"CRS has gained a distinguished history of facilitating conflict resolutions during community violence. As a police chief in Boise, Idaho, a sheriff in King County, Washington, and now chief in Bellevue, Washington, I can attest that CRS can be counted upon during those difficult times of civil disorder and community unrest." (7/1/97)

James E. Montgomery
Chief of Police
Bellevue, Washington

"With the help of CRS, we were able to bring everyone together to reassure the local community that we recognize the problem and were prepared to deal with it. We got together before we ever had a problem, and fortunately we haven't had one yet." (3/19/97)

Joe Garcia
Chief of Police
Brookshire, Texas

A great majority of CRS' cases deal directly with assisting law enforcement agencies prevent crime and reduce the potential for violence. CRS helps ensure public safety and reduce the potential for crime and violence in the following ways:

• Mediating and conciliating conflicts before they turn violent;

• Training police to work with communities to identify and address potential "hot spots" and points of conflict in the community;

• Working to prevent hate crimes by training law enforcement to identify, report and investigate hate crimes; and,

• Helping communities address racial tensions before "triggering incidents" occur. In nearly all cases of civil unrest and riots, simmering racial tensions were the root cause, triggered by perceived police use of excessive force.

Responding to Civil Disorders

"Following the shooting death of a black businessman, Aaron White, serious civil disturbances broke out, involving the fire bombing of white businesses, police cars and residences. Thanks largely to CRS' quick and effective involvement, order and trust were restored while a thorough and meticulous investigation was conducted." (5/8/97)

Alfred E. Moreton III United States Attorney

John R. Hailman Chief, Criminal Division

CRS has helped police chiefs, mayors, and local officials restore community order in the face of serious racial violence. From the civil disturbances in St. Petersburg, Florida, to the community unrest in Leland, Mississippi and Phoenix, Arizona, CRS was on-site, helping police and local officials calm tensions and end the violence.

CRS helps to quell violence and contain the civil disorder by effective information and rumor control, engaging community leadership in responding to violence, and coordinating action plans by Federal, State and local officials. CRS is currently developing a series of "best practices" protocols to help guide officials when their community is faced with potentially explosive incidents.

CRS has learned greatly from its previous experiences in dealing with civil unrest and violence. For example, in South Central Los Angeles, simmering community unrest led to widespread rioting after the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and caused over $1.1 billion in property damage. During civil unrest, CRS helps to restore stability by opening the communication channels between law enforcement and community residents.

Once stability is restored, CRS provides technical assistance and training to avert new violence and improve police-community relations. Specifically, CRS works to institutionalize and sustain communication between law enforcement and community groups by establishing human relations commissions and community advisory groups.

Preventing Violence

In many cases, violence is averted altogether. For example, after a faction of the Ogichida tribe in Odanah, Wisconsin, blocked the tracks of the Wisconsin Central Railroad over the shipping of toxic sulfuric acid across its reservation, CRS' mediation of the dispute averted violence and granted environmental safeguards so that shipments could be peacefully resumed.

In another case, when CRS learned that there had been threats to blow up a bridge between the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and Mobridge, South Dakota, because of outrage over a rape and murder of a 17-year-old Native American, CRS immediately went on site, and met with community leaders and law enforcement officials. CRS also learned that leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Indian communities around the country were planning an encampment and demonstration over the weekend prior to the beginning and on the day of the opening of the trial. CRS played a key role in improving immediate communication between the victim's family and the criminal justice system, thus easing tensions. CRS was also on-site prior to and during the encampment, helping organizers, law enforcement, and parks officials have a peaceful event.

Working With and Training Law Enforcement

In each of the areas CRS provides services, whether at school, in public housing, in communities, or in response to hate crimes, CRS works with and is a valuable resource to law enforcement. Nearly all CRS casework involves partnering with law enforcement. Specifically, CRS supports the work of law enforcement by:

• Working to ensure public safety and crime prevention;

• Creating and opening lines of communication between law enforcement and community stakeholders;

• Aiding in the investigation of crimes by breaking down barriers and suspicions residents may hold toward law enforcement officials;

• Providing technical assistance and training to police departments regarding police community relations; and,

• Resolving tensions and conflicts between police and the communities they serve.

Because of CRS' many years of experience in working with local law enforcement and communities, CRS is able to craft the best strategy for each community's needs. CRS' assessment of a racially tense Black community in Kansas City, resulted in recommendations for a community patrol to benefit both the community and the police. However, because the assessment showed that older adults in the area valued a stronger police presence, while young people felt threatened, CRS recommended a patrol composed of older and younger adults together, and CRS enlisted the support of a community group to implement and train the patrols.

CRS establishes partnerships between police officers and community groups, particularly as many law enforcement agencies are moving from traditional policing methods to community-oriented policing. CRS trains police officers and community members on the philosophy and principles of policing, and teaches patrol officers how to recognize a hate crime scene and how to enlist the support of the community early in the investigation.

