HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-2001 Articles 6A Iowa City Press-Citizen Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Council targets PCRB
expenses, not policies
By Sara Langenberg nance in about two weeks, but the gap when the PCRB assistant
Iowa CityPress-Citizen PCRB Chairman John Watson is off-duty.
said it appears the council intends "I think we have duplication of
Iowa City's Police Citizens to make only minor revisions. staffing," Vanderhoef said.
Review Board may keep most of "rm not sure they took away A majority of counc'fi members
its powem, and may even get anything," he said after the meet- agreed.
some wording to back up current ing. "It's not clear that they On another issue, the council
practices, but it may lose its changed that much." backed away from Mayor Ernle
administrative assistant, based on What does seem to be a target, Lehman's suggestion ttmt the board
city council conm~ents Monday however, is the part-time adminis- meet only in response to com-
The board, created about five trative assistant's $18,000 annual plaints instead of having monthly
years ago after an Iowa City offi- salary. Since tbe board functions meetings to review complaints and
cer shot and killed an unarmed to consider complaints about the police depamnent policies,
man named Eric Shaw, is shed- police department -- and to Councilor Steven Kanner
nled to disband Aug. 1 unless investigate them independent of m'gued that the board's review of
renewed by the council before the deparanent -- the assistant police procedures and policies
then. has an office in a city building has helped improve the percep-
Earlier this year, a majority of about a block from the police tion and function of the police
com~cil membem said the board's deparUx~ent. One of her duties is department.
powers sbonld be reduced, but to help people filing complaints "We had a procedure that was
there was little movement in that understand the board's purpose legal when Eric Shaw was killed.
direction during Mondays infor- and function, Now we have new policies and
mnl council work session. City Councilor Dee people are safer," Kanner said.
CityAttomeyEleanorDilkesis Vanderhoef said the city clerk's "Perhaps if we'd had a PCRB
expected to supply a draft of office could absorb those duties before that, the tragedy would not
Mondays revisions to the ordi- full-time since it already is filling have happened."
Clou y
Tuesday, June 12 2001
Page 2A
Council slowed by board
review
The City Council spends three hours debating the
powers of the Police Citizen Review Board.
By Gian Sachdev
The Daily Iowan
The Iowa City City Council had a difficult time
focusing its efforts during an informal work session
Monday evening as it tried to discuss the future of the
Police Citizen Review Board. Debate over possibly
revising the board's powers lasted close to three
hours, during which the council acknowledged its
lack of progress.
Councilor Irvin Pfab, who said he believes strongly in
the need for the police-oversight board, was o~en
criticized by other councilors because of his numerous
requests to hear clarifications and examples.
Despite their exceptionally long discussion, it
appeared that the councilors wanted relatively little
changed. They informally agreed to continue the
board's right to hold public hearings without the
council's conseint.
Iowa City resident John Watson, the board's
chairman, said he is happy with the council's decision
to allow his group to hold public hearings on its own
volition.
6,'12/01 1:56
"Why shouldn't we try to understand what some of
the issues of the citizens are toward the police?" he
said. "That's the whole purpose &our organization."
After careful explanation from City Attorney Eleanor
Dilkes of the board's general practices, the council
agreed to allow it to continue investigating both
complaints given directly to it and those filed with the
police.
With opposition from Pfab, Councilor Dee
Vanderhoef requested that the city eliminate the
board's administrative assistant position. She
encouraged the council to consider replacing the
position with staff from the city clerk's office. The
council agreed to address the issue at a later date, and
a majority of the councilors said they are in favor of
renewing the board at the end of July.
In support of her position, Vanderhoef cited City
Manager Steve Arkins, who had told the council that
the city's gen.eral-spending rate is extremely high,
according to a recent study by a New York City
rating firm.
After clarification for Pfab, the council agreed to
review the board every two years.
E-mail DI reporter Gian Sachdev at:
gian-sachdev@uiowa.edu
[] Copyright 2001 The Daily Iowan
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2 of 2 6/12/01 1:56
TUESDAY
JUNE 12, 2001
IOWA CITY, IOWA
VOL. 118 NO. 154
50 CENTS
AN EDFFION OF GAZETTE COMMUNICATIONS
Latitude
changes
foreseen
for PCRB
By Nathan Hill
Gazette staff writer
IOWA CITY -- The city's
police watchdog group will Council members decided
have slightly more latitude last night to allow the group
when dealing with citizen com- latitude to comment about how
plaints and slighfiy less when it feels about police actions and
sending its opinions to the City procedure, even if a complaint
Council. is not sustained.
