“While No Official Grievance Has Been Filed... “ The Evolving Role of Community Policing on...

““While No Official While No Official Grievance Has Been Grievance Has Been

Filed . . . “Filed . . . “

The Evolving Role of The Evolving Role of

Community Policing on CampusCommunity Policing on Campus

Draft 6-1-10Draft 6-1-10

Elizabeth CahnElizabeth Cahn

Planning and Community Outreach Planning and Community Outreach Coordinator, 2007-2010Coordinator, 2007-2010 Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College 2007+2007+ Hampshire CollegeHampshire College 2008+2008+ Smith CollegeSmith College 2009+2009+

Goals of PresentationGoals of Presentation

Community policingCommunity policing DefinitionsDefinitions HistoryHistory ChallengesChallenges

Case studiesCase studies

Outreach, complaints, profilingOutreach, complaints, profiling

Important lessonsImportant lessons

Community PolicingCommunity Policing

Definitions Definitions

HistoryHistory


ChallengesChallenges Time, scheduling, and definitions of Time, scheduling, and definitions of

productivityproductivity Not all staff are equally skilled or interestedNot all staff are equally skilled or interested Campus community norms and values around Campus community norms and values around

police and authority vary enormouslypolice and authority vary enormously Increased officer visibility may increase Increased officer visibility may increase

negative responsesnegative responses


Case StudiesCase Studies Michigan State University, 1999Michigan State University, 1999 Harvard University, 2003Harvard University, 2003

Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College Hampshire CollegeHampshire College Smith CollegeSmith College

Mount Holyoke modelMount Holyoke model

Three elite undergraduate liberal arts Three elite undergraduate liberal arts colleges in western Massachusettscolleges in western Massachusetts Traditional college age populationsTraditional college age populations Millenial generation characteristicsMillenial generation characteristics Increasingly diverse campus communitiesIncreasingly diverse campus communities

Gender and gender identitiesGender and gender identities

Race, ethnicity, nationalityRace, ethnicity, nationality

Sexual orientationSexual orientation

Intellectual and activist identitiesIntellectual and activist identities

Mount Holyoke modelMount Holyoke model

Civilian outreach model – 1.0 FTECivilian outreach model – 1.0 FTEFour approximately equal parts --Four approximately equal parts -- Intradepartment workIntradepartment work Easy, obvious outreachEasy, obvious outreach Extremely difficult outreachExtremely difficult outreach What the community brings forwardWhat the community brings forward

Civilian OutreachCivilian Outreach

Intradepartmental workIntradepartmental work Advise Director/Chief and Senior CommandAdvise Director/Chief and Senior Command Understand department functioning, Understand department functioning,

strengths, and challengesstrengths, and challenges Know the staff and their concernsKnow the staff and their concerns Know policies and procedures that affect Know policies and procedures that affect

campus most stronglycampus most strongly Assist in identifying and developing trainings Assist in identifying and developing trainings

and outreach opportunities for othersand outreach opportunities for others


Easy, obvious outreachEasy, obvious outreach Work on sexual assault and domestic Work on sexual assault and domestic

violence issues with other on-campus and violence issues with other on-campus and off-campus groupsoff-campus groups

Work with student groups that are open to Work with student groups that are open to collaboration with public safety/policecollaboration with public safety/police

Work with staff/faculty individuals and groups Work with staff/faculty individuals and groups on campus safety on campus safety

Create collaborative groups where possibleCreate collaborative groups where possible


Extremely difficult outreachExtremely difficult outreach Connect to groups that typically distrust Connect to groups that typically distrust

police/public safetypolice/public safetyStudents of color, international and LGBT studentsStudents of color, international and LGBT students

FacultyFaculty

Activists, anarchists Activists, anarchists Connect to individuals who have reason to Connect to individuals who have reason to

distrust police/public safetydistrust police/public safetySome will be part of organized groups, some notSome will be part of organized groups, some not


Extremely difficult outreachExtremely difficult outreach Systematic desensitization of the campus Systematic desensitization of the campus

community to public safety/policecommunity to public safety/police Enter spaces, places, meetings, events where Enter spaces, places, meetings, events where

a uniformed officer or high level public safety a uniformed officer or high level public safety staff member will cause alarmstaff member will cause alarm

