BY JOHN HOPKINS
and MARK BRAYKOVICH
Copyright 1997, The Cincinnati Enquirer
About this series
Almost always, police perform admirably - even heroically - under difficult and sometimes life-threatening conditions.
However, the continuing controversy over the death of a mentally ill black man cornered by more than a dozen police Feb. 23 has exacerbated tensions between blacks and police. Many questions have been left unanswered.
This series provides context and underlying facts about the police use of force, and it suggests where Cincinnati should go next in attempting to resolve an agonizing issue.
- Lawrence K. Beaupre, editor
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In the past four months, Cincinnatians have displayed an ability to yell, demonstrate or turn a blind eye - but they have shown little ability to share meaningful dialogue, some observers say.
In May, 75 protesters, carrying symbolic coffins outside City Hall, spoke of their distrust and lack of confidence in the police division. They were mostly black citizens.
In June, another group, numbering more than 100, flocked to City Hall and spoke of misguided citizens who did not appreciate the dangerous work of police. They were mostly white.
Somewhere in a city divided are solutions to deteriorating police-community relations. Finding them must start with dialogue, said Ted Jackson, president of the local chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and special agent in charge of Cincinnati's FBI office.
"I think that your community leaders or politicians have got to step to the forefront and call people together and come to some type of compromise," Mr. Jackson said. "Somebody in the community has got to be big enough to step up and say, 'Enough is enough, let's sit down and try to work this out.' "
Collins case a trigger
Mr. Jackson could not comment on the Lorenzo Collins shooting - a case that has fanned community concerns and fears - because of the FBI's own investigation of the incident. Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati police fatally shot Mr. Collins Feb. 23 after he fled a mental ward at University Hospital. Surrounded by 15 officers and holding a brick, Mr. Collins was shot three times in Corryville.
Last month, City Council in a 7-1 vote requested the FBI conduct its own investigation of the Collins shooting in an effort to reassure the public that the case would get an unbiased review.
(CLICK HERE TO SEE LORENZO COLLINS COVERAGE)
Mr. Jackson did talk about mending relations between police and the community.
"I've talked to all segments of the community, and I think things can be worked out from what I've seen," he said. "And from my discussions with (Police Chief Michael Snowden), he doesn't shy away from wanting to work with the community."
The Queen City is 38 percent African-American. About 70 percent of the people arrested in the city are African-American. It is patrolled by a force that is 75 percent white - many of whom do not live in the city.
One solution to future problems may be in the education of citizens as well as police.
In a report titled "Reducing the Incidence of Violence in Police Interactions with African American Males: Results of a Focus Group Discussion," University of Cincinnati professors Art Knighton and Lawrence F. Travis propose strategies to reduce police - citizen hostility and defuse their confrontations.
"When African-American youth come into contact with police officers, both parties bring their own perceptions, expectations, and behavioral tendencies into the interaction," Mr. Knighton said.
"A failure on the part of police to understand and empathize with the youth, and vice versa, is a formula for tragedy."
For nearly 30 years, ameliorative attempts have been one-sided and focused exclusively on educating police.
"We believe a more effective approach involves training citizens as well as police in how best to cope with such stressful and potentially explosive encounters," Mr. Knighton said.
To an officer on the street, any interaction has the potential to turn explosive. Pete Ridder, president of the Queen City Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), seeks a better citywide understanding that there are thousands of police interactions each year and most end peacefully.
"I think they need to understand before they pass judgment what police work is all about," Mr. Ridder said. "If I see a doctor or a carpenter doing something, it may seem strange to me, until they explain it."
A problem to some in the shooting of Mr. Collins is that the explanation and investigation findings are coming long after the shooting. To many, it reminded them of years past when such matters were taken lightly.
Much of the distrust of, and fear of, the police throughout the country has to do with that same history, said Hubert Williams, president of the Police Foundation, a non-profit research and support group in Washington, D.C.
People still remember Police Commissioner Bull Connor unleashing dogs on African-Americans to quell civil unrest in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, Mr. Williams said. Images of police turning fire hoses on African-Americans also remain in people's memories, he said. And the decades are full of examples of African-Americans being arrested, beaten and jailed falsely.
"All those things are embedded in the consciousness of the people in the African-American community," Mr. Williams said. "When you talk about the use of force by police in the black community, you're talking about a history filled with problems of that nature, many of them racial and lots of them unjust."
Independent review helps
Different cities have tried different methods to heal those wounds and restore public trust, but all of the models have a common thread - independence from the police department's own internal investigation procedures.
San Francisco does not have an internal investigation section. All citizen complaints there go to an independent agency called the Office of Citizens Complaints. Other cities set up civilian review boards. Seattle, Portland, San Jose and Los Angeles County all have auditors - independent officials who review the police.
Independent watchdogs are vital, but some of the auditor models are better than others, said Samuel Walker, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
"I've become a very strong advocate of it (independent review)," he said. "I think the problem with the traditional citizens review boards was that it's not clear to me what they do, and most citizen review boards don't have much power."
