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The Friends Committee on Legislation supports laws which build trust and confidence between law enforcement personnel and the communities they serve. We support statutory delineation of the powers and responsibilities of the police, and programs for the careful selection, training, and supervision of police personnel.

Crime prevention efforts by law enforcement agencies must begin with building healthy neighborhoods and good community relationships. Effective crime prevention requires that the presence maintained by local poiIce'be based on an understanding of, and integration into the life of the community. The police can best become effective agents of crime reduction by putting themselves in relationships of interdependency with the community instead of persisting with what they perceive as a dependency of the community on them. It is important for a police force to reflect the ethnic composition of the communities being served. On a larger level, any crime prevention program must involve all government agencies in addressjng the societal problems of alienation, poverty, and discrimination. Improvements in these conditions would improve police-community relations.

All peace officers should have adequate salaries and working conditions. Because of the immense stress level in law enforcement, it is also important that there be an on-going
assessment of the emotional status of police personnel, coupled with the availability of a vigorous counseling program, support services, and other benefits to meet individual needs.

The public needs to be assured that if members of a police agency engage in misconduct such as taking bribes, fabricating evidence, or mistreating people who are in custody, the offenders will be quickly exposed and disciplined, and the victims restored. Where oppressive police cultures exist, various methods must be available to citizens to bring about changes, including local civilian police review panels with community-wide representation, grand jury investigations, court proceedings, internal police review procedures, and support for "whistle- blowers," both public and private.

Law enforcement should emphasize nonviolent methods of handling disputes and subduing dangerous persons, as well as the use of non-lethal weapons. Police work in problem-solving should emphasize developing understanding and peaceful relationships among people rather than methods based on authority and force, which tend to perpetuate anger, distance, mistrust, and conflict.

Police who carry guns acquire the potential to act as judge, jury and executioner. Even dangerous criminal offenders have the right to be tried in court for their offenses. Unfortunately, mistakes have been made; innocent people and non-dangerous criminals have been injured and killed as a result of police force. For these reasons, we advocate that police rely less on firearms, and more on non-lethal weapons and methods of self-protection and intervention. Such a direction will require the institution of effective gun control and the development of positive police-community relations.

When death results from police force committed with criminal intent, it is clear to us that police officers found guilty by the judicial system should be held to the same legal standards and penalties applied to private citizens convicted of unjustifiable homicide. In addition, police officers who are guilty of such an offense should be removed from law enforcement. Police who commit homicide resulting from errors of judgment should, at minimum, be evaluated for such actions as suspension, re-assignment, counseling, retraining, or removal from the police force.

A special emphasis in our legislative efforts will be to help bridge the present gaps in understanding and reduce conflicts between police and other segments of our communities such as youth, racial, ethnic and religious minority groups, the poor, the mentally, developmentally, and physically disabled, the homeless, immigrants, and gays and lesbians.

Military personnel are not trained for civilian police work and should not be used for that purpose.

Any public employee who is authorized to carry firearms should be required to have adequate training and certification.


Approved by Statewide Executive Committee 12/2/95.