Focus
Page 6 > May 19,. 1999
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" P r o f ilin g " a n d T r a f f ic S t o p s
Housing Incentive Encourages Police
to Live Where They Work
Police officers have
been conducting
traffic stop
"profiling" that is
based on race,
culture and ethnicity
instead of suspicion
and circumstance.
I
should ap ologize, conference p artici­
in g” between police chiefs and m i­
pan ts agreed. If the officer says, “ I’m
the country. And while the communjtv
the right d irection ,” Esteve says, ad d ­
leaders expressed anger over what they
in g “ W hat a sim ple id e a !”
see as double standards in law enforce­
In addition to police chiefs prom ­
ment, the gathering also threw light on
ising to create a national policy on traf­
little-noticed efforts to defuse racial ten­
fic stops, says P E R F president Frazier,
sions between cops and communities.
m e e tin g p a r t ic ip a n ts a g re e d that
A new training curriculum in Hous­
ton is designed to help those who train
law enforcement officers improve depart­
mental handling of hate crimes.
Workshops cover how to identify if
there is bias in a crime, how to work with
T h e m eetin g was “ pulled together
P E R F should create a national work­
in eight d a y s,” acco rd in g to a spok es­
ing group o f chiefs and leaders o f civil
m an fo r the Police E x e c u tiv e R e ­
rights organ ization s to “ develop de­
search Forum (P E R F ), a n ation al or­
tailed proposals for new national ini­
ture and history of hate crimes, and legal
gan ization o f self-described p ro gre s­
tiatives” that ad dress police and com ­
issues under federal and state statutes.
sive police chiefs an d crim in al ju stice
m unity relationships.
a community if a hate crime occurs, how
to recognize and preserve evidence, the na­
C urriculum organ izers hope the
profession als that convened the con ­
At issue, H urtt, a Phoenix police
Houston pilot program will help in de
ference in the wake o f highly pu b li­
c h ie f e x p la in s that it is som eth in g
veloping a model curriculum for other
cized in ciden ts involving alleged po­
b roader than specific concerns such
states in training
lice ab u se o f m in orities.
as use o f force or traffic stops.
their officers to
“We are looking at the issue o f com­
properly and ef­
o m m en ded that o fficers d o in g a traf­
munity building. How do we improve
fectiv ely d e al
fic-stop honestly explain at the b egin ­
the quality o f life? How do we make
w ith
h ate
people feel safe in their neighborhoods?"
c rim e s.
The
O ne solution, Hurtt says, is to hire
train in g is the
one. T h e y sh o u ld not create b o gu s
police officers “who are not looking for
first to be offered
reason s for a stop.
adventure, but looking to serve, officers
in response to a
If the o ffice r fin d s n o re a so n to
who will be accountable to the people.”
n ational initia­
d e ta in an in d iv id u a l, th e o f f ic e r
- Carolyn Cosmos
tive is su e d by
m en t” why they are sto p p in g som e­
the U .S. A ttor­
ney G e n e r a l’s
r u ,u it Aims To Raise Police Sensitivity
to Race and Hate Crimes
O ffice that di­
re c ted fe d e ral
p ro se cu to rs in
try are w elcom e to take part in the
all states to insti­
facts, m em oirs and other evidence as­
T ools for Toleran ce program . In di­
tute hate crime
sociated with racial intolerance and
vidual participation by professionals is
programs.
hate is being presented to law enforce­
by special arrangem ent.
A no-holds-barred exhibit of arti­
many vacant properties, including ones
ownership opportun ities to police of­
needing extensive repairs.
ficers, the D epartm ent o f H ousin g and
Officers taking out a m ortgage in­
U rban D evelopm ent is helping offic­
sured by the Federal Housing Adminis­
ers buy h om es in the com m u n ities
tration also need make only a $ 100 down
they serve.
paym ent The program requires officers
ment officers and other crim e profes­
T h e museum has just published a
s io n a ls by the S im o n W ie se n th al
book that describes and explains hate
C en ter’s M useum for Tolerance.
Houston also
o ffers
a h ate
crime hotline -
groups across Am erica, their rites, ritu­
713/3(»8Z37un-
By presen tin g com puter m odels,
als, allegiances and agendas The book,
der M ayor Lee
actual objects and staged scenes from
“The New Lexicon of Hate: The Chang­
Brow n’s in itia­
H olocaust death cam ps and other real-
ing Tactics and Sym bols of Am erica’s
tive to com bat
life exam p les o f h ate, the p ro gram
Extrem ists,” can be obtained free by
h ate
gives law enforcem ent profession als a
c a llin g L ie b e G e ft at the S im o n
which was devel­
perturbing and practical look at rac­
Wiesenthal M useum , 310/553-9036. A
oped in d ep en ­
ism and prejudice.
C D that highlights how hate groups are
dently from the
Law enforcement officers and other
using the Internet to spread their m es­
A tto rn e y
professionals - in groups o f 20 to 100
sage is also available for free by calling
G en eral’s pilot
participants - from all over the coun-
the sam e number.
program.
c rim e s,
to live in the home for at least three years.
homes at half the appraised market value
F or m ore in fo rm a tio n , c o n ta c t
to police officers who agree to live in
H o u sin g C o u n se lin g C le a rin g h o u se
HUDdesignated revitalization areas, usu-
at 800-217-6970.
C ivil War battles and ancient phi­
to Hate Crimes
nority activists from communities around so rry ,” this “ w ould b e a h uge step in
n in g o f each en coun ter o r “ en gage­
ally urban neighborhoods where there are
The Officer Next Door program sells
t was billed as an “emergency meet
P E R F conference p articipan ts rec­
In an effort to stop crim e before it
happens, as well as provide m ore hom e
ship, m anaging differences, cooperation
losophers m ay seem like odd subjects
and collaboration with officials of other
for police training, but som e grou ps
jurisdictions, and ethics and integrity.
o f veteran o fficers are p e ru sin g the
In this untypical study program ,
w orks o f A risto tle an d even takin g
criminal justice courses are purposely ex­
trips to the scene o f the G ettysburg
cluded from the curriculum to allow stu­
battle in Pennsylvania.
dents to focus on the broader issues. They
T h e investigations are part of an un­
usual academic initiative, the Police Ex­
ecutive Leadership Program at Jo h n s
Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Considered the only study program
talk about managing differences, not only
about racial diversity.
T h e network of professionals that’s
formed within each class means ideas get
discussed across geographic and depart
o f its kind, the P E L P accepts 24 officers
mental boundaries.
each year who must be recommended by
Editor's Note: Special thank for the
compilation of ideas from the contrib­
uting writers of ANS.
their com m anding officers. They learn
theory and discuss the practice of leader-
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