Last July in Cambridge, MA, a dispute between a black Harvard University professor and a white sergeant from the Cambridge Police Department attracted national attention. The dispute occurred after police responded to a report of a possible break-in at the professor’s home. Because the door had been jammed in a recent break, the professor's limousine driver driver forced the door open so the professor could enter. the sergeant arrived on the front steps while the professor was in the kitchen.
The dispute that followed led to the arrest of the professor on disorderly conduct charges (charges which were later dropped). It also led to intense national scrutiny on the Cambridge Police Department and its relationship with minorities in the community, and it led to a national discussion on racial profiling.
In September, the Cambridge Review Committee was formed to identify what might be learned from the experience of that July encounter and to make recommendations to the city and the larger national police community. That report, entitled Missed Opportunities, Shared Responsibilities, is now complete and has been released (see link below).
Even before the report was released, the Cambridge Police Department began looking at several aspects of their community relations process. This includes including training, relationships with the community, and communications.
One of the main aspects of the training relates to legitimacy in the community. This training is helping officers understand how the public perceives their interaction with the police and how this perception can be just as important – and in some cases more important – than the actual outcome of the interaction.
The police commissioner has also begun reaching out to several people in the city to begin the process of forming a community advisory group. One focus of this group will be to assist the department in increasing its sensitivity to Cambridge citizen perspectives on community safety and policing. The department has also begun to explore alternative dispute resolution and mediation techniques to address negative interactions citizens may have with officers.
The police department's leadership also is aware it needs to improve the way it handles communication, both internally and externally. The department has hired a communications professional, and, with his assistance, has launched a Facebook page (Cambridge Police Department) and Twitter account (@CambridgePolice) to reach out to a people who receive and exchange information through social networking. The department is also training its senior command staff in communications issues.
This entire response is a work in progress for the Cambridge Police Department, and the entire process has led to other police departments, in this region and beyond, examining their own procedures.
For more information:
Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas Press Conference Remarks (30 JUN 10)
Cambridge Review Committee Final Report: Missed Opportunities, Shared Responsibilities (15 JUN 10)
The dispute that followed led to the arrest of the professor on disorderly conduct charges (charges which were later dropped). It also led to intense national scrutiny on the Cambridge Police Department and its relationship with minorities in the community, and it led to a national discussion on racial profiling.
In September, the Cambridge Review Committee was formed to identify what might be learned from the experience of that July encounter and to make recommendations to the city and the larger national police community. That report, entitled Missed Opportunities, Shared Responsibilities, is now complete and has been released (see link below).
Even before the report was released, the Cambridge Police Department began looking at several aspects of their community relations process. This includes including training, relationships with the community, and communications.
One of the main aspects of the training relates to legitimacy in the community. This training is helping officers understand how the public perceives their interaction with the police and how this perception can be just as important – and in some cases more important – than the actual outcome of the interaction.
The police commissioner has also begun reaching out to several people in the city to begin the process of forming a community advisory group. One focus of this group will be to assist the department in increasing its sensitivity to Cambridge citizen perspectives on community safety and policing. The department has also begun to explore alternative dispute resolution and mediation techniques to address negative interactions citizens may have with officers.
The police department's leadership also is aware it needs to improve the way it handles communication, both internally and externally. The department has hired a communications professional, and, with his assistance, has launched a Facebook page (Cambridge Police Department) and Twitter account (@CambridgePolice) to reach out to a people who receive and exchange information through social networking. The department is also training its senior command staff in communications issues.
This entire response is a work in progress for the Cambridge Police Department, and the entire process has led to other police departments, in this region and beyond, examining their own procedures.
For more information:
Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas Press Conference Remarks (30 JUN 10)
Cambridge Review Committee Final Report: Missed Opportunities, Shared Responsibilities (15 JUN 10)
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