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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-13-1999 Articles The Gazette, Sat., June 19, 1999 B Iowa City checking for police profiling By Adam Lowenstein Gazette Johnson County Bureau IOWA CITY -- Starting July Though some cities such as 1, officers in the Iowa City San Diego get the data by Police Department will ob- reading magnetic strips on serve and report the gender driver's licenses, that technol- and race of all drivers pulled ogy is not available in Iowa. over during traffic stops, re- Once the data is compiled, gard]ess of whether a ticket is the department will begin to issued, interpret the numbers and The data will be entered look for conclusions. into the department's comput- "One of the things we are er along with standard infor- dealing with is what is mean- mation, such as location of ingful and what isn't. There the stop and license number, are a number of different Unlike that ways people could choose to inibrmation, look at that," Winke]hake however, the Patrol data said. race data will determine Winkelhake has sought ad* will be corn- vice from two national organi- piled and whether zations, the National Organi- used to de- officers are zation of Black Law t e r m i n e pulling Enforcement Executives and whetheF any ~otorist$ over the Police Executive Research of the 75 po* based on the Forum. lice officers in Iowa City color of their Winkelhake said he will ex- are pulling skin. amine the data in three motorists months and report his find- over based ings. on the color of their skin. That practice, known as ra- cial profiling, has been in the national spotlight recently as President Clinton and mem- bers of Congress respond to high-profile lawsuits. In a memo sent to officers Friday, Police Chief R.J. Win- kelhake explained that the most unobtrusive way to gath- er the information is through officer observation. Opinion Thursday, June 24, Iowa City Press- Citizen 1999 ,Take the advice I! Police are offering some area before stopping. i.advice. Take it. · If someone in civilian ,~ Two women have been clothes identifies himself as ',~stopped and assaulted in a police officer and you have ',Iowa City. In one case, the any doubt whatsoever, ask I man pretended to be a police that a uniformed officer be ,,officer. All it took was a called to the scene. ~ flashing red light in the car,· Keep your doors locked * This ought to make every- and only roll your window ~one nervous, but there are down far enough to be able ]ways to protect yourself, to talk with the person. An Here's what Iowa City inch or two should do it. Police suggest: These are simple solu- · If you re pulled over by tions to a terrible problem. ~ an unmarked car, drive to a And they work. ! well-ht and preferably pubhc Do it. Iowa City ress- ltlzen Drunken-driving arrests up An Iowa State patrolman conducts afield sobriety test early Wednesday motonsl pa.~ed the sobriety test but was arrested for driving without a Officers find other problems with motoristsIll~°wa°W~sCityin / ?,t. :,! ,' -. Arrests Officers: Holiday weekends aren't only time for fatalities about [~ve illtllUles. "Thai moor}ye Thc coming Fourth of July week- But Jaw cnl'orccnlcnl r~fficcrs nience may have saved a loved one end has a hislo~ as thc most deadly caution I]lal driver precaufon and Ikotn l~ing m.jured or killed'~ on thc nation's roads. But d~crc ~s sal'cty is hOfiUS[ ti ht*liday issue. we~c returning h{m~e on tlighway 965 declining. Iowa recorded three tidal- Slate Patrol Sgt. B{~b Ten Eick who early Wednesday mt~ming, ily crashes on Memorial Day week- has logged 29 years as a pam)hnan. "1 hale lC' Janice R~y said. -I end, and one during thai stretch last "~ey don'l.just pick Ibc weekends.'* ~ year - the lowest on record - Ih Bricm Slu,l~ be hals instead of han~ssing me.' Mark Rooy. however, said the ly so is the degree of resulting injuries, he Ikmnd one driving dnmk. It is belier checkpoint was a good thing ii il Iowa City Police Ofllcer Eric now, hc said ~ abt)ut one m six. He caught a drunken driver he mighl meel Lippold was among thc olticers a~ests nearly 150 drtmkcn drivers l~her down Ibc road. Thc couple checking vehicles this week. For him, each year ~ accouming fi~r almost received a warning tk*r m~t having it was a break l?om the roudnc, which one-lbuflh of the dcptwtmcnt total prool' of insurance, lypically finds him in thc downlown He is aggressive in his enlbrce- Goldsmith uses thc word -crash" ~ea as the b~ crowd lets out for II~e ment. Bm he sites :t simple reason: not "accident" when talking about thc night. Iowa had 49 murders last year corn- dangers of driving ~-because crashes Lippold joined the Ibme m 1989 pared to about 142 people killed by Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sunday, July 4, 1999 Gallo finds reward in police work By Steve Stepanek News correspondent IOWA CITY -- Ca]J. it "paw · Address: Iowa City and order." · Age: 2 (14 in human years) That's one way of