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ROSEVILLE AREA LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS <br /> 2015-2016 POLICE STUDY <br />     <br />Summarized  by  Carolyn  Cushing  and  Karen  Schaffer   <br />   <br />   <br />          INTRODUCTION   <br />   <br />Across  the  country  we  have  witnessed  violent  demonstrations  emphasizing  the  distrust  and   <br />antagonism  between  communities  and  those  employed  as  their  protectors.  The  media  shows  us   <br />egregious  examples  of  police  over-­‐‑reaction  with  tragic  results.  Reports  in  recent  months  have   <br />largely  been  devoted  to  illustrating  racial  profiling  and  bias  from  the  police.    A  Minnesota  poll   <br />published  in  the  Minneapolis  Star  Tribune  shows  extreme  divergence  on  the  way  law  enforcement   <br />is  viewed  by  people  of  color  and  the  white  population.  When  asked  if  they  had  a  favorable  view  of   <br />law  enforcement  agencies,  91%  of  whites  agreed  but  only  26%  of  blacks  questioned  answered   <br />affirmatively.  (January  27,  2016)   <br />   <br />In  the  report  summary  of  the  investigation  into  the  Ferguson,  Missouri  Police  Department,  the   <br />Civil  Rights  Division  of  the  U.S.  Dept.  of  Justice  said  changes  need  to  made  in  “policing  culture.”   <br />   <br />Perceived  racial  profiling  and  poor  use  of  force  have  resulted  in  demands  for  change  that  include   <br />more  independent  investigation  of  complaints,  more  camera  recording  of  actions,  better  training   <br />on  the  use  of  force  and  in  how  to  de-­‐‑escalate  as  well  as  the  change  in  culture  and  policing   <br />philosophy  known  as  “community  policing.”   <br />   <br />STUDY  GOAL   <br />   <br />The  purpose  of  this  local  Police  Study  is  to  study  police  delivery  systems  and  officer  training  as  it   <br />relates  to  avoiding  racial  profiling,  domestic  abuse  and  mental  health  crises  in  the  communities  of   <br />Falcon  Heights,  Lauderdale,  Little  Canada,  Maplewood  and  Roseville.   <br />   <br />GATHERING  BACKGROUND  INFORMATION   <br />   <br />To  maintain  consistency,  committee  members  worked  in  sub-­‐‑committees  to  compile  questions.     <br />They  gathered  information  from  a  variety  of  sources.    Molli  Slade  from  Guild,  Inc.  (mental  health   <br />service  organization)  and  a  member  of  the  Roseville  Human  Rights  Commission  was  consulted  to   <br />help  shape  questions  about  mental  health.    Nathan  Gove,  Executive  Director  of  Police  Officer   <br />Standards  and  Training  (P.O.S.T.)  was  interviewed  in  regards  to  work  done  at  the  state  level.    This   <br />interview  was  followed  by  separate  interviews  of  each  Saint  Anthony  Village  Chief  John  Ohl,   <br />Maplewood  Chief  Paul  Schnell,  Ramsey  County  Sheriff  Matt  Bostrom,  and  Roseville  Chief  Rick   <br />Mathwig.  In  addition,  these  four  law  enforcement  leaders  participated  in  a  November  2015  panel   <br />discussion  open  to  the  public.    Joel  Hanson,  Little  Canada  City  Administrator  was  consulted  for   <br />specific  information  about  the  shared  services  Little  Canada  has  with  Ramsey  County  Sheriff.   <br />   <br />POLICE  DELIVERY  SYSTEMS   <br />   <br />While  the  communities  vary  in  terms  of  geography,  population,  ethnicity,  so  do  the  police  delivery   <br />systems.    Maplewood  and  Roseville  have  their  own  police  departments.