As recently as January of this year, CRS in conjunction with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Federal Law Enforcement Training Center sponsored a four-day "train the trainers" program for Federal, State, County, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Arizona. The training is designed to help police officers identify hate crimes, address community concerns when hate crimes occur, and develop community resources and contacts for the successful investigation and prosecution of hate crime perpetrators.

Allegations of police misconduct and excessive use of force are triggering factors of civil unrest and can undermine law enforcement's ability to serve the community, CRS focuses on mediating conflicts and improving police-community relations. CRS was on-site in Salem, Oregon to defuse escalating tensions following the death of a 63-year-old Hispanic who was not a suspect, while police were serving a search warrant. CRS provided technical assistance to civilian groups, police and community organizations, and improved communication and problem-solving between police and Hispanic civilians.

Following the fatal shooting of a Black female by a White police officer in New Brunswick, New Jersey, CRS convened a meeting between a U.S. Representative, the Assistant Attorney General for the Department's Civil Rights Division, and the victims family to discuss police actions and remedies to excessive use of force. In the wake of tensions over police use of deadly force in Portland, Oregon, CRS convened a meeting with the U.S. Attorney, citizens, police and the FBI to arrange for an investigation by the Civil Rights Division.

In Omaha, Nebraska, CRS was instrumental in defusing a violence between the Black and Hispanic communities and the police department over complaints about police services. CRS facilitated the developed of 11 written recommendations for the police department, which enhanced perceptions of the department and its ability to resolve community conflicts peacefully. In Indianapolis, Indiana, CRS helped create a citizen review mechanism for police departments.

Preventing Violence in Schools

"The work you do is one that must continue if our nation is to work toward constructive resolution of civic disorder on issues of race, ethnicity." (2/10/97)

Sidney Thompson
Superintendent
Los Angeles Unified School District

CRS services were requested in 1997 by more than 135 school districts and 75 colleges and universities. In 1996, CRS served more than 150 school districts and 100 colleges and universities. CRS was asked to help address racial conflicts and violence, reduce tensions, develop plans to avoid potential incidents, and conduct conflict resolution and peer mediation training programs for students, teachers, administrators and parents.

A program which CRS developed and implements through the country to prevent and address school violence is called SPIRIT, which involves partnering with local police agencies to strengthen cooperation among police and schools.

School authorities in Escondido, California, and Chicago, Illinois requested CRS assistance following a series of racially charged incidents. CRS helped mediate the dispute and developed a peer mediation program, and established communications with law enforcement, neighborhood residents and business representatives. In both cases, violence was averted and tensions subdued. Further, a permanent mechanism was established to avert further problems.

In a recent case, after 40 years in Court CRS successfully mediated the Little Rock School District revised desegregation plan. CRS is credited for assisting the Little Rock School District and the attorneys reach the Revised Desegregation and Education Plan which was unanimously adopted by the Board of Education. After more than 40 years of Federal Court supervision, this agreement calls for its end by the spring of 2001. Mediation of this case has saved the taxpayers of Arkansas hundreds of thousands in court costs and attorney fees.

Responding to Hate Crimes

CRS, as part of the Attorney General's Hate Crime Initiative, has designed with law enforcement leaders, four new training curricula to teach police executives, investigators, and patrol officers on best approaches when responding to hate crimes.

Furthermore, in 1997 CRS was involved in more than 150 hate crime incidents, representing approximately 15 percent of the agency's active caseload. In 1996 CRS responded to more than 175 hate crimes. Hate crimes can exacerbate tensions, and trigger larger community-wide conflicts and disturbances.

CRS' response to hate crimes includes:

• Assisting local officials in the development of policies and practices;

• Helping civic leaders maintain and restore stability when hate group activities heighten tensions;

• Conducting training sessions for police on recognition of and response to hate crimes; and,

• Delivering hate crime prevention and education programs in schools, colleges and communities.

Restoring Calm After Church Burnings

"Without CRS, we could not have done it. We needed CRS on the ground, calming the community and making sure a volatile situation did not get much worse. With CRS' help, we were able to conduct a thorough investigation which led to indictments of suspected church arsonists."

Mark Logan
Officer of the Year
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
U.S. Department of Treasury

During 1996 and 1997, more than 500 churches in 13 Southern States were burned or desecrated. CRS has been an integral partner in the National Church Burning Task Force, working "on the ground" with State and local officials in more than 190 communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia - to bridge law enforcement and minority communities, reduce polarization, and minimize violence.

For example, in Boligee, Alabama, CRS facilitated cooperation between the City Council and Black residents, easing tensions and opening up discussions between Black and White citizens and government officials in Greene County. As a result, the "Rebuilding Community Relations Task Force" was formed and sponsored community projects exemplifying racial cooperation.