I am glad to see this issue getting some discussion as
it's one of my prime concerns as a candidate for city
council.
The police undoubtedly have a difficult job which
few of us would care to take on, particularly with the
modest compensation and considerable grief, not to
mention danger, that sometimes goes with the job, but
there are clearly improvements that need to be made in
the way the city deals with policing.
In addition to ending racial profiling, re-evaluating
CODEFOR, and further intensifying police training in
nonviolent ways to deal with conflict, I believe we
must look critically at the operation of the Civilian
Police Review Board, at least giving it subpoena power
over the officers, and probably using some independent
administrative law judges to hear contested cases.
But probably most important is the need to work
harder, and more successfully, at community building
between the police and those they are to protect and
serve.
It was disappointing to be at a recent meeting called
by Melissa Martinez-Sones, an organizer in the Seward
Community, to discuss the CCP/Safe Program and find it
attended only by a like organizer from Longfellow, two
council candidates (me, an unendorsed DFLer running
for change in Ward 2, and Cam Gordon of the Greens), a
representative from Paul Ostrow's office, none from
Joan Campbell's office, and none from the police.
However, it was useful to me to get from Melissa the
following "Brainstormed list of goals for CCP/Safe"
which I pass along to forward the discussion:
1. Active participation with the neighborhood. At a
minimum, attending the crime and safety (or
equivalent) meetings, but also attendance at other
neighborhood meetings as appropriate.
2. Neighborhood organizations having a work schedule
and job description for the team.
3. A commitment of at least one year by the CCP/Safe
team with the two positions alternating so as to
create overlap and ensure that one member of the team
will have been in position for at least a year.
4. Provide the following information on a regular
basis and in a comprehensive and timely manner:
neighborhood specific crime maps, incident reports to
accompany the crime maps, and information on any block
club leader trainings or upcoming CCP/Safe meetings
where neighborhood invovlement would be appropriate.
5. Be accessible by cell phone or pager--provide these
numbers to the community and to the neighborhood
organizations.
6. Timely response to phone calls, e-mails, and pages
from both neighborhood organizations as well as
neighborhood residents (within 24 hours excluding
holidays, illness and vacation time).
7. Annual opportunity to meet with CCP/Safe
supervisors to discuss neighborhood successes and
challenges in working with the CCP/Safe team.
8. Use this meeting to develop goals for the upcoming
year for the neighborhood and CCP/Safe in partnership.
While this deals only with a part of the problem, it
seems to me that specifics like this, and those that
may be generated by discussion on the list could be
useful to all of us in tackling the problems that I
believe most of us would agree need some seriouw work.
=====
Paul Zerby
A DFLer for Change on City Council
Ward 2
www.zerby.com/paul
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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