why the process was decertified by the secretary of state's office.
Keynote speaker was Col. Danny McKnight, who was the inspiration for the film, Black Hawk Down about the rescue operation involving military personnel in Somalia.
There were many booths from different law enforcement agencies, state and federal agencies and city departments, as well as many planes, boats and even helicopters representing different departments including the Riverside Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and various military branches.
The Press Enterprise wrote about it here. A good time was had by all who attended it.
McKight talked about working in neighborhoods.
(excerpt)
"We can't rely on law enforcement, fire and rescue and public safety committees. We have to do it," he said. "Each and every one of us has a responsibility to be a leader and we need to make sure we're doing our part."
An earlier event took place at Bordwell Park on Friday, including a basketball game between neighborhood residents and city staff members. It's not clear who actually won the game because it was pretty much a free for all by its end, but everyone involved seemed to have a lot of fun.
Some city employees who were present said that they weren't playing because they were alas, too old or were afraid of hurting themselves. But former Riverside Police Department lieutenant and current Eastside coordinator, Alex Tortes was one of the star players and more than kept up with those younger than him.
The Los Angeles Times posted an article on the officer-involved shooting of Dominique Thompson, 19 in Riverside. A debate between the man who was shot, Thompson, 19, and Riverside Police Department sergeant, Leon Phillips has begun on the merits of that shooting in the Press Enterprise.
Thompson said that he did not know he had been shot until he saw blood and was on the ground. Ironically, Thompson said that he was all set to enter into the police academy before the shooting.
(excerpt)
"I grew up here, and I always dreamed of being on the Riverside Police Department," Thompson said.
A graduate of Caesar Chavez High School, Thompson works at a local pharmacy where an officer recently encouraged him to test for the police academy next week, he said.
"I still want to become an officer but not with those guys," added Thompson, referring to the Riverside Police Department.
Phillips who was once assigned to the Officer Involved Shooting Team in the shooting of Lee Deante Brown defended his officers.
(excerpt)
"I was told the officers did give multiple warnings," said Phillips. "Any time we have training, they command us to give orders and tell them to drop the gun. But in the real world, if we perceive that someone is going to shoot someone else, we have the duty to take action and there may not always be a lot of time to verbalize."
The article stated that three investigations would be conducted by the police department and Riverside County District Attorney's office but it sounds like the investigations have pretty much been completed.
Waving any kind of gun, real or fake, around a crowd is stupid and reckless behavior and makes one wonder if this person should even be a police officer. But the department in the early stages of an investigation is supposed to be doing just that, investigating and not defending or explaining its officers' actions away in public. The police department's ongoing practice of doing this is one of the reasons why there was an outcry in the community for independent investigations outside the police department of officer-involved deaths including those done by the Community Police Review Commission. That process is obviously still very important given the reaction by community leaders to attempts by the city manager's office and the police department to shut down the commission's timely investigation of officer-involved deaths earlier this year.
The practice of defending officers' actions early on sends the perception out into the community that the department doesn't really do investigations at all but merely defends its officers' behavior and that police agencies just can't objectively investigate themselves whether that's the reality or not. Not just in this city but many others as well.
What's also interesting is how Phillips said that Officer Michael Paul Stucker shot Thompson "only once" and the other two bullets fired hit a civilian and a passing vehicle, meaning that two out of the three shots fired hit civilian targets. That reality in itself is one reason for the department to keep investigating this incident as well as examining it under its state-mandated but very insulated critical incident review process before it delivers its findings through a department representative in a public forum only two days after a shooting.
People asked if Stucker had been the officer who shot Lee Deante Brown in April 2006 but though he was "involved" as the article stated, he did not fire his gun. At the time of the Brown shooting, Stucker was allegedly hitting Brown in the shin with his expandable baton when he heard the shots coming from just beside him, according to his statement.
Another interesting thing about this case in comparison to the Brown shooting is how much credence the eyewitnesses were given. Phillips in this article said that the eyewitnesses heard commands being given by the officers, yet in the Brown shooting, despite the fact that none of the eyewitnesses saw a taser in Brown's hand when he was shot and killed, they were written off as not being credible witnesses or in one case, as "liars".
Chief John Horton of the Banning Police Department is set to retire soon.
(excerpt, Press Enterprise)
When he arrived in Banning, "The department needed stability, it needed someone who understood what was going on in the community and understood what was going on in the Police Department," Horton said.
The city is ethnically diverse, and Horton remembered going with his wife, Kristin, to meet the congregations of more than 20 churches. Minorities he encountered "felt there was racism and they were second-class citizens. I did everything I could to address that issue," he said, including meeting with residents and recruiting more minority officers.
He believes he made inroads, but said there is a need to work on those relationships.
Anstine, Purvis and Horton agreed that highlights of Horton's term include community-oriented policing; youth outreach and prevention programs like KO Gangs; city leadership in regional crime task forces; and plans for a new police-station building, for which the city will seek bids later this year.
If you want to learn more about the civilian review process in Seattle, the blog at the Seattle Press Intelligencer is chock full of information.
Included is the history of the process to bring civilian oversight to the city's department which has been plagued with problems involving its Office of Professional Accountability Review Board in recent months especially after it found that Seattle's police chief inappropriately intervened in an internal investigation involving two officers.
Mayor Greg Nickels jockeyed to get his panel in place before the city council could do like. City Council President Nick Lecata still plans for the body to undergo its own review process.
More information on the panelists selected by Nickels is available at the blog and also here.
There are some openings for commissioners in Portland, Oregon.
The Independent Police Review Division is accepting applications for
volunteers to serve on the Citizen Review Committee (CRC). The citizen volunteers of the CRC hear appeals of investigative findings of complaints against Portland Police Bureau officers, help IPR develop policy recommendations, review the handling of complaints, and hear public concerns.
Together, IPR and the CRC work to improve police accountability to the public and help solve identified problems.Applications are due by 5:00 Friday, August 31, 2007.
Downloadable CRC Applications: CRC Application<http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=164120> (Microsoft Word,136 kb) CRC Application<http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=164121> (PDF,200 kb)
Independent Police Review Division: Who we are
The Independent Police Review Division (IPR) and the nine-member Citizen Review Committee ( CRC) were created in 2001 to help improve police accountability, promote higher standards of police services, and increase public confidence. IPR has five primary responsibilities:
* Receive citizen complaints alleging misconduct by Portland police officers.
* Monitor investigations conducted by the Bureau's Internal
Affairs Division (IAD) and conduct joint or independent investigations if necessary.
* Report on complaint and investigation activities and recommend policy changes to prevent future problems.
* Hire a qualified expert to review closed investigations of officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths and report on policy and quality of investigation issues.
* Coordinate appeals filed by citizens and officers with the CRC andCity Council. CRC members are appointed by City Council to perform four primary functions:
* Gather community concerns about police services.
* Help the IPR Director develop policy recommendations to address patterns of problems with police services and conduct.
* Review and advise on IPR and IAD handling of complaints.
* Hear appeals from complainants and officers and publicly report its findings.
And speaking of elections in this state, say goodbye to electronic voting machines at least for a while. Hopefully, a replacement voting system will be in place by the state's primaries early next year. Problems with security among others were cited as reasons why the process was decertified by the secretary of state's office.
Labels: civilian review spreads, officer-involved shootings, public forums in all places
posted by Five Before Midnight | 4:35 PM
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