Connect to marginalized groups in a low-key Connect to marginalized groups in a low-key wayway

Introduce profiling as a topic of concern to Introduce profiling as a topic of concern to department as well as campusdepartment as well as campus


What the community brings forwardWhat the community brings forward

Issues includeIssues include Presence of police/security on campusPresence of police/security on campus Power and authority (including weapons)Power and authority (including weapons) Specific responsesSpecific responses Profiling and hate crimesProfiling and hate crimes Triangulation of public safety/police into other Triangulation of public safety/police into other

campus issues and concernscampus issues and concerns


Disadvantages of civilian outreachDisadvantages of civilian outreach Finding the right personFinding the right person Not fully identified with departmentNot fully identified with department Has to earn trust of members of departmentHas to earn trust of members of department Trust will never be completeTrust will never be complete Can be difficult to allow “outsider” access to Can be difficult to allow “outsider” access to

TrainingTraining

PolicyPolicy

DisciplineDiscipline


AdvantagesAdvantages Not fully identified with departmentNot fully identified with department No uniform, no enforcement role or No uniform, no enforcement role or

responsibilitiesresponsibilities More able to gain trust of community More able to gain trust of community

membersmembers Can represent department to the community Can represent department to the community

in useful waysin useful ways Can engage community in self-critique around Can engage community in self-critique around

issues of authority and enforcementissues of authority and enforcement


Qualities of civilian outreach personnelQualities of civilian outreach personnel Excellent social skillsExcellent social skills Excellent communication skillsExcellent communication skills Know something about public safetyKnow something about public safety Know your institutionKnow your institution Able to be in uncomfortable situations with Able to be in uncomfortable situations with

people they don’t knowpeople they don’t know Able to tolerate incommensurable views of the Able to tolerate incommensurable views of the

world simultaneouslyworld simultaneously

Special ProjectsSpecial Projects

MHACASA Collaboration, Mount Holyoke MHACASA Collaboration, Mount Holyoke College, 2008-2009College, 2008-2009 Mount Holyoke College African and Mount Holyoke College African and

Caribbean Student Association participated in Caribbean Student Association participated in a year-long collaboration with DPS, including a year-long collaboration with DPS, including reciprocal social events, adoption of staff by reciprocal social events, adoption of staff by students, and participation in public projects.students, and participation in public projects.

Student leadership helped minimize student Student leadership helped minimize student reaction to allegations of profilingreaction to allegations of profiling


Parking ticket study, Mount Holyoke Parking ticket study, Mount Holyoke College, 2008-2009College, 2008-2009 Member of the riding team analyzed two years Member of the riding team analyzed two years

of parking data for a class projectof parking data for a class project Research found that members of the riding Research found that members of the riding

team with cars on campus earn parking team with cars on campus earn parking tickets at 2.5 times the rate of other MHC tickets at 2.5 times the rate of other MHC students with cars.students with cars.


Multicultural Community and Campus Life Multicultural Community and Campus Life Committee (MCCL), Mount Holyoke Committee (MCCL), Mount Holyoke College, 2009-2010College, 2009-2010 Represented Department of Public Safety on Represented Department of Public Safety on

campus-wide committee to address campus campus-wide committee to address campus climate on diversityclimate on diversity

Represented a different side of Public Safety Represented a different side of Public Safety to committee membershipto committee membership

Developed relationships with campus leaders Developed relationships with campus leaders on diversityon diversity


Transgender Policy and Training, Transgender Policy and Training, Hampshire College, 2009-2010Hampshire College, 2009-2010 Participated in public meeting about arrestsParticipated in public meeting about arrests Engaged in long-term behind-the-scenes work Engaged in long-term behind-the-scenes work

with staff inside and outside departmentwith staff inside and outside department Worked with student committee to create Worked with student committee to create

open forums about student rightsopen forums about student rights Met with individual students at Hampshire and Met with individual students at Hampshire and

Mount Holyoke for remainder of academic Mount Holyoke for remainder of academic yearyear


Community Relations Training, 2010Community Relations Training, 2010 Developed training on community relations Developed training on community relations

using the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest by using the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest by Sergeant James Crowley as a case studySergeant James Crowley as a case study

