CB-081-2024: Community Informed Police Training addresses the recruitment and training of police cadets in Prince George's County, focusing on creating a collaborative approach between the Prince George's County Police Department (PGCPD), local educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations that work on police reform and criminal justice issues.
Why is this Issue Important?
This bill seeks to improve police-community relations by ensuring cadet recruitment reflects the County's diversity and incorporates principles of social justice, racial equity, and community policing into PGCPD's training. In theory, this would enhance the police's ability to engage with the community it serves fairly and informally, leading to more trust, safer neighborhoods, and more effective policing.
Key Background Facts
An example of recent community relations efforts can be seen in Baltimore, where, after the death of Freddie Grey, the city was ordered via a consent decree from the U.S. Department of Justice to appoint an Independent Monitor and Monitoring Team to serve as the agents of the Court in overseeing the implementation of the Consent Decree. This led to the city enacting community policing initiatives, which included working with local community leaders to help address systemic issues in policing and promote accountability.
There is a precedent for nonprofits to develop police trainings. For example, nonprofits like the Vera Institute have worked with police departments to develop trainings addressing marginalized communities' concerns.
Research has shown that community-oriented policing has had a positive impact. For example, Chicago's community policing program (CAPS) showed a steady decline in crime rates between 1991 and 2001, particularly in robbery and gun-related assaults, with the most significant improvements seen in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.
Though many U.S. police agencies nationwide are adopting community policing, historically, the implementation has been uneven, marred by resistance from officers. However, the resistance is affected more by the individual attitudes of officers toward community involvement and job engagement rather than the overall organizational culture.
Examples of other local efforts across the country include then-New York Governor Cuomo's Executive Order #203, which required N.Y.'s local governments to work with police departments to review and reform policing practices to improve community trust and address racial bias. The process involved engaging community stakeholders, listening to public comments, and adopting a final plan reflecting community needs.
Current Policy
The Prince George's County Police Department currently bases its training and recruitment on state and county law enforcement standards. The current requirements do not emphasize community engagement, social justice, or racial equity to the extent proposed in this bill.
What Changes are Being Suggested?
CB-081-2024 would mandate targeted police cadet recruitment that reflects the "diversity of the County." This means the PGCPD would actively seek cadets more representative of the County's demographic makeup in an attempt to reduce racial bias in their policing practices.
The bill would also establish new training requirements for cadets. Cadets would be required to attend a 30-hour social justice and community police training before they go to field training. The training cadets attend would be a program developed through a partnership between the PGCPD and a Prince George's County-based nonprofit or educational institution with at least four years of experience in police reform and criminal justice. The program will focus on building skills and knowledge in racial equity, social justice, health and wellness, community policing, policing history, active listening, conflict resolution, and civic engagement. Current officers would be mandated to attend these training courses as well.
Who is Affected?
Police Cadets
Current Police Officers
Prince George's County residents and community organizations
Educational Institutions and Nonprofits
Important Dates
September 17: Introduction
Implementation Timeline: The act would take effect 45 days after it becomes law.
Who is Responsible for Enforcing It
PGCPD would be responsible for implementing CB-081-2024's changes regarding cadet recruitment, training, and continuing education for officers. They would be mandated to collaborate with local educational institutions and qualified nonprofit organizations to design and deliver the required programs.
However, in the introduced version of CB-081-2024, there is no mention of penalties for the PGCPD for noncompliance. Typically, noncompliance with County law results in administrative action, which could take the form of internal reviews, oversight measures, or, in some cases, civil action. However, this could change in a future version of the bill.
Next steps
As this bill was just introduced, public hearings or meetings to discuss CB-081-2024 have yet to be scheduled. However, the bill was referred to the Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee. The primary sponsor of this legislation is Councilmember Oriadha. Any additional questions about this bill can be directed to her office.
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