Recommended Minimum Training
for A New Civilian Oversight Board or
for New Members to a Board
Prior to reviewing or
conducting investigations:
Require 30 hours structured training
in the following topics; and 20 hours reading materials read by the Board
Members to prepare for training.
Make clear to Board Members that
their positions require a significant time commitment, much reading and
attention to detailed descriptions of incidents and evaluated in light of
evidence and policies.
Recommended Schedule:
Day 1: 6 hours training
2 Hours:
Establishment of Civilian Oversight
History of Local Issues That Led to
the Establishment of Oversight
Constitutional and Civil Rights
Issues of Citizens; Reducing Taxpayer Liability for Police Errors/ Misconduct
Recommended Presenters:
History: Locals who worked on oversight establishment
Constitutional & Civil Rights:
Liability Reduction:
4 hours:
Two Panels: Dialogues between Panelists & New Board Members
1. What the Community Groups Expect from This City's Oversight Process
Panelists should reflect the diverse leadership of the community (Anglos;
Black, Hispanic and Asian Leaders; Youth, Gender balance; immigrant issues;
Faith communities; colleges; Media; ACLU, others specific to this community)
2. What local Government Officials
Expect from the City's Oversight Process:
Panelists could include Mayor, City Manager, City Council, City Attorney, Grand
Jury, Police Management, City Risk Administrator; Presiding Judge; County
Officials such as Chief Administrative Officer, Sheriff; Federal Officials such
as US Attorney/ Civil Right's Department Spokesperson and/or FBI spokesperson
to address what federal oversight is ongoing or anticipated, what federal
"Pattern and Practice" investigations mean.
Day 2: 4 hours training
2 hours:
Models of Civilian Oversight in the
2 hours:
Local Government:
Instruct Board to read their public
record act prior to the training (assume 2 hours reading);
Day 3: 8 hours training
Management and Supervision of Police: Polices, Practices and Operations,
Police Hiring, Training; Investigations of Police Officer Behavior/ Misconduct;
Progressive Discipline Officer Responsibilities: Officer Rights.
Instruct Board to read Department
documents prior to training (assume 6 hours reading);
Trainers/ Presenters: Police
Department & Police
Days 4-6: 12 hours Review Board
Operations & Monitoring Investigations
Day 4
1 ½ hours Oversight Board's
Ordinance; Rules and Regulations; Basic Concepts in Oversight;
Board's Rules &
Regulations, NACOLE 1999 Training Document, Investigation, Monitoring and
Review of Complaints: Practitioner's Guidelines. Instruct Board Members to
ready materials prior to training (assume 4 hours reading).
4 ½ hours Monitor Internal
Investigations
Require Board Members read Investigative Procedures and Guidelines Manual from
San Jose, Calif. prior to training; require reading of any similar manual local
law enforcement agency has. (Assess availablitiy and
adequacy of any similar local manual so you can train Board accordingly; if
there isn't such a manual, assess recommending one.) Assume 6 hours reading.
Days 5: 3 hours:
Practice Cases: Give Board 2 Sample
Cases consisting of Complaint/Officers' Statements/ One witness statement/
governing Policies & procedures. Assume 1 hour reading before meeting.
Days 6: 3 hours:
Practice Case: Give Board 2 more
difficult Sample Cases consisting of Complaint/Officers' Statements/ Witness
statements/ Other evidence/ policies & procedures.
Assume 1 hour reading before meeting.
Ongoing Training
Recommendations:
Ongoing requirement:
Purposeful RideAlongs:
36 hours per year.
Guidelines for Purposeful Ridealongs
Citizens go on RideAlongs
with police officers for many different reasons: one person may be considering
a law enforcement career; another may wonder what an officer (maybe a mom, a
dad, a son, or daughter) does on a patrol shift; another may want to experience
the neighborhood from inside a squad car.
In some communities, citizens participate in RideAlongs, as part of their training to be on oversight
boards, and to better understand what is involved in patrolling neighborhoods.
It is important that these citizens participating in RideAlongs
use them as purposeful learning experiences for both citizen and patrol staff.
Neither police nor citizens should expect citizen oversight Ridealongs
to be “schmooze” sessions
between citizen and officer, nor should they be sparring or “spin” sessions.
Rather, Ridealongs
are purposeful trainings. To maximize their usefulness, they should be
structured to collect specific information that will assist the oversight body
and officer in the performance of their separate duties.
Prior to joining the officer for the Ridealong,
the citizen should consider the following:
Why am I doing this Ridealong? What is the
purpose of this specific Ridealong.
What information I want to obtain from the officer(s) between calls or
stops.
What’s my plan if I don’t understand some language, codes or jargon?
Three areas of focus might be:
(1) Operations (e.g., training, equipment, coordination of units).
(2) Discussion of the patrol area(s) (hot spots, common problems during
shifts); and
(3) Views about non-police (e.g., prosecutors, press, civilian
oversight).
How will I collect the information I seek? (Take or tape notes? On the RideAlong or later?
Transcribe them?) How will I share this information with others on the
oversight panel/ staff?
It is helpful to start with operational questions, because they have
concrete answers. These questions may also lead to information about the
organization culture, policies and the officer’s attitude and aptitude.
Examples of Operations questions might be:
1. Number of cars on the shift; number of sergeants in the field; overtime
and moonlighting opportunities for officers.
2. Explanation of radio channels/frequencies and when officers are required
to go on tactical frequencies
a.
Careful assessment during the evening
as to how effectively officers coordinate responses or how willing they are to
seek backup
3.
Containments: tactical
frequencies used; rules re setting up perimeters
4.
Vehicle and foot pursuit policies and
tactics (e.g., do officer go on solo foot pursuits; use of red light and siren;
who assumes command of vehicle pursuits; who determines how many officers
respond to a call; how are officers notified)
5.
Handling stacked calls
6.
Weapons (type of gun, ammo, holster,
backup weapon, range qualification, combat and simunitions
training, flashlight/weapon grips, chemical agents, impact weapons)
7.
Reporting requirements re traffic
stops, citizen contacts, use of force
8.
Frequency of training; training they
want to see added or reinforced
No case monitoring should begin
until training is complete the Board's Executive Director is comfortable that
the Board is competent to review cases. If a Board is unstaffed,
this becomes the responsibity of the Board Chair.
Below is a suggested schedule for
minimum training. While segments may be moved, it is critically important that
Board Members recognize their duties to be neutral, to recognize any biases
they have, and to put them aside when reviewing cases.
The overview and history of civilian
oversight in a community and why that community determined it was needed should
precede all training by the subject law enforcement agency. All law enforcement
training should be balanced by training from outside the law enforcement
community.
Please
contact the NACOLE Board for additional information.
Additional training annually as
determined by investigation issues raised.