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| NEWS > 31 May 2007 |
Other related articles:
Policeman facing serious sex c
A VICTORIAN police officer has been charged with serious sex offences - years after concerns were first raised about his conduct.
The Office of Police Integrity has launched an investigation into the officer, stationed in country Victoria.
They have raided his police station and home, seizing computers and documents.
The Herald Sun has been told concerns were raised years ago about the member's connection to Blue Light Discos run for young teenagers.
Sources say a number of allegations of sexual misconduct were made but alleged victims chose not to procee... Read more
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New Haven Independent - New Ha
31 May 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Jones Makes Final Pitch For A
Emma Jones made one last pitch for the city to create a truly independent civilian review board with subpoena power to investigate police misconduct.
Jones was called to testify in front of the Aldermanic Public Safety Committee, who met Wednesday night at City Hall to hear testimony to codify the Civilian Review Board into a municipal agency, as recommended by the Task Force on Deadly Force.
In the ten years after her son's death at the hands of an East Haven cop, Jones has helped lead the fight first for the creation of the review board, then for giving the board more of an ability to act as an effective investigatory agency outside the purview of the police department.
"I am so embarrassed to be here in front of this board again," Jones said. "Here I am 10 years later, still struggling. I don't know what's wrong with me. People get exacerbated and give up all the time, but I'm still here." She said this would be her last appearance.
Currently, the Civilian Review Board forwards complaints about police misconduct to internal affairs, aka "Internal Values and Ethics", a unit of the police department. After IVE conducts an investigation, the board reviews the investigation. If it finds any evidence that was overlooked, it sends the information back to IVE, according to CRB chair Shirley Wayne-Washington. Although the board includes some attorneys, Washington said she pays her own way to attend conferences on Civilian Review Board investigation techniques every year.
Created by an executive order from the mayor in 2004, the Civilian Review Board has no operating budget, except for a coordinator, who gets paid $3,000 to 4,000 a year. Jones and former Alderman Anthony Dawson said the board should have a budget of $300,000-400,000 a year, with an independent investigator.
"We all know that when police officers and mayors establish these investigative boards, and they are investigating themselves, they always find themselves innocent," Jones said.
"If you say to me that it is the role of the Civilian Review Board to receive complaints, and you don't have the power to investigate the [complaints] --then I'm through with you. When Internal Values and Ethics completes an investigation, that we can recommend that they go back and look again -- that for me is light years away from a legitimate Civilian Review Board."
Jones was joined by Dawson, the current Hill North Community Management Team chairman. As an alderman Dawson submitted Jones's proposal for an All-Civilian review board in 1997, then again in 2000.
"Tonight you are either going to have to do something or say you are doing nothing," Dawson said.
Wayne-Washington said the aldermen wouldn't need to ask how they could assist the Civilian Review Board if one of their members had filled the seat they were allotted when it was founded. While conducting investigations, Wayne-Washington said she has repeatedly struggled with the question of whether or not the police are capable of policing themselves.
"I'm putting the ball back in your court," Wayne-Washington said. "Because you have a seat, and it is not filled."
Wayne-Washington delivered one of the most surprising pieces of testimony in March during a Dixwell public forum on police misconduct, attended by 250 people. Moderator Michael Jefferson asked her to tell a success story over her years on the board, in which the board accomplished something or affected a decision involving a misconduct complaint. Wayne-Washington couldn't think of one.
Proposals Offered
Jones and Dawson did have some concrete proposals Wednesday night. First, they said they want an attorney to represent the Civilian Review Board and accompany complainants during the interviews with internal affairs, because police officers are accompanied by union representatives.
In 2001, Jones and Dawson requested the Board of Aldermen give the Civilian Review Board the power to subpoena police officers. According to Corporation Council Tom Ude, this could not be done because of a state law. On Wednesday night, Jones and Dawson suggested the Board of Police Commissioners should use their powers to force testimony from police officers at the request of the Civilian Review Board. Ude said that would work, but that federal law prohibits coerced testimony from being used in criminal or civil complaints against police officers.
The committee voted to recommend using the relevant and factual information in a proposal submitted to the board in 2000 as a framework to codify the Civilian Review Board.
After her testimony, Jones was approached by Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts. He said he hopes to work with Jones and Dawson to rebuild the CRB, but that some of their recommendations would be hard for his office to support.
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