Review panels and independent investigative agencies are a growing trend nationwide. Between 80 and 90 police departments have outside civilian review bodies, up from 65 two years ago and just one in 1970, said Mr. Walker.
San Jose's independent police auditor monitors all complaints that are investigated by an internal police unit called the Professional Standards and Conduct Unit.
"I pick and choose which ones I want to follow closely," said Teresa Guerrero-Daley, who is paid $103,000 a year to review police internal affairs investigations. "In essence, what I'm doing is monitoring the work that they do. They give me notice of all (the citizen complaints) and I pick and choose which ones I want to follow."
In Cincinnati, efforts have been made to include independent review of police complaints. Since 1980, the city has had an independent agency - now called the Office of Contract Compliance and Investigations (OCCI) - that can investigate citizen complaints against police. And for a year the city has had a citizens police review panel, which makes recommendations to the city manager.
Cincinnatian Mark Gissiner, president of the International Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, said the Queen City's model - combining OCCI with the outside citizens' review - is a good structure.
Other models, such as the independent police auditor in San Jose, he would not endorse.
Mr. Gissiner said San Jose's model is too dependent on police for case information and that it is more of a post-investigation audit. Of 545 complaints, the San Jose auditor monitored 249 and sustained the findings of only seven in 1996.
Ms. Guerrero-Daley, with a full-time staff of three, must review a minimum of 20 percent of the police department complaints, according to her job description. She estimates that she is actually reviewing 60 to 70 percent of the cases and 100 percent of the "use of force" cases. She is on equal footing with the city manager and takes her recommendations to her bosses, city council and the mayor.
The auditor model came about after the Rodney King incident, she said. It can be more effective than other models, she said.
"Some civilian review boards, whenever there is a case where there's a lot of publicity and notoriety, often act too quickly," she said. It gives an appearance of a "witch hunt," she said.
Another model, used in Memphis, Tenn., involves an internal affairs division, which investigates citizen complaints. There also is a Police Security Squad which investigates more serious and criminal accusations against police and police shootings.
Two years ago, the mayor set up a citizen advisory board, said Lt. Richard True, public information officer for Memphis police. "There was a push from the public that people other than police get involved in looking at police misconduct," Lt. True said. The system has worked well there, said Herman Morris Jr., president of the Memphis NAACP.
"It has been a good step forward," he said. "Frankly, we've enjoyed, historically, a fairly responsive (system). We've had a history of some sensitivity there."
Another thing that has helped relations in Memphis, especially in the black community, was the presence of an African American as the head of the police internal affairs unit, said Mr. Morris. The community sensed that he had some understanding of issues, Mr. Morris said.
Cincinnati suggestions
There has been criticism of the review agencies in Cincinnati. OCCI is understaffed and unable to investigate many of the complaints it receives. The citizen review panel does not have investigatory or subpoena power.
The local NAACP chapter is among those calling for the review panel to be given more teeth to investigate police.
And, last week, the Sentinel Police Association - which represents the Cincinnati Police Division's 250 black officers - called for the creation of a new, five-member citizens review panel that would hear, review and make recommendations on all use-of-force complaints.
The Sentinels made 12 suggestions for enhancing police and community relations in Cincinnati. Among them: Creating more community advisory panels throughout the police division, which would conduct interviews of prospective commanders, officers and recruits; requiring officers with two use-of-force events in a 12-month period to be placed on restricted duty and to undergo an evaluation by a police psychologist; and establishing residency requirements for officers or incentive points for officers who live in the city and are seeking promotion.
Councilman Charles Winburn also introduced a nine-point plan to improve police-community relations at the street level. Mr. Winburn made the motion Monday during a law committee meeting. There have been many solutions recommended, but perhaps the key will not involve policy changes.
In all of the rumblings throughout the city, one of the more noticeable barriers to finding solutions is the deafening silence of the "good folk" and groups outside the black community, said Milton Hinton, president of the NAACP's Cincinnati chapter.
Where, he asks, are the other voices?
"White people in this city need to see it as a community problem," he said. "They don't. They see it as a black problem. I'm generalizing, not all of course. But they don't.
"They don't have to come out and say that what the policemen did was wrong. They don't have to go that far. We're just looking for them to say, 'We're concerned.' "
Police and citizens must understand many things play into the equation of their interaction. One is race. Denying it kills any hope of finding solutions, Mr. Hinton said.
"One of the problems is that before measures can be taken to better the situation, there has to be some acknowledgement that something is wrong," he said.
"As long as there is denial that race plays a part in all of these encounters, there can be no starting place for conversation to adequately deal with it."
Today's coverage
Police- racial issues 'can be worked out' STORY
City hasn't made use of its own expert STORY
Investigative office 'definitely failing,' Winburn says STORY
Improvements in police oversight STORY
Proposed improvements STORY
Sunday's coverage
