[Mpls] Police accountability

[Svattheriver]

 Would it be possible to have these conversations about the police dept.---
with the police dept.?
   Let's look at the specifics of an issue and address that issue. Does the
civilian review board have a role in these conversations?  I think it is
essential that we give ourselves the opportunity to share the tools we have
to really get to the underlying assumptions and problems we have. For
example, if members of the MPD hid their badge numbers or refused to give out
their badge numbers at the genetics convention, that is a serious problem.  
The civilian review board received no information or complaints about this.
  My neighborhood regularly meets with the 3rd precinct brass at 3 pac
meetings.  At the meetings I have attended no one has complained about
thumpers. If there are problems, let's deal with them as specifically as we
can.

I sincerely believe that understanding and implementing collective problem
solving,i.e. community oriented policing, is a necessary strategy for dealing
with many of the problems that are being discussed.
 In St.Paul there is a clarity and understanding of what the job of a police
officer is.
In Minneapolis there is a huge problem. Because of a lack of a mission
statement we have a limited and debilitating view of the purpose of law
enforcement.

The general stated (and unstated)purpose of our police dept. is to reduce
crime. It may seem counterintuitive but this is a flawed mission.
We need the police to help us have a safe and livable city.

I cannot over emphasize what a radical change this would be. I am suggesting
that there be a change of what officers do and how they, and we, think about
their jobs.
I am trying to change how most people in Minneapolis conceptualize the
proper role of the police dept. We may be measuring the wrong things. For
example, making more arrests is not necessarily a worthwhile goal. But how
many arrests an officer makes is a major consideration in evaluation and
advancement. Without a context or mission or purpose this is a mistaken goal.
In many cases not making an arrest is an important community building
process. How does that fit into the mission and how do we talk about it?
I am swimming upstream in a pretty strong current.

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to raise these issues on the Mpls.
Issues forum.
By the way, in St.Paul many officers want to live in the neighborhoods they
grew up in or feel a part of.
                                      Thanks, Scott Vreeland   Ward 2     
Seward