DOJ Report Cont .
• The DOJ report states that minorities are cited or arrested for these minor traffic violations . Officers cannot “ arrest ” for these minor traffic violations because they are not criminal violations . If the stop resulted in an arrest , what was the arrest for ? What are the underlying reasons for the resulting arrest ?
• Is the DOJ comparing the number of citations / arrests of minorities to the total population ? Shouldn ’ t the number of citations / arrests be compared to only those who were cited or arrested for these violations ?
• Liquor violations : What is the area demographic for this violation ? Were police asked by the community to address this issue in a specific area where violations are more prevalent ?
• How many of the incidents of alleged misconduct listed in the report did the Department already act on ; either discipline , change of tactics / policy , or new equipment ?
• The use of “ overwhelming force ” is meant to have a suspect surrender without having to use physical force .
• The findings report suggests that officers use unreasonable force immediately . Officers are always reactive to the suspect ’ s actions . Sometimes application of force must occur immediately upon arrival . Other times , situations develop . Officers don ’ t dictate when force is applied . They react to the circumstances of each situation .
• The zone : The report suggests the Department overpoliced the area , however , it goes on to describe the high crimes being committed in the area .
• The report indicates homeless arrests make up 37 % of all arrests . How many calls for service regarding the homeless does the Department receive ? Are most arrests a result of a call for service ?
• Yes , we lead with services for assistance ; however , we cannot ignore crime when it is being committed . Being homeless is not a crime ; however , we do enforce the law regardless of housing status .
• What “ public property ” is the report describing where officers contact homeless ? Bus stops ? Alleys ? Canals ? Parks after hours ? These are all governed by the City code , which gives police the authority to detain and investigate .
• There is no “ strategy ” to destroy personal property . Inflammatory words were used to besmirch the officers .
• Trash vs . property . It is not uncommon to find a large amount of refuse , spoiled food , etc . among personal property .
• The “ contact form ” was not created because of the DOJ . This was a direct result of the Mayor ’ s ad hoc committee . The DOJ cannot take credit for this .
• The DOJ report compared red-light-running violations ( camera ) to minor traffic violation citations issued by officers . You cannot compare apples to oranges .
• The DOJ report compared speed cameras to citations issued by officers . The cameras require the driving community to be informed of their presence . There is no such requirement when officers are conducting traffic enforcement . Driving behavior is different when enforcement is announced compared to when it is not .
• The report states that stops of white drivers last shorter periods of time compared to African American and Hispanic . How was this even determined ? Is this a review of BWC ? If so , how many were reviewed ? What was the reason for the delay ? No ID ? An arrest ?
• The report states that the Department does not document when officers conduct a search when no contraband is found . That claim is not accurate . A contact form is required to be completed after every contact where an incident report isn ’ t completed or a citation issued .
• During protests , how many warnings were given and ignored prior to police enforcement ?
• During protests , after sufficient warnings , the intent is to arrest as many violators as possible to stop the illegal behavior .
• Between 2016 – 2023 , the City paid out more than $ 40 million in claims of police misconduct . Keep in mind the makeup of the council at the time . These decisions were made in e-session so the reasons to settle versus taking a case to court are unknown .
• The DOJ report suggests that rank-and-file officers cannot make complaints to PSB regarding misconduct . This is false . There are a variety of ways to make these complaints . There is no one who discourages this from occurring .
• The Department does not delete sustained allegations of misconduct . However , if no misconduct is identified , this does not fall under state law retention requirements .
• The police department already can and does track complaints .
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