characteriz- · Occupation: Prima~ Canine Asset, lng t,he Iowa City Police Depart- Iowa City Police Department · Pla~e of blrtl~: Germany merit s use of Gallo, a 2-yeal~-old · Education: Graduate, 15-week German shepherd police dog, to preparatory course, Detector Dogs keep crime at bay. International, Omaha, Neb. On active duty shlce earl~ · Animal family: Canidae ~ · Interests: Playihg with chew toys NEWSMAKER February, Gallo already has es- tablished that, in Iowa City at Lng down suspects or los~ indi- leas~, man's best friend can also viduals, and conducting build- be a miscreant'~ worst night- lng searches." mare, according to Ron Gist, To date, Gallo has been par- canine pairol officer, ticularly useful in drug cases. Gist is Gallo's handler, house- uncovering controlled substanc- mate and closest pal. es in about half the instances in Gallo has been getting plenty which he is called upon. Gist of attention lately because of said, the public's response to buying Ga]Jo also has performed well a bulletproof vest for the dog. in more dangecous roles. When people learned there "I still remember the night of was no~ enough police dspart~ our first building search togeth- ment money to buy the vest, er," Gist said. "We had only they responded, been together in Iowa City for a "Gallo is a dual-purpose dog, couple of weeks, and we were which means that he has not called to New Life Fitness at only been trained as a patrol around 3 a.m. to investigate a dog, but also as a drug dog," possible intruder. Gis~ said. "Tha~ means besides "Fortunately, we didn't find being able to sniff out hidden anyone," Gist said. "Even so, drugs, he can also provide other Gallo obeyed every command benefits in the field, such as flawlessly, and at that point I pro~ecting patro~ officers, ~rack- was completely confident ~hat I Opinion Page 11A Thursday, Jul? 8, 1999 Iowa City Press-Citizen Our View Traffic stop data must be used well Iowa City Police finally have agreed to track the race The issue: of people in traffic stops. · Iowa City Police to Additional work? Yes. begin noting race of Data open to misinterpre- people in traffic stops. tation? Yes. But it's also the right We suggest: thing to do. Race-based traffic stops · This is the right thing have been at the center of a tO do. But we most be national debate. Locally, the careful not to misinter- issue started coming up last pret the information. year when police stepped up efforts to stop gang activity How? Keep an open after two shootings in south mind. Iowa City. Just because a black Police Chief R.J. motorist or Hispanic Winkelhake says adamantly motorist or anyone else is that Iowa City Police don't stopped by police does not make traffic stops based on mean the person was pulled race. over just because of his or "It's not our policy to do her skin color. profiling at all;' he said. We also must look at the But he also has come to circumstances. Was a tail the conclusion that police light out? Was the car weav- explanations and denials do ing or speeding? Does it -- nothing to convince the pub- or the occupants -- match a lic. description from a crime? "The only way to show Or maybe the stop is a that is to collect the data," he random one, such as those said. conducted to search for It's too bad, but he's right, drank drivers. Confidence and trust in We now will have a tool police is not what it should to assess how police are con- be. ducting their business. We But now we will have welcome that. hard facts and figures. And But let's use that tool cur- it's up to us -- the public -- rectly. If we don't, the infer- to use the information cur- mation we get will be worse rectlv, than havin~ nome at all Local Friday, July 9, 1999 Iowa City Press-Citizen Iowa City Justice rejection surprises Shaw Dcspite a k:dcral ollicial's claim to thc contras, an Iowa City man said Thursday that the U.S. Justice Depm'tment failed to Icll him it had rejected his r~uest to reo~n a civil righls investigation into thc 1996 dead- ly ~licc shtx~ting of his stm. Jay Shaw said he once again le~ed of a l~'clcla[ decision not to prosecute Iroll/ media. He will not pursue fur- ther legal action. His son, M-year-old Eric Shaw, w~s shot and kill~l Aug. 30, 1~. by lbnncr Iowa City Police Officer JcfliW Giltztspic ~e officer, who w~ invesligalmg ' m~ o~n &xx; saki he "llinched." Gillaspie later resigned U.S Justice Department spokesman David Slade sitid this week that inlormalitm request to L.S. Ath)rne~ said his office kepi thc lktnlih In September 199~. ~hc grand ju~ found no t~asis criminal cha~ges, lhc Slaa~. 