Thursday, October 25, 2001
Stories presaged aspects of feds' report
The Cincinnati Enquirer has examined aspects of police practices and patterns in a series of stories since June.
In some respects, they mirror what the Justice Department reported on Wednesday.
In the “A Question of Justice” series, the Enquirer has documented that:
• The system Cincinnati police rely on to detect bad behavior by officers is inefficient, outdated and riddled with errors. (June 10 story)
More than 90 percent of minor complaints against officers are dismissed. The complaints are rarely forwarded to the division's internal investigators and are seldom seen by the city's independent investigatory agency. (July 8 story)
• Police officers disciplined for major violations — from breaking policies to breaking laws — get their penalties reduced nearly three times more often than officers accused of minor violations. (Oct. 21 story)
The Justice Department recommended on Wednesday that all disciplinary information be centralized and automated. The department also recommended that trend data on use of force by officers be made available to supervisors.
The department welcomed the division's new planned system that will “flag” officers based on on the accumulation of various types of conduct.
The Justice Department said the police division's method of resolving citizen complaints has the potential of discouraging citizens to come forward.
For example, the department noted that citizens may get the runaround on where to file a complaint. The police policy also requires people who file a complaint to come to the police station.
“This practice may have a deterrent effect on would-be complainants,” the Justice Department said.
The team also said police supervisors should receive appropriate training in handling citizen complaints.
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