At theft work session last However, council members
night, councfi members dis- decided to restrict the PCRB's
cussed the role of the Police ability to make reports and
Citizen Review Board (PCRB), recommendations. After June,
the group created four years the group win only be able to
ago to handle citizen corn- make reports when those re-
plaints against police officers ports are requested by the
and procedure. The conunis- council, police chief or city
sion's sunset clause is up at the manager.
end of the month, and the This item was hotly debated
council is last night Council member Ste-
/[~[.-~[~].~ deciding yen Kanner argued that an
how the annual performance review of
. P C R B police procedure would be ef-
· Council votes should op- fective.
against crate afugr Council member Dee Vander-
Harlocke-Weeber it's re- hog said the city has staff that
purchase, 58 newed. can handle reviews and a legal
Members department that overlooks all
of the new police procedures. Council
PCRB have said that more member Irvin Pfab disagreed,
flexibility is needed in critiqu- saying he thought the PCRB
ing police procedure. They has not been used enough.
want to be freed from some The city's legal staff will
restrictiv~e language in the l~rcfte the PCRB'scharter to
group's charter'. The law states reflect the change,
that the PCRB can disagree ,
with a police chiefs decision
only if the decision is unsup-
perted, arbiWary or illegal.
Review board role in question
Cotlnci| considers view Beard (PGRB) at a sroup's charter. The law re-
Monday evening work sea- quires that the PCnB can tindot curt~nt roles, th, clty's police watchdog
duties of police sion. At issue is whethel' the disagree with a police chiefs
decision o~ly ff the decision group can disagree with a police chiefs decision
watchdog gfoklp · city c~nsiders raising rates is tmsuppor%~d, arbitrary or only If It Is unsuppolted, aCeltraqt or Illegal.
at parking ramps, 6B illegal.
By Nathan HIll · Council to vote o~ Peninsula Th3t sets a high $talldard,
Gazette staff writer
IOWA C1TY -- While most Neighborhood plan. 58 and rnake~ it difftcalt to re- level of misconduct. but oth- too much, and hopes tp trim
view nuances in nkany corn- er aspects of the sit~lattoll away at its expertsira.
City Council members agree group, set up in 1997, shotrid plaints, members of the my merit comment." In four years, the work.
them is a role for the city's have a wider scope and more PCRB wrote in a memo to But while PCRB members ~ of the PCRB has cost
police watchdog group, flexibility in critiqui~ police the Cit~ Council. axe looking for a bmader roughly $160,(1C0, said Van-
there's a split as to what that procedure. "Complaints are rarely ro~e, some cotmctl members derhoef,
role sh~ul~ be. Members of the PCRB dear cut.!' board members are looking to shrink it. "I feel that's very expert-
Council members will dis- want to be freed from some sai~ "An off~ce/s behavior ' Counc~ member Dee Van-
cuss the Police Citizens Re- restrictive language hi the often my ]aot rise to the derho~ said the PCRB coets · Turn to 5B: Board
Board
· From page 1B
sive help," she saick "ff you look at the general
fund, I call use those fands in different places."
Vanderhoef said. Ca)une|l member
in the number of ' he hopel the
complaints coming PCRB will Interact
Lehman said the hlr reports to the
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||~h',l~ Wednesday June 6, 2001 Ulxlated 10:30am
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
Page l A
Pelice receive drug graBt
Civil-rights advocates argue that the Byrne grant
promotes unethica] police methods.
By Avian Carrasquille
The Daily Iowan
Iowa City police announced Tuesday that two of its
grants have been renewed -- one of which has been
criticized by community members who say it
encourages questionable police tactics.
The controversial Edward Byrne Memorial Grant will
allow the police to target narcotics-related cases.
Civil-rights advocates have objected to the grant,
among them City Councilor Steven Kanner, who
::~i~;: i!!!~,:=~i:,:,: ii:;:i:!questions the granrs requirements. He has suggested
the city not reapply for the Byrne grant in response to
citizen complaints over its requirements
To receive the money, police must make 45 arrests for
felony drug violations, conduct 45 "knock & talks,"
during which an officer approaches a home and
questions residents without warrant, and obtain 20
search ~varrants to develop illicit-drug cases -- all
within a year The grant also permits the use of
garbage searches to reach its quotas.
Ihe Governor's Office on Drug Control Policy
awarded the $48,786 grant. Iowa City police, which
have received the grant for a decade, will pitch in
more than $16,000.
or2 6601 l:O~ PM
Sandy Bauer
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Subject: LA's Inspector General Seeks to Build Power
June 6, 2001
A Monitor of Los Angeles Police Seeks to Build Power
By JAMES STERNGOLD
LOS ANGELES, June 5 -- In all the weighty reports and citizen coKunissions
that have tried to reform the deeply troubled Los Angeles Police Department
over the past decade, a strong, independent watchdog has been seen as the
best hope for a more open and accountable force.
