[CPRB] media assault on Champaign PRB underway

[Esther Patt]

Finney and Carter have given the citizens' task force the impression that they support it but are hesitant to be public because the mayor opposes it.  I think someone on the task force pushed Finney to say he'd support it (last Saturday's paper) after Carter said staff had no position (last Friday's paper).

I think they want to send it to the HRC so that the HRC takes the heat instead of the Chief of Police and City Manager.  I think Finney needs to be the one to bring it forward in order for it to pass.  A PRIVATE meeting with him about this, with leaders from the African American community present, would be a good idea.  His main reason for supporting this, to the extent that he does, is to improve relations with the African American community.

Esther Patt

---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 22:35:59 -0500
>From: "John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com>  
>Subject: Re: [CPRB] media assault on Champaign PRB underway   
>To: "Randall Cotton" <recotton at earthlink.net>, <cprb at lists.chambana.net>
>
>At 04:53 PM 10/12/2006, Randall Cotton wrote:
>
>>I had to resend this because it bounced at first, so where I say "today", it
>>really means yesterday (Wednesday).
>>
>>R
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Randall Cotton" <recotton at earthlink.net>
>>To: <cprb at lists.cu.groogroo.com>
>>Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 4:10 PM
>>Subject: media assault on Champaign PRB underway
>>
>>
>>: Witness today's editorial in the News Gazette, followed by a letter to 
>>the editor that
>>: sounds like it's from a vested interest (anyone know who Michael Cook 
>>is?). On
>>: the letter to the editor - the ironic thing is that Finney actually is 
>>*not* OK
>>: with the proposed PRB bubbling up from the Champaign Police Community 
>>Relations
>>: Committee (the NG's story was a bit off the mark on that).
>
>
>How do you know Finney is against it, Randall?  What's your source?
>
>Thanks as always for keeping us abreast of breaking news.
>
>In reality, the Champaign Human Relations Committee has twice before 
>recommended to the City Council that a CPRB be instituted in Champaign, but 
>its recommendations have been desregarded both times.
>
>John Wason
>
>
>
>
>>: Police review board plan raises problems
>>: Wednesday October 11, 2006
>>:
>>: The city of Urbana has been considering for months and is expected to 
>>pass soon
>>: a proposal to create a citizens review board to oversee its police 
>>department.
>>: So perhaps it's no surprise that the city of Champaign is in the early 
>>stages of
>>: doing the same thing.
>>: A subcommittee of the city's Police Community Relations Committee recently
>>: issued a report outlining the process by which a review board would 
>>operate, and
>>: the matter appears certain to go to the city council for consideration.
>>: The idea of a police review board is not necessarily a negative. But the
>>: creation of a review board could be a huge negative. It all depends on 
>>how the
>>: board is run and, most importantly, who sits on the board.
>>: The idea is born of a desire to reassure members of the minority 
>>community that
>>: the city's goal is honest, fair-minded law enforcement with members of 
>>no group
>>: receiving any better or any worse treatment than members of any other group.
>>: That, unfortunately, is a tough sell to people who have long viewed police
>>: either with suspicion or fear. Equally unfortunate is that there's no 
>>guarantee
>>: that creating a police review board, operating under strict confidentiality
>>: guidelines, will help much.
>>: There is a huge practical problem involving boards of this nature, and it
>>: involves taking people who have no real knowledge or understanding of police
>>: work and putting them in a position to review what individual officers 
>>did or
>>: should have done in tense, time-pressured situations.
>>: How would they know? How should they know? Why ask them to judge?
>>: The last question is the easiest to answer.
>>: They're asked to judge because some people don't trust the current 
>>complaint and
>>: discipline process, which is overseen by Police Chief R.T. Finney and City
>>: Manager Steve Carter. But those two or their successors also would be 
>>involved
>>: in a review board process, so how would it be any better?
>>: The best way for police to build bridges to any group is to maintain open
>>: communications, to visit, to answer questions, to explain and to listen. A
>>: police review board would do nothing except duplicate an existing discipline
>>: process that already is viewed in some quarters with skepticism.
>>:
>>: *******************
>>: letter to the editor:
>>: Police chief masters the art of surrender
>>: Wednesday October 11, 2006
>>: When local, vocal self-serving factions that do not represent the 
>>majority of
>>: Champaign citizens and the valid interests of the city target the police
>>: department with unreasonable demands and unfounded accusations, the 
>>immediate
>>: conduct that I have come to expect from Police Chief R.T. Finney is for 
>>him to
>>: promptly become a quasi-lackey for these groups.
>>: It is obvious that he has a self-preservation predisposition that limits his
>>: ability to represent and support the legitimate interests of the city, the
>>: police department and the community majority.
>>: Chief Finney's premature sanctioning of a civilian police review board 
>>before
>>: the city leaders have researched the matter and have reached a decision is
>>: inappropriate and self-serving.
>>: A review board comprised of citizens who, most likely, will not have the
>>: essential knowledge to enable them to comprehend the often overwhelming
>>: complexity of law enforcement, and competently evaluate a police-related
>>: judgment and action, will accomplish nothing but add a dysfunctional 
>>layer of
>>: bureaucracy to the city.
>>: Eventually, it will complicate and corrupt an ethical investigative and
>>: disciplinary system that already has an effective complaint process and 
>>several
>>: layers of oversight, including the criminal and civil courts.
>>: When the demand for civilian oversight is not reasonably justified, 
>>beware of a
>>: veiled desire to engage in personal ax grinding, politically coercive 
>>practices
>>: and prejudice.
>>: Each time the handcuffs on a law enforcement agency are tightened, the 
>>security
>>: of the community diminishes.
>>: MICHAEL COOK
>
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