Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast – Notes from a Breakfast with the Brattleboro Chief of Police Michael Fitzgerald

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast   
January 23,  2015      
Gibson-Aiken Center                                                                                           

Breakfast with the Brattleboro Chief of Police Michael Fitzgerald
Michael.Fitzgerald@state.vt.us      (802) 257-7950
http://brattleboropolice.org/

Chief Michael Fitzgerald spoke about the vision he has for the Brattleboro PD as it relates to the community. “No one is immune from the impact” of the recent events in Ferguson, MO. What is needed is that we all sit down and have a candid and in depth conversation with the community.

Having read the findings of a recent Law Enforcement Summit on Police Community Relations at an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference which included  participation from the ACLU, NAACP, NOBLE, educators and researchers, the Chief noted that Brattleboro PD “has already acted on many of the fundings.”  http://www.theiacp.org/Portals/0/documents/pdfs/ExecutiveSummaryIACPCommunityPoliceRelationsSummit.pdf

The community is complex, made up as it is of men, women and children, of persons with various sexual preferences, of those who are homeless, of persons with varying social and economic levels and of those with mental health issues. The question is how law enforcement conducts its business while serving everyone and being inclusive. There are three principles that will help:

• communication – which must be respectful and open

• partnership – emphasizing teamwork – The Department needs to work with other programs and collaborations and reach out to all parts of the community.

• trust – being ethical and responsible
  

Open communication means there is nothing to hide. The impact of perceived negative criticism of the department should be to educate or improve. If something is wrong, we need to be accountable and fix it. If it is a perception, we need to explain why we did what we did.The media are often good at sensationalizing an event. The police department needs to get the word out about the good work being done.

Internal department communication is also important. This falls back on leadership. The officers need to understand the Chief’s philosophy and vision; there needs to be consistent communication.

Transparency should foster trust. Admittedly, there are some legal constraints in certain areas concerning the types of information that can be released, but, overall, the department should be an “open book.”  If you need information, come to the police department. If there is a void, it will be filled, so people will get “information” from a neighbor or spouse. It is important to become educated in the process.

We need to review and define roles, responsibilities and priorities, strengths and weaknesses.

“Success is defined by outcome; success is defined by the citizens of Brattleboro.”  

We need to address concerns and fears and dispel myths. There are no quotas on arrests or motor vehicle stops, no prize at the end of the year for the officer writing the most tickets. Success is the number of  retail thefts and motor vehicle violations that didn’t happen.

There is implicit bias; we have unconscious bias. We make decisions based on fear and stereotypes. Police will also have implicit bias. This is a concern that can fixed through:

(1) recruitment – the department should reflect the community; we are looking at the hiring process. currently, vacancies are posted on the Department website, and the Vermont Police Academy website. There are plans to go further; we want the citizens of Brattleboro to work for the Brattleboro PD.

(2) training – through a contract with the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, a train the trainer workshop will be held on unconscious bias.

(3) policy – underway is a revision of every single departmental policy

(4) dialog with the community

(5) leadership – for just and fair policing

Recently every member of the Police Department was present at the Selectboard to re-take the oath of office. We all need to remember why we are here and what we are doing.

The Department is a spoke in the wheel, but one that accesses on a daily basis all segments of the community: people who are homeless, with addictions; of differing socio-economic levels, religions and sexual preferences.  

For people who need help, we need to have a partnership. If we don’t go to the root, we can’t deal with the problems effectively. Trespassing an individual from one location after another will not solve the problem . . . . if they want help. The Police Department meets regularly with social service agencies, agencies through the judiciary, educational institutions, merchants and the community.

The Citizen Police Communications Committee meets the 4th Monday of every month at 5:30pm at the Brooks Memorial Library providing a less intimidating forum to review complaints and to understand departmental policies.

The Chief spoke to the need to have all levels of the department, Supervisors, Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants and Officers to have a consistent understanding of the message.

The “Coffee with a Cop” program is unstructured; there is no agenda. citizens can talk about whatever is on their minds. Two to three officers are usually present, but if questions are referred to the Chief, he will personally get back with the person making the inquiry. The program has been well received.

More officers are patrolling downtown, logging some 1,800 hours. Technology is great and modern cruisers are the new police offices, but they are no replacement for personal contact.

“Community policing” has become a buzzword that has lost meaning. It is really just common sense policing of the 1950’s: walking downtown and talking with people. It’s about “getting back to basics” and respect.

The department reviews traffic stops. All cruisers have cameras and supervisors randomly pull cruiser videos on a weekly basis and review those with the officers, looking at safety concerns, the reason for the stop, how the driver was treated, how the officer was treated.

A review of policies is also happening. Policing has changed and policies have not been reviewed in some time. As departments decide whether to use body cameras, issues surrounding expectations of privacy may surface and be resolved through case law. Should there be times when an officer turns off or turns on a body cam? What about response to a domestic incident in a home?

In summary, community relations is established by leadership,  involving the Town, the community and the police.

“Success happens when opportunity knocks.”

A question and answer period followed.