Policing

Policy Report Citizens Subcommittee Islanders for Collaborative Policing August 28, 20121 Islanders for Collaborative Policing (ICP) is a Bainbridge Island citizens group committed to a simple concept: Bainbridge residents are best served by a police Department that embraces a collaborative approach to policing. Our goal is a Department that values citizen input and participation, both in the big picture context of policy and in the day-to-day context of policing. We support: A police department that works with the citizens it serves to define what services are needed and how they are best provided, A police department that draws upon the knowledge and professional expertise of citizens and community groups, A police department that has clear priorities and goals articulated in a publicly-accessible strategic plan, A police department that provides meaningful information to the community concerning crime and public safety, A police department that encourages citizen feedback, including citizen complaints, A police department that proactively provides training and education to its officers directly related to the types of crimes and issues affecting the community, Police officers who see themselves as professionals and as a valued part of the community who are trusted, appreciated and respected by Bainbridge Island residents. We also favor and seek to promote community members who are informed and engaged in policing issues. Collaborative policing will only succeed when both residents and police respect and understand each other, and recognize the benefits of partnership and communication. SURVEY In March 2012, ICP administered a survey to gauge community opinion on local policing on the Island. The results suggest a troubling disconnect between the BIPD and Island residents. Less than a quarter of respondents have a positive impression of the Police Department and less than a fifth think officers are using their time appropriately. Well over 400 respondents (out of 625) either do not trust the 1 The ICP Citizens Committee thanks Norm Stamper, Rich Daniels, Ted Rynearson, and Bruce
Weiland for their assistance with this report. We are also grateful for the input weve received from Interim Public Safety Director Larry Dickerson, Commander Sue Shultz, and BIPD officers.

Department at all (300 respondents) or trust officers but not Department leadership (111 respondents). While we should not read too much into these results, as this was a non-scientific survey of a self-selected sample of participants,2 the number of responses received demonstrates that there are hundreds of Island residents who care about local policing and hundreds who have formed negative impressions of their Police Department. The ICP Citizens Committee understands the shortcomings of an informal survey, but nonetheless regards these results as both meaningful and illuminating. We think the best way to close the trust gap between Island residents and the BIPD is to move the Department closer to a collaborative style of policing. THE CONCEPT OF COLLABORATIVE POLICING Collaborative policing is a variant of community policing. Like community policing, it emphasizes the importance of resident input and participation in the context of policing. It envisions policing as a partnership between community residents and officers, as opposed to a top down relationship where residents passively receive policing services. We are guided here by the philosophy of Advisory Committee Member (and former Seattle Police Chief) Norm Stamper, who stresses the importance of authentic partnerships between communities and their police. According to Chief Stamper, the community has a deep and abiding stake in policing policies on such issues as law enforcement priorities, training and the use of force. Police belong to the people, not the other way around.3 ICP RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the survey results, along with our independent research, discussions, and study of other cities, we respectfully submit the following recommendations: 1. The City and its Police Department should publicly commit to Collaborative Policing. We recommend that the Islands City Council and Police Department adopt a formal resolution that they are committed to Collaborative Policing, and that this commitment be reiterated in the Departments mission statements and Strategic Plan. This commitment should guide the City Council, City administration, and the Police Department, including both administration and officers, in addressing and undertaking policing responsibilities.
2 The survey was open to the public from March 15 to 29, 2012. Invitations to take the survey appeared in the Bainbridge Review, Inside Bainbridge, a local listserv, and on a Kitsap Sun reporters twitter page. 646 people participated in the survey, and 97% self-identified as Bainbridge Island residents. A copy of the survey questions and responses is available on the ICP blog: http://collpol.blogspot.com. 3 Presentation to the ICP Citizens Committee, Bainbridge Island, April 24, 2012.

