DPS mediation process to handle complaints
The new program would be
a way for students to voice
their concerns without
opening a full investigation
By Chuck Slothower
News Reporter
The Department of Public Safety is
formulating a mediation process to
fill a hole in DPS' ability to respond to
complaints against officers.
The mediation process would be
used for complaints regarding officer
behavior that do not wanant a full in
ternal investigation.
"(It's) a really amazing way to
look at the low-level static," Annie
Bentz, director of Conflict Resolu
tion Services, said.
Members of the Public Safety Ad
visory Group said the gap between
a full internal investigation and do
ing nothing about complaints irks
students and others who feel they
were treated disrespectfully by a
DPS officer.
"There isn't (a mediation process),
and it leads to frustration,” Ilona
Koleszar, director of ASUO Legal Ser
vices, said.
DPS Interim Director Tom Hicks
agreed, saying a mediation process
would "give the campus community
the sense that there's another mecha
nism to air their concerns."
Bentz and Hicks are working on
formulating a mediation procedure
with PSAG.
"When mediation would be most
valuable is when it's pretty obvious
right off the bat that the officer didn't
violate a policy," Hicks said.
Hicks said he would determine
whether a complaint warrants media
tion or a more serious investigation.
"I think we'll fairly quickly be able
to screen these," Hicks said.
Cases in which someone claims an
officer used excessive force or com
mitted a crime would not be appro
priate for mediation, he said.
Hicks emphasized that officers
would not have to go through both me
diation and an internal investigation.
Eugene Police Department campus
liaison Sgt. Kris Martes cited the stress
an officer endures during an internal
investigation and indicated that offi
cers would be unhappy participants if
they have to go through mediation af
ter an investigation.
"1 would be less than agreeable at
that point," Martes said.
Before a mediation proceeding can
begin, both sides must agree to accept
the outcome, Hicks said. Officers
would not be disciplined as a result of
a mediation proceeding.
"That's not going to be an option,"
Hicks said.
Hicks said he and Bentz are exam
ining the mediation process used by
EPD as well as those of other campus
es as models.
He added that mediation would
not include lawyers, union represen
tatives or other advocates.
'The mediation itself would be
just a one-on-one encounter be
tween an officer and someone who
wanted some questions answered,'
Hicks said.
Bentz said that this is common in
mediation processes, and that she and
a trained student mediator would also
be present at the meetings.
Mediation would be a long-term
project to increase public trust in DPS,
Hicks said.
"The main benefit of this type of
program is not immediate," he said.
DPS received six or seven com
plaints last year, according to 1 licks.
Contact the campus
/federal politics reporter
at chuckslothower@dailyemerald.com.
DPS
continued from page 1A
formulating a written policy.
"That incident certainly played a
part in it," Hicks said, "but it wasn't
the only reason behind it. We have a
general policy that basically explains
that officers need to operate the ve
hicle in a careful and prudent man
ner, but it doesn't say anything
about where they can drive the vehi
cles or the different expectations
about night and day."
In the aftermath of the July 21 in
cident — where former officer
Michael John Bonertz knocked Eu
gene resident Donald Tean Gariepy
off his bicycle — Bonertz was found
to have violated 1 licks' verbal order
to refrain from driving on sidewalks.
The new directive will also specifi
cally guide officers on when and
how to use their bicycles and patrol
vehicles in all situations, Hicks said.
Hicks made the announcement of
the new policy at a Public Safety Ad
visory Group meeting Oct. 23.
"The reason why 1 wanted to bring
this to the committee is because of
the articles that have been running
in the Emerald," Hicks said at the
meeting. "We're going to draft a pol
icy that specifically includes pursuit
use of vehicles."
ASUO Legislative Associate Gabe
Kjos, a voting member of PSAG, said
a written policy is important to help
ensure DPS officers are accountable
for their actions.
"I think it's important to put
(guidelines) into writing," he said.
"Not only so that there's a process,
but also so that it makes DPS ac
countable so that when there's a sit
uation that's either justified or un
justified, we have some policy to fall
back on."
Fellow PSAG voting member and
ASUO Campus Outreach Coordina
tor Shannon Tarvin agreed.
"I think it's important for them to
have outlined specifics with regard
to what they can and cannot do,"
she said. "They need to be clear of
what their boundaries are."
At the meeting, Hicks handed out
copies of the EPD pursuit policy as
an example of another agency's poli
cy, but Hicks explained that EPD's
policy is not the blueprint for what
his department intends to write be
cause DPS' jurisdiction ends off
campus. He also said DPS is not di
rectly working with EPD, although
DPS will probably ask the agency to
evaluate a draft of the policy.
Hicks said he will advise the Univer
sity as policies are created and changed.
"We certainly want to keep the
University administration informed
of our policies and procedures," he
said, adding that the department
will ask for input from University
General Counsel Melinda Grier,
who is a non-voting member of the
advisory group.
The advisory group will only give
recommendations about the poli
cies, Hicks said. The department re
serves full authority to create and
implement policies.
"1 think this is something that will
help the officers feel more confident
as they're going about their jobs,"
1 licks said.
The policy is in its preliminary
stages, Hicks said. Department heads
have looked at the current policy and
still need to create a draft of the new
policy. Hicks said he has no specific
timeline for completion of the policy
and didn't know if a draft would be
completed in time for the advisory
group's Nov. 20 meeting.
Contact the people/culture/faithreporter
atjaredpaben@dailyemerald.com.
News reporter Chuck Siothower
contributed to this report
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