But five years after the creation of that watchdog -- the inspector general's
office -- it is still fighting the insular department not just over its
practices, but also its fundamental power to investigate wrongdoing.
The department has been stained by a two-year-old corruption scandal in its
Rampart division; that followed the traumas of the Rodney King case and the
1992 riots.
More recently, the inspector general failed to persuade the police
ommission to sanction the police chief, Bernard Parks, for instances in
which he reportedly refused to cooperate with the district attorney. Many
people here saw that as a symbol of the obstacles the office continues to
confront.
1
"I think we all know that it's fallen quite a ways short of what we
intended," said John W. Spiegel, who was general counsel of the conunission
that conceived the office.
Jet, Mr. Spiegel added, "If there's anybody who can make that job work, it's
Jeff."
He was referring to Jeffrey C. Eglash, 40, a former federal prosecutor who
is the second holder of the job. In an interview, Mr. Eglash reviewed the
positives, citing the small battles won that have gained the office greater
independence and authority.
"I prefer to frame the question this way: Are we better off with an
inspector general's office?" he said. "I think the answer is definitely
yes."
Mr. Eglash was candid about the deep-seated cultural barriers he has faced.
He offered a telling anecdote that occurred months ago when, he said, he was
walking to a police training session. A senior officer casually pointed to
the department's top commanders and said that if Mr. Eglash wondered what
was obstructing real change, he was looking at it.
Mr. Eglash said he thought nothing of the remark until he received a call
from the department demanding that he testify about it at a disciplinary
hearing for the officer, who had been overheard. Mr. Eglash said he refused,
but was ordered by the police commission to appear.
"I'm not sure it made any difference," he said of his testimony in the case,
which is still unresolved. "But the main thing is you have to pick your
battles, and I have."
-The Police Department professes to support the office, but only under
.ightly circumscribed terms. It regards the inspector general as a passive
recipient of paperwork the department produces so that it can evaluate
procedures -- not look for corruption or wrongdoing.
"Their role is not to come in and investigate side by side with us," said
Cormnander Sharon Papa, the department's chief spokeswoman. "They are
supposed to look at processes, do an auditing function."
Mr. Eglash has fought this view.
"There is still, after this much time, not a consensus on what this office
should be," he said. "There are still institutional barriers that prevent us
from being a fully empowered investigative body."
Mr. Eglash acknowledged some significant shortcomings in the office's
powers. It cannot ask questions at internal department hearings. It cannot
offer informants from the department confidentiality. It cannot refer
evidence of crimes directly to prosecutors, but must submit the information
to the department and the police commission. ~d the office's staff can be
ordered to testify before internal police department panels.
The flaws were evident from the start. The first inspector general,
Katherine Mader, now a state judge, resigned after two years in which she
clashed repeatedly with Chief Parks over how much power she had to
investigate issues like the department's disciplinary system.
Mr. Eglash has been in the office for about three years, and is still
fighting similar battles over how much independence he should have. In
lddition, the office is short-handed. Of 32 staff positions, 7 are vacant.
Dean Hansell, one of five civilian police commissioners, supports giving the
inspector general more power, especially to examine police records and to
2
ask questions at internal police hearings, but said it had been surprisingly
difficult.
"What I think is most important is that the I.G. be given comprehensive
-~ccess to information and easy access to that information," he said. "That
s a frustration I still feel."
Those questions carry particular resonance today, since the Rampart
scandal -- in which a virtual gang of officers is said to have routinely
robbed drug dealers, abused gang members and planted guns on suspects -- has
languished for nearly two years with few if any real reforms being carried
out.
Last year the city signed a consent decree with the Justice Department,
giving a federal judge oversight of the department and granting the
inspector general some new powers. But that decree has still not been
enacted, and may not be for months.
And a new city charter, approved by the voters last year, included new
powers for the inspector general, giving it more autonomy and power to
obtain records. But even some architects of those reforms now say they came
up short.
Still, the office has some successes. Earlier this year, Mr. Eglash produced
a report questioning the department's conclusions that an officer who shot
and killed a homeless women armed with a screwdriver had been justified. The
commission voted 3 to 2 supporting his conclusions, and the department has
been forced to reconsider its verdict.
Recently, Mr. Eglash produced a report finding that Mr. Parks had not fully
cooperated with the district attorney's Rampart inquiry, and then made
misleading remarks about his cooperation. The chief denied the accusations,
-and the coramission voted 3 to 2 not to sanction him.
'I don't consider these wins or losses," Mr. Eglash said. "We raised the
issues. That's the important point."