Police Must Be Accountable To The People
Courant.com – Op Ed
By ROBERT L. KLEIN
The Hartford Courant
May 1, 2011
Recent reports
of police
misconduct,
which include
allegations of
brutality, lax
discipline and
favoritism in
Meriden, Bristol
and Windsor
Locks, along
with similar
incidents in
other
departments
during the past
several years,
demonstrate the
urgent need for
legislation to
protect the
civil rights of
innocent
citizens.
Because police
officers have
the powers to
arrest, seize
property and use
deadly force,
their abuse of
their authority
represents a
grave threat to
the safety and
civil rights of
all citizens.
Prospective
police officers
must be strictly
screened to make
sure that only
people with high
moral and
ethical
standards are
hired.
Once officers
are hired we
must have clear,
unbiased methods
to review their
conduct on the
job. Just as
there are
statewide
agencies to hear
complaints and
discipline
members of most
other
professions —
such as the
health
department with
regard to
doctors and the
statewide
grievance
committee with
regard to
lawyers — there
should be a
state agency to
hear complaints
and discipline
police officers.
One of the
surest routes to
reducing
instances of
police
misconduct is to
make sure those
being given a
badge meet
rigorous
qualifications.
The state must
implement much
stronger laws
and regulations,
setting out much
more stringent
requirements for
becoming a
police officer
and ensuring
that the hiring
practices of
individual
police
departments
maintain these
standards.
This should
include the
following:
1. Very thorough
background
screening
including high
school
disciplinary
records:
Was this person
a high school
bully? Did he
assault and
injure any of
his high school
classmates?
Unfortunately,
many high school
bullies apply to
become police
officers simply
because they
like to bully
other people.
2. Very
extensive
psychological
testing and
interviews to
determine
whether the
person has
violent
tendencies, a
predilection to
injuring or
bullying other
people and
whether he is
morally suited
to become a
police officer.
What are his
moral and
ethical values?
Is he an honest
person who likes
to help other
people rather
than hurt other
people?
3. There should
be a specific
prohibition in
state law
stating that no
preference can
be given to
applicants who
have relatives
who are already
on the police
force. Also, if
hired, such
applicants
cannot work
under the direct
supervision of
any relatives.
Further,
officers must
disqualify
themselves from
decisions with
regard to the
discipline or
promotion of a
relative within
the same police
department.
Further critical
reforms include:
Promulgation and
enforcement of
strict and
uniform
disciplinary
rules that apply
to all police
officers in
Connecticut,
which would be
overseen by a
statewide
grievance
committee.
Revising laws to
make it a very
serious crime
for any police
officer,
internal affairs
investigator or
police official
to cover up or
fail to properly
investigate any
complaints
against police
officers.
Requiring all
police officers
to carry digital
camcorders and
to turn them on
whenever they
interview a
citizen or take
any action
against a
citizen.
Creating a
specific
requirement
that, whenever a
police officer
uses force
against a
citizen for any
reason or takes
other coercive
action against a
citizen, a
complete written
report sworn to
by that officer
must be made and
all such reports
be reviewed by
internal affairs
investigators,
whether or not a
complaint is
made, to
determine if the
police officer's
actions were
lawful.
Every police
department in
the state should
be required to
have at least
one full-time
and completely
independent
internal affairs
investigator.
These
investigators
should report
directly to
either this new
police
regulatory
agency (similar
to the statewide
grievance
committee)
and/or to the
state police.
The number of serious cases of apparent police misconduct that compromises the safety and rights of citizens demands action. Members of the General Assembly's public safety and security committee and other legislative leaders should propose and pass such legislation to protect the civil rights of all Connecticut citizens.
Robert L. Klein, a lawyer is a retired assistant attorney general active in civil rights litigation.
Copyright ©
2011, The
Hartford Courant