Utilized Intergroup Dialogue methodsUtilized Intergroup Dialogue methods Two department staff are already trained as Two department staff are already trained as

facilitators facilitators Additional staff are being trained this yearAdditional staff are being trained this year


Five College Public Safety Community Five College Public Safety Community Outreach groupOutreach group Initiated cross-campus discussions about Initiated cross-campus discussions about

public safety and policingpublic safety and policing Included public safety, police, deans, student Included public safety, police, deans, student

life and multicultural affairs staff, and ombuds life and multicultural affairs staff, and ombuds officesoffices

Outreach to SGA leaders, student activities Outreach to SGA leaders, student activities staff, local police departments, mental health staff, local police departments, mental health counselorscounselors


Ideas I want to tryIdeas I want to try Community dialogue projects using Intergroup Community dialogue projects using Intergroup

Dialogue methods with students, staff, facultyDialogue methods with students, staff, faculty Programming with ombuds staff on outreach, Programming with ombuds staff on outreach,

training, and response to incidents and training, and response to incidents and allegationsallegations

Watch crime/legal TV shows with Dean of the Watch crime/legal TV shows with Dean of the College and Senior Detective College and Senior Detective

ComplaintsComplaints

Every complaint is an opportunityEvery complaint is an opportunity Respond formally and informallyRespond formally and informally

Assess your campus issuesAssess your campus issues Voice the unspoken concernsVoice the unspoken concerns Work ahead of the complaintsWork ahead of the complaints Build a track record of respondingBuild a track record of responding Publicize it every yearPublicize it every year

Engage and follow upEngage and follow up

ProfilingProfiling

Be realistic about campus beliefsBe realistic about campus beliefs Race-based values/experiencesRace-based values/experiences Class-based values/experiencesClass-based values/experiences Intellectual biases against police/authorityIntellectual biases against police/authority Activist biases against police/authorityActivist biases against police/authority

Role of projection and fearRole of projection and fear Personal, family, subculture, culturePersonal, family, subculture, culture Media and social mediaMedia and social media

ProfilingProfiling

Every bad cop anywhere who profiles Every bad cop anywhere who profiles reflects poorly on your departmentreflects poorly on your department Initiate topic and discussion of profilingInitiate topic and discussion of profiling

Definitions of profiling vary by standpointDefinitions of profiling vary by standpoint

Educate about your policy and trainingEducate about your policy and training ComplaintsComplaints

Educate about how to file formal complaintsEducate about how to file formal complaints

Respond quickly to informal complaintsRespond quickly to informal complaints

Complaints may increase, at least for a timeComplaints may increase, at least for a time

ProfilingProfiling

Analytic frames are not equalAnalytic frames are not equal The people who feel safe don’t need to The people who feel safe don’t need to

complain, and the people who don’t feel safe complain, and the people who don’t feel safe don’t feel safe enough to complaindon’t feel safe enough to complain

Stay in the dialogue and follow upStay in the dialogue and follow upIncreased transparency and accountability Increased transparency and accountability go both waysgo both waysHold your department and the campus Hold your department and the campus community to a higher standardcommunity to a higher standard

Principles of OutreachPrinciples of Outreach

Do it or don’t do itDo it or don’t do it

Run your department wellRun your department well

Be sincere, not perfectBe sincere, not perfect

Keep an educational focusKeep an educational focus

Build relationships for the long termBuild relationships for the long term

Reach out to key people, not everyoneReach out to key people, not everyone

Look for strategic opportunitiesLook for strategic opportunities

Principles of OutreachPrinciples of Outreach

Show up in unexpected places and at Show up in unexpected places and at unexpected timesunexpected times

Be respectful of community boundariesBe respectful of community boundaries

If you can’t work directly, work indirectlyIf you can’t work directly, work indirectly

Connect to those who can translateConnect to those who can translate

Plant seeds, water them, and waitPlant seeds, water them, and wait

It’s not always who you know, but who It’s not always who you know, but who knows youknows you

Thank you!Thank you!

Please send comments to Please send comments to

[email protected]@mtholyoke.edu

or or [email protected]@larp.umass.edu

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