I. Provide Information Promptly
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| _____ |
Advise the Mayor, County Executive,
and other officials, key civic and community leaders and
clergy about the situation.
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| _____ |
Provide what information you can to the public
about the incident and the circumstances which prompted
police action, but avoid any negative comments about the
suspect(s) or victim(s).
|
| _____ |
Avoid making any prejudgments about the officers'
conduct before you have complete information and the investigation
is completed.
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II. Get an
Investigation Underway Promptly
|
| _____ |
Advise the family of the involved person(s)
and the public about the investigation, including its
scope, resources allocated, and projected timetables.
|
| _____ |
Publicly clarify departmental policies governing
the status of the involved officer(s) while the investigation
is underway.
|
| _____ |
Announce publicly your willingness to cooperate
with investigations by other agencies (local, State, and
Federal).
|
| _____ |
Hold periodic meetings with community leaders
to advise them of the progress of the investigation and
any other developments.
|
| _____ |
Take precautions to avoid new incidents or
confrontations.
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III. Enlist the Community's
Help and Support
|
| _____ |
Brief community leaders and ask for their
help in defusing community tensions by getting accurate
information to the community, organizing community street
patrols, and scheduling neighborhood meetings.
|
| _____ |
Conduct dialogues with community groups to
help establish a common understanding of the legal and
administrative requirements of EUF investigations.
|
| _____ |
Survey community perspectives and invite
commentary and any expression of concerns about police
arrests, stops, ticketing, profiling, and other issues.
|
IV. Anticipate and Plan
for the Announcement of the Results of Investigations
|
| _____ |
Brief the family, their associates, and community
leaders on the results of the investigation before making
a public announcement. Seek their assistance in keeping
the community peaceful.
|
| _____ |
Arrange, where possible, for at least two
hour advance notice of public announcement of the decision
by a grand jury, district attorney, or court.
|
| _____ |
Be ready to implement a contingency plan
in the event that the announcement may lead to community
tension or unrest.
|
| _____ |
Meet with leaders of protest activities to
secure agreement on the scope and limits of marches, flash
points, demonstration sites, use of marshals, and other
ground rules.
|
| _____ |
Deploy sufficient resources to contain any
disruptive activity or disorder.
|
Other Actions
|
Below is a list of questions
which police leaders should review periodically to assure
adequacy of policies and procedures governing issues involving
Police Use of Force.
|
| _____ |
Does the Department have a written, legally
sound and publicly understood policy governing the circumstances
for appropriate use of force? Were community representatives
consulted in the drafting or review of this document?
|
| _____ |
Does the Department keep accurate records
of incidents of the use of force? Are these records reviewed
regularly for trends, officer patterns, and other potential
areas of concern?
|
| _____ |
What are the attitudes of the department's
officers and staff about use of force issues?
|
| _____ |
Are these attitudes consistent with the Department's
policies? Is additional orientation or training required?
|
| _____ |
Does the Department have a Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) governing its response to allegations
of EUF? Does the SOP caution against making any premature
judgments about the circumstances of the EUF incident
and actions of the involved officer?
|
| _____ |
Does the SOP include arranging prompt assistance,
including community resources, for the family of any alleged
victims? Does the SOP provide for timely updates on the
resources committed, and progress and results of any investigation?
|
| _____ |
Does the Department have established contacts
with all levels of community leadership who can be called
upon in times of crisis?
|
| _____ |
What training is made available
to officers on alternatives to use of force, including
conflict resolution, problem solving, and communications
skills?
|
| _____ |
Does the Department have a written complaint
procedure that is simple to activate and requires a minimum
of forms?
|
| _____ |
How does the Department respond to public
reports of use of force? How is the Department's response
viewed by its staff and the community it serves?
|
| _____ |
Does the Department have a SOP on involving
community leadership in ongoing discussion of community/police
concerns? How do patrol officers and all other ranks participate
in the discussions?
|
| _____ |
Has the Department developed a mission statement
and set of Department values? Are community leaders aware
of the values of the Department?
|
| The Community Relations Service
(CRS), U. S. Department of Justice, has additional information
and guidance for police departments on responding to excessive
use of force incidents. Contact the Regional office nearest
to you (see listing) or access its website at (address).
CRS can help you prepare for and respond to EUF incidents.
Its services are available free of charge. |