Posted: Sun, 07/12/2020 - 11:39
Headline Surfer photo illustration / Above: Citizen activist James Harper is shown above as is Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- James Harper, a freelance journalist and community activist is not a proponent of the municipality's Citizens Police Review Board established in the wake of nationwide protests in the wake of George Floyd's homicide while in the custody of four Minneapolis cops who were fired and await criminal prosecution in his murder.
The Daytona Beach City Commission will vote on the establishment of this new Citizens Police Review Board, which was suggested by Mayor Derrick Henry, when it meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday in commission chambers at Daytona Beach City Hall, 301 S Ridgewood Ave. Citizens attending the meeting will be allowed to speak and the meeting will be carried live online.
Harper, a frequent critic of city government described the formation of the city's new oversight board on policing as "bogus" on a number of levels. Headline Surfer has not yet taken a position for or against this new board: Here is Harper's point of view in his own words (in italics with editing for grammar and clarity):
I was in shock as I listened to the Daytona Beach City Commission violate its own Fair Chance policy as they worked to make sure no ex-felons are allowed to serve on a bogus so-called Citizens Police Review Board, which will do nothing to rid the police department of possible racist and biased officers or change systemic policies that unfairly target Black and other people of color.
The ordinance reads as if it were written by the city manager or police chief. The board will meet only once every three months and the police chief will determine what cases go before the board. There are cities across the country talking about defunding, disbanding, or at least diverting funds from the police budget for better use. Yet in Daytona Beach, which has a Black mayor and three other people of color on the commission, assumes everything is perfect at the city's police department.
Any police chief would be biased and more than likely recommend cases that don't reflect badly on him. A problem with the ordinance is it says the panel will be made up of unbiased citizens. The panel should not be a typical jury and should be a mix of people who are biased on both sides plus people who may be unbiased.
Five years ago, the city voted on a Fair Chance policy aimed at encouraging residents with felonies or misdemeanors to apply for city jobs and volunteer for boards. Yet at the July 1 meeting, the mayor and other commissioners hypocritically wanted to make sure no ex-felons are allowed on the board.
If a new Citizens Police Review board is really going to make a difference, first they need to review the record of every police officer from the chief down to the most recent hired. Put every officer on probation to see if they can meet new standards set by the board or city commission and possibly qualify for raise if they do.
Next, the board needs to review all the current policies affecting the authority of police, especially policies that encourage police to be disrespectful and threatening during stops especially when it comes to stopping people and searching them or their cars for bogus probable causes.
I know many people who have been arrested for only obstruction of justice or resisting arrest with or without violence because the officer said so. Also, police are quick to ask people who they stop if they have any prior arrests, information that prejudices police against residents. Next, the board needs to review the budget and come up with suggestions on diverting some of their funds for youth programs and initiatives, for example, a revamped Pal Program or Upward Bound program that pays 14- and 15-year-olds during the summer.
This incentivizes students to do the right thing and produces a generation to continue their education, possibly become police officers and learn how to be productive citizens. The board could also review the budget to come up with other ideas to divert funds that could send better-qualified people other than police officers to homes that don't necessarily require police to respond to calls - may be mental health or medical personnel could solve an issue, if not criminal.
Also, like Washington D.C. has done and other cities across America, divert funds for a Black Lives Matter memorial on Orange Avenue, Beach Street or Palmetