Tag: Police Use of Force

War Comes Home At America’s Expense: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing-SWAT

This is an interesting publication. The ACLU conducts an analysis of SWAT. In the publication there is the analysis, the findings, and recommendations. Then in an Appendix there are a MOU, policy, training PowerPoint, operational plan. These documents provide a unique perspective (an insiders view) on a SWAT deployment.

I think this would be a perfect resource for Criminal Justice courses or for students reporting on SWAT or policing.

www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/jus14-warcomeshome-report-web-rel1.pdf

Austin Police Department Reimagining Public Safety – Phase-B

NOTE: There are a total of 3 related postings on Futureofpolicing that pertain to Austin Texas’ efforts for Public Safety Reimaging
The City of Austin released the second part (Phase B) of an independent analysis studying the impact of racism, discrimination, bigotry, and bias on Austin Police Department (APD) culture, policies, and practices.

The 14-month review conducted by Kroll Associates (Kroll), centered on three priority areas:

  • Use of force: Analyzing four years of use of force incident data.
  • Public interaction with civilians: Analyzing traffic stops, arrests, citations, and searches.
  • Recruitment, selection, and promotion policies and practices.

Read the report HERE.

“The completion of this report is an important milestone in our on-going effort to reimagine public safety in Austin,” said Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager for Public Safety. “This in-depth analysis offers a roadmap to addressing systemic inequities that erode trust between Austin Police and the public.”

Key takeaways highlighted in a summary report:

  • Analysis of existing APD data reveals consistent disparities in use of force, traffic stops, searches, and arrests among whites and communities of color.
  • Existing APD data collection needs improvement to better pinpoint the underlying causes in policing disparities.
  • More effort is needed to shift APD personnel demographics to more accurately reflect diversity in Austin.
  • APD recruitment practices are creative, comprehensive and reach a diverse audience of potential recruits.

“I look forward to reviewing the report findings and prioritizing recommendations that can better inform updates to APD policies and practices to evolve how we meet our community’s public safety needs, recruit and retain a diverse and well-trained force, and provide greater transparency with improved data collection processes,” said Joseph Chacon, Austin Police Chief.

The Kroll analysis is an outcome of Council Resolution 66 which directed the City Manager initiate a comprehensive, multi-pronged investigation and evaluation of the presence of bigotry and discrimination in the protocols, practices, and behaviors of the officers of the Austin Police Department and how those factors impact hiring, promotion, workplace culture and community interactions. 

Kroll’s scope of work also included a review (Phase A) of the APD Training Academy and its progress updating curriculum to better prepare cadets for policing in a multi-ethnic, diverse urban population consistent with contemporary best practices.  The findings of the Phase A review were published in a report released in April 2021.

The findings of today’s Phase B report will be discussed during a presentation at the January 25 City Council work session.

Timeline of events since George Floyd’s arrest and death | AP News

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A timeline of key events that began with George Floyd’s arrest on May 25, 2020, by four police officers in Minneapolis: May 25, 2020 — Minneapolis police officers respond to a call shortly after 8 p.m.
— Read on apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-george-floyd-minneapolis-arrests-police-7d8130621a8bf2ecec3e7df57f27827b

2022 RIPA Board Report

The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board (Board) is pleased to release its fifth annual Report. The Report contains an analysis of the millions of police and pedestrian stops conducted in 2020 under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (“RIPA”) by 18 law enforcement agencies, including the 15 largest agencies, in California. The Report closely examines a wide range of issue areas related to racial and identity profiling, providing context and research to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the stop data collected under the RIPA. In the Executive Summary, the Board provides an overview of the Report. For ease of reference, there is a separate Recommendations and Best Practices section pulling out the Board’s recommendations in 2022. The Board encourages law enforcement agencies, policymakers, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), community advocates, and individuals to use these recommendations and best practices as a platform for discussion and implementation of reforms that will improve public safety in California. The Board especially recognizes that the community is essential to any police reform and that agencies and government should include diverse community members to work in close partnership with them to improve police services in their communities and across California.


Download the full 2022 Report

The California State Attorney General Office can be found HERE

Past RIPA reports are available HERE