> > Democratic policing: The concept of human rights as a linchpin or starting point re all discussions of community policing. > > From Aram James: February 2005 > > To: Jeff Blum and the HRC, City Council, the management and line members of the PAPD, and most importantly to members of our diverse community here in Palo Alto. > > Below you will find a 70 page + document on Police Accountability and Promoting Civilian Oversight in the emerging democracy of post Apartheid South Africa. You will find the link to the entire article (below) Policethatwewant.pdf . > > The article elevates the limited conversation normally taking place in the US re policing to a new level by discussing the concept of "Democratic Policing" and the inextricable connection between this concept, "Democratic Policing," and human rights generally. > > The article also raises important points about the interplay between internal police oversight and external or civilian oversight. There is even mention of giving the power of arrest to a truly independent oversight commission. The piece discusses the critical importance of providing adequate resources both to the police as well as the external oversight commission. > > In addition to discussing the issue of "Democratic policing" from a citizen's view point, there is extensive discussion of the importance of the same Democratic principals applying to police both as citizens and police employees. > > In any event my first reading of this document raised many intriguing possibilities re how we might begin to frame the discussion of police oversight and Democratic Policing in our own community. I recommend that anyone interested in this topic consider reading the piece and giving your own feedback to this e-group as well as to the discussion to be held on Wednesday night ( Feb 23) from 7-9 PM at the Palo Alto Unitarian Church. > > Sincerely, > > Aram James > > > > > home > about > current info > projects > comments > publications > links > contact > South Africa > Africa > Home > > > > Click Map for south African and regional oversight structures > > > > > > > Vision > Dynamic resource to enhance and promote effective, publicly accountable policing in South Africa > > Mission > > promote and strengthen civil society monitoring of police conduct, > strengthen state agencies & police, > highlight current debates, > encourage networking, > provide information on police oversight > > WHAT'S NEW: > > The police that we want: A handbook for oversight of police in South Africa > > Published by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in association with the Open Society Foundation for South Africa and the Open Society Justice Initiative. 2005. The handbook is intended to be a resource for people involved in police oversight in South Africa. The aim of the handbook is to highlight information that informs the debate around police and policing. The handbook explores police oversight and the use of indicators in assessing policing and holding the police accountable; discusses the term "democratic policing" and identifies five key areas of concern relating to democratic policing and relevant to evaluating police agencies; identifies key measures to evaluate police performance and puts forward suggestions for improving indicators for democratic policing in South Africa as well as indicators to evaluate police services in relation to each of the key measures. > PoliceThatWeWant.pdf (1.4MB) > Author: David Bruce and Racheld Neild > Published Date: 2005 > Please Comment > > Conferences and > Workshops > > Join the Mailing List > Police Accountability: promoting civilian oversight project > a joint project of the Open Society Foundation of South Africa (OSFSA) and the Open Society Justice Initiative. > > > > 2/20/2005 > Dear Nat, > > I think a lot of Jeff as person and someone who is obviously willing to give a lot of time to the community, despite his full time work as a practicing family law attorney. That being said is clear to me he is deluding himself big time re the HRC's credibility with either police management or the public. His statements to you that the HRC has a great deal of credibility and that their recommendations will be taken seriously seem incredibly naive, to say nothing of the fact that he has pointed to zero facts to support such a conclusion. Were his ears closed to the criticism at the last HRC meeting? Was I listening to a different meeting? > > Over and over again it has been my perception that Jeff has been taken in by the PR and outright prevarication of Chief Johnson. As others have pointed out he often acts and reacts as though he must be her defender, almost like a child defending a parent without apparent clue that he is doing so. When I and others have attempted to ask hard questions of the chief, or challenge her in a strong way, he becomes visibility upset as thought we were personally attacking a member of his family. It is truly hard to watch. > > Jeff has consistently shown a very deep bias in favor of the chief and only in the most superficial and softball manner been willing to ask her anything approaching a hard question. I think Jeff has a very difficult time standing up to the chief and appears time and again to be extraordinarily deferential to the chief at the expense of the community and any real change within the department. Given his current track record with the chief I think it is only fair to say he has allowed the problems to grow rather than done anything of substance to be part of the solution. He really needs a reality check here. > > > As just one example let's look at the racial profiling issue: For the last five years the PAPD was allowed to collect data re racial profiling with no oversight or accountability to an outside agency or oversight body. > > Despite this their own data consistently showed that the PAPD is deeply committed to racial profiling -- as Ladoris Cordell said their own data doesn't lie. If we had an independent body responsible for overseeing the collection of data you can bet the results re profiling would have painted an even uglier picture. > > It is incredible to me that the HRC ( Frank Benest and the city council) has allowed the PAPD to get away with this fraud on our community. Why in the world should the agency guilty of the profiling be allowed to call the shots on what data is going to be collected and equally troubling why should there be no outside agency overseeing the collection and interpretation of the data? Again these are the type of questions the HRC has never even asked. > > But we continue to allow the chief to do her own thing with no accountability. Now let's look at what the Chief just pulled on the community while Jeff made the incredible comment in his recent Op-Ed re what a "breath of fresh air" the chief has been. > > As I said in my letter to the editor in the latest Weekly (Feb 18) re a Mr. Bloomberg (see below in blog), would apply to Jeff as well: Why don't you ask Albert Hopkins, Jameel Douglas, Jorge Hernandez, et al: how fresh the air has been for them, while Chief Johnson has presided. Jeff’s Op-ed was one of the most condescending and pro police things I have ever read and out of the mouth of the chair of our HRC. Very Sad, indeed!! And this is the same Jeff who thinks
