Community Safety Working Group Prepares Survey Of Amherst Police Department’s Policies And Practices

At its weekly Wednesday meeting on December 16, Amherst’s Community Safety Working Group (CSWG) voted to have Town Manager Paul Bockelman convey to the Amherst Police Department next week its questions concerning staffing, including diversity; activities, other than criminal investigation; racial profiling; community outreach; weapons training; contract/union agreements; mutual aid involving other communities; and alternatives other than police for providing the same services (draft available in packet for December 16 meeting). Working Group members have an additional three days to add questions. The Amherst PD will have 10 business days to respond.

This questionnaire is integral to the Working Group’s mission to provide written reports to the Town Manager by January 15, 2021 on possible alternatives to some Amherst PD services, and  by June 30, 2021 on recommendations for resident oversight and policy reforms for the Amherst PD.  For this purpose, Working Group members reported on their investigations into civilian oversight of police and similar efforts in Newark, New Jersey (Chair Paul H. Wiley); and in Massachusetts, Salem (Co-chair Brianna Owens); Northampton (Debora Ferreira); Somerville (Pat Ononibaku); Cambridge (Elisha Walker); and Newton (Russ Vernon-Jones). 

For instance, Northampton’s reduction of its police budget by 10 percent, which is nearly $700,000, in order to provide additional mental health/drug counselors and other alternatives, at first elicited Police Chief Jody D. Kasper’s concern that this would prevent hiring three BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/People of Color) police candidates who are graduating from the police academy. However, five existing officers decided to seek employment elsewhere. 

Wiley asked what was underneath some of the statistics, e.g. that use of force by police against POC was 2.7 times that of police use of force against whites.  Even though an incident might happen in Newark, it can have an effect on mistrust of the police in Amherst. Members were adamant about building on what’s already working for community members in relationship to the Amherst PD. 

Working Group members had high praise for the recent survey “Indicators on Racial Equity and Justice for Amherst, (in packet)” conducted by the Racial Equity Task Force of Amherst and the League of Women Voters  The League’s note that “complete and accurate data on police interactions by racial identity is not publicly available” gave rise to extended discussion about best practices for obtaining such data without infringing on rights.

CSWG Member Tashina Bowman noted that you can’t always discern who is Black and that no one can be compelled to answer questions about membership in a group with protected status. Having police ask people their racial background is coercive, even if answering is voluntary. Wiley said he thinks that the Working Group’s questions will get at these issues, and then they could expand the conversation.

Before receiving a full briefing from the League on its work, the Working Group wants input from the BIPOC community, both in response to a written questionnaire and in a public hearing format. After fine-tuning its questionnaire for community members on their experience with the Amherst PD, the Working Group seeks to give this questionnaire the maximum exposure possible by posting it on the Town website and social media, through direct invitations to identified community leaders, and by asking trusted members of the community who are not Town authorities to get the word out. The date for releasing the questionnaire is yet to be set. 

Jennifer Moyston, Town staff liaison to the Working Group, noted that all responses must come through the Town’s website.  

The Working Group also identified needs for additional resources to assist with their tasks, as well as a possible extension of their January 15 deadline to report to the Town Manager, and one more member, preferably a younger person. Applications are on the Town website.

Note: The Town Manager subsequently recommended high schooler Darius Cage for appointment to the Working Group. His appointment will be voted on at the December 21 Council meeting.