2. The BIPD should create and publish clear goals and objectives. BIPD leadership, at present, does not share information with the public about its big picture goals or objectives. For instance, residents do not know how the Department measures success (solving crimes? maintaining order? number of traffic tickets? collecting revenue? assisting residents?). As a consequence, citizens have no meaningful way to evaluate Department needs or to assess its performance.4 Of additional concern are allegations that information about objectives is not even shared within the Department, to the frustration of BIPD officers and employees. 5 ICP recommends that a short, clear list of Department objectives be immediately composed and publicly disseminated, along with in the longer term the creation of a BIPD strategic plan. These initiatives should be directed by BIPD leadership, taking into account thoughts and comments solicited from its officers, City administration and Island residents. The strategic planning process, in particular, would give the BIPD a useful and positive opportunity to interact with local citizens and benefit from their ideas. We further recommend (as indicated earlier) that both the Departments list of objectives and its strategic plan include an express commitment to collaborative community policing. 3. The Police Department should provide information about Island crime and Department activity to the public on an ongoing basis, and the Police Chief should report to the City Council at least quarterly. Meaningful community/police collaboration cannot exist without an open and truthful sharing of information. Our 2012 community perceptions survey indicates striking lack of knowledge about local crime and law enforcement. This is not surprising: there is no crime information provided on the BIPD website, and there are no written crime statistics provided to the City Manager or City Council. Information about local crime is submitted to the FBI on a monthly basis, but this information is not made available to the public and no annual report is produced.6 We recommend that the Police Chief present information about local crime, to the City Council and City Manager, on at least a quarterly basis. We also recommend that the Chief provide information, during this presentation, about officer activity and officer training (particularly as these things relate to Department goals), as well as staffing and recruitment. This reporting would provide the public with an opportunity to hear from their Chief on a regular basis. It would also provide the
4 We know, from our survey, that many residents think there are too many officers on Bainbridge, or that officers have little to do but harass peaceful citizens. These negative (and, we think, incorrect) perceptions will not be changed until the Department can speak clearly about its goals and how it works to achieve them. 5 Bainbridge Island Police Guild No Confidence Vote letter, June 11, 2012 6 Neither the police blotter nor the Kitsap Suns interactive crime map presents information in a systemized or comprehensive way.

Council with the information it needs to make informed police policy decisions. We also recommend that BIPD keep the public better informed of criminal activity and other threats to public safety. The BIPD website should be a place to find basic crime statistics (see the City of Mountake Terrace for a rudimentary example7), and should make public service announcements through an alert system such as Nixle.8 4.The BIPD should adopt initiatives that enhance youth/officer relations as we believe this is essential to building trust in the community. More specifically, we recommend that the Department re-establish a School Resource Officer and establish a high school student ride-along program. Anecdotal evidence suggests a high level of distrust between Island youth and Island officers. This distrust is too often expressed by local parents, many of whom seem to believe that officers are out to get their kids and/or are more interested in arrests than education or prevention. Such antipathy invites difficulties. After a near-fatal accident in August 2011 involving Island teenagers, it took officers three hours to obtain the name of a critically injured passenger because the others were unwilling to share information.9 Less dramatically, at least one City Council member voted not to pursue an available grant for funding a School Resource Officer in 2011, at least in part because of distrust by local parents toward BIPD officers.10 Officers have publically expressed disappointment that parents have been less than cooperative with police investigations, particularly in the context of underage drinking.11 Policing is far more effective when teenagers and their parents work together with the police, understanding that they share the same goals of preventing juvenile crime. We recommend that the BIPD re-establish a full time School Resource Officer (SRO) position to build positive connections and increased trust between local law enforcement, Island youth and their parents. We know, from speaking to a former SRO12 and to an officer deeply involved in student athletics13 that meaningful, one- to-one connections are possible, and even likely, between students and police officers. We also recommend that, before re-starting the SRO program, BIPD
7 http://www.cityofmlt.com/cityServices/police/crimeStatistics.shtml 8 The BIPD is promoting Nixle, thanks to the advocacy of Lieutenant Guintoli and Commander Shultz.