1997, rccciwng 515 million "1 ho~'d, in thc back ol my mind, ~hat a miracle would hap pen,- Shaw said. -'Iht chancc~ Local News - The Des Moines Register Page l of 3 ~ Navigation: Headlines: Crime & Courts: Report Shooting inquiry splits D.M., state · Sections · Headlines By TOM ALEX · News Extras Register Staff Writer · Forums 07/02/1999 · Columnists The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation will not · Weather look into Wednesday's shooting ora man by two Des · Duff~ Moines police officers because police officials · Other News refused to let DC1 agents lead the investigation. · Sports · Entertainment The DCI is state government's largest detective agency, and its agents are routinely called in to · Marketplaces investigate incidents across Iowa in which police · Cars officers fatally wound people. That had been the · Employment practice in Des Moines, too, until Wednesday · Real Estate al°temoon, when two officers fired eight shots at · Classifieds Russell Stein, 37, hitting him seven times. Police said they were trying to disarm Stein, who was carrying a knife near his Des Moines home. Police said officers began shooting moments after Stein attacked and stabbed Sgt. Russell Schafnitz. Stein was the third person to be shot to death this year by Des Moines officers. The dispute between Des Moines police and the DCI has raised new questions about whether such shootings should be investigated by an independent agency or board. In the past, Des Moines city officials have said it was not necessary to have a civilian review board to look into the actions of police officers because the DCI served the role as an independent investigator. Mayor Preston Daniels said he was surprised to learn that the DCI did not have the lead role in the investigations of Des Moines police shootings and that the agency had not been truly independent in past investigations. He said he would like police and state investigators to work together in examining police shootings. But htr p://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/8250281 .html 7/2/99 Local News - The Des Moines Register Page 2 of 3 he said the state probably slaould have the authority to lead such investigations. "If DCI has been asked to come in as an independent investigator, that's the role I would expect them to play," Daniels said. "If that's been stymied in any way, that sounds totally inappropriate." Steve Conlon, a DCI spokesman, said Thursday, "We want to ensure we do an independent investigation because that's the perception." A role in which DCI agents take part in an investigation being directed by Des Moines police is no longer acceptable to the state agency, said Iowa Public Safety Commissioner E.A. "Penny" Westfall. She said the DCI stands willing to help but only if the DCI is the lead agency in such an investigation. That is the policy the DCI akeady follows in other cities in Iowa when police shootings occur, she said. The change in the DCI's position concerning investigations in Des Moines came during a review of the state agency's policies. Des Moines Police Chief William Moulder said having the DCI conduct such an investigation is not acceptable to the police department. He said one agency needs to take the lead, and Des Moines needs to lead its own investigations. Moulder said that in the nearly 15 years he has run the Des Moines department, DCI agents and police officers have worked together many times. Until a couple of years ago, they filed separate reports on those joint investigations. In the past two years, he said, they have filed joint reports. Moulder said two sets of questions could result in two sets of answers. Witnesses and other people interviewed may be supplying truthful information, but separate reports can make statements appear to be in conflict, he said. "Separate reports cloud the issue," Moulder said. Westfail said she is confident Des Moines officers have the expertise to conduct a professional http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/8250281 .html 7/2/99 Local News - lhe Des Motnes Regtster Page 3 of 3 Daniels said he spoke Thursday to state officials who assured him previous investigations of Des Moines police shootings had not been compromised by the roles the DCI and police took. But, he said, "I think this will raise questions." Ako Abdul-Samad, an advocate of a citizen review board for police, said he welcomed the DCI's announcement and hopes it will lead to healing decades of distrust between police and some groups in Des Moines. "In any mediation, you have to have a mediator," said Abdul-Samad, who is founder of Creative Visions, an organization that works to keep youth out of trouble. "There's never been a mediator here. Moulder talked with Westfall on Thursday. "I expressed my disappointment," Moulder said. The former arrangement between the DCI and Des Moines police worked, the police chief said, because "[fever there was an issue of the police department shading the facts, the DCI was there to make sure the facts were in their proper form." Asked [fanother agency could join the investigation of the latest shooting, Moulder said: "It's too late now. They need to be there at the tiont end. You can't go hack and start again." · Navigation: Headlines: Crime & Courts: Report Find more news every day in The Des Moines Register. Subscribe now. Copyright © 1999, The Des Moines Register. 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