We applaud their efforts in this area. 9 According to Chief Fehlman, police had trouble at the scene getting those involved to identify [the injured youth] so that his parents could be notified. It took them three hours to obtain [the youths] name so that they could contact his family. (Chief Fehlmans Interview with Sarah Lane, Inside Bainbridge, March 6, 2012.)
10 Conversation between Mayor Debbi Lester and ICP Committee Member Kim Hendrickson, July 2012. 11 Commander Sue Shultz expressed her concerns in this area at a Rotary Club meeting, as recollected by ICP Committee Member John Hays. 12 Lieutenant Phil Hawkins. 13 Officer Maureen Stich.

representatives meet with students, parents and educators to obtain their input about the officers duties and appearance. It may be, for example, that parents and students will be more receptive to an officer wearing less formal attire than one in full uniform. We also recommend that the BIPD work with the local high schools to make ride along outings available to students, possibly for school credit. This is an initiative suggested by Bainbridge High Schools Mike Anderson, and we think it has great potential. It represents another opportunity for positive interaction between youth and officers, for increased awareness that risky or illegal behavior often result in long-lasting consequences, for enhancing the possibility that local kids will be attracted to police work and in the long term thereby increasing our pool of officer applicants drawn from the local community. Finally, we recommend, to City Council, that local alternatives be explored to more effectively address underage drinking while reducing the friction that exists between the BIPD and Island teens. ICP is currently investigating the possibility of changing the Bainbridge Island Municipal Codes offense of Minor in Possession (MIP) from a criminal charge to a civil infraction, punishable by monetary penalty. We plan to share our findings in the near future. 5. The BIPD should adopt initiatives that address mental illness since this is essential to building trust in the community. More specifically, the BIPD should adopt two initiatives for improving police response to situations involving mental illness: i.e., increased/enhanced crisis intervention training and creating a crisis intervention team to assist officers in the field. In June of 2012, a federal jury unanimously found that Bainbridge Island officers are inadequately trained for dealing with mental illness. Regardless of ones opinion of the jury verdict, this decision is now a matter of record, and police Departments in Washington State will change their training practices as a result. Bainbridge Island should look at this verdict as both a wake-up call and an opportunity for improvement. We know anecdotally that a large percentage of calls for police service involve the mentally ill, or people under the influence of drugs/alcohol who are acting in an altered mental state. Enhanced crisis management training will benefit both our officers and our residents. It will also do much to improve community trust in policing because it will show a commitment to working collaboratively with residents (and particularly, with the families of the mentally ill) and, in doing so, will help to ameliorate the negative feelings that have emerged following a tragic death and subsequent civil trial. We recommend a combined menu of online and in person Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for all Bainbridge Island officers, incorporating elements of the

Memphis Model.14 We recommend a more intensive training program for a few key officers within the BIPD, and the use of these officers to provide guidance in crisis situations. We also recommend the formation of a civilian crisis intervention team within the community to assist officers in crisis situations, whether caused by mental illness, drug/alcohol use or emotional factors. Officers should have mental health professionals and trained volunteers available and on call to provide immediate on-site support, to offer guidance for advanced intervention techniques (if necessary) and to assist with the coordination of support/treatment services. The efficacy and availability of prompt and professional mental health services to assist with law enforcement responses will help protect our Island's most valuable resources: our officers and our citizens. 6. The BIPD should emphasize foot and bike patrol. March 2012 ICP survey results suggest that Island residents resent the car- and speed-centric style of policing, and wish they could interact with officers on the street more often. Foot and bike patrol, like placing an officer within the schools, enhances the quality of police/community relations and builds trust between officers and residents. This is an excellent long-term strategy for creating partnerships with business owners, seniors, families, and other community members. Chief Fehlman has indicated his support for increased foot and bike patrol, although for financial reasons rather than to promote informal contact.15 Officers have expressed to ICP members their strong interest in increased foot and bike patrol. 7. The BIPD, City Manager, and City Council should support an independent intake agent/board that receives citizen and officer concerns. In 2011, Sam Pailca was hired by the City of Bainbridge Island to assess BIPDs complaint procedures. Her conclusion: the BIPDs system leaves much to be desired, and would benefit (among many other things) from improved intake procedures. According to her report, there are too few avenues to make and receive citizen complaints.16 Ms. Pailca indicates her support for a new and independent intake
Memphis and now adopted by many agencies. Key elements of the Memphis Model are crisis intervention teams, typically consisting of mental health professionals, who are specifically tasked for dealing with complex, crisis situations; focused officer training in crisis management; and strong partnerships with mental health providers to ensure the mentally ill and their families are treated in a humane and effective way. 15 Inside Bainbridge reports, in its March 6 2012 interview with Chief Fehlman, that he is open to something like a daily requirement of an hour of walking to save on fuel expenses. 16 Sam Pailca, Review of Policies and Procedures of Bainbridge Island Police Department for the Intake and Resolution of Citizen Complaints of Police Conduct, October 2011, p. 2. This document is available on the ICP blog: http://collpol.blogspot.com
14 The Memphis Model refers to an approach to mental illness adopted by the police Department in

process, such as an individual or board operating outside of the Police Department. This person or group would collect information from citizens and/or officers and thenwithout judgmentpass that information to the Department for its review, investigation, and response. An independent board with the ability to receive concerns has a high likelihood of being trusted by community members.17 This independence will also give it the ability to protect the identity of complainants, which will encourage those to step forward who might otherwise fear repercussions (including officers and employees of BIPD who may be in the best position to offer valuable insights). In addition, this group would be in a good position to spot and report on apparent trends that raise concerns. As noted in our introductory comments, the ICP Citizens Committee believes that input from the community is essential to good policing. The BIPDs decision to post an online form in response to Ms. Pailcas report is an improvement on prior practice, but it is not alone sufficient. We recommend that an independent citizen panel be established to accept community input, including concerns, complaints, suggestions and ideas. It might also serve as a useful source for collecting commendations and positive feedback. We see this board as acting in cooperation with the BIPD and we think it will be a valuable asset to the Department. CONCLUSION These recommendations were developed, over the last several months, by ICP committee members with expertise in municipal law, law enforcement, mental health, business, education and public policy. We have kept our recommendations abbreviated to give the Interim Public Safety Director, the City Manager and the City Council latitude to develop their own variations. We are available, as individuals or as a committee, to share our research with the City and respond to follow-up questions. We would welcome the chance to elaborate on the above recommendations with all interested. In conclusion, we hope this document inspires specific changes at the BIPD, and a cultural change toward a new style of policing. We believe that collaborative policing will improve the relationship between Island residents and officers, and build pride in the BIPD.
17 A subset of complainants will simply not feel comfortable making their complaint to a sworn police officer. Whether their perceptions are accurate and their fears legitimate, some members of the community distrust the police, or at least distrust that the police can police themselves. Within a small community and a small Department like Bainbridge Island, those fears can be exacerbated. Pailca report, page 6.

Citizen Committee Members (in alphabetic order): Scott Anderson Wendy Burroughs Kent Bridwell (Chair) Franc Fischer Marcus Gerlach John Hays (Spokesperson) Kim Hendrickson (Founder/Secretary) Bonnie McBryan Tami Ostling Steve Sutherland Glenna Teti Jane Trancho Debbie Vann (Treasurer) Gregg Watts Curt Winston Advisory Members: Rich Daniels (Lieutenant, Los Angeles County Sherriffs Department,) Bob Day (Lieutenant, Bainbridge Island Police Department) Ted Rynearson (Founder, Section of Psychiatry, Virginia Mason Medical Center) Norm Stamper (Chief, Seattle Police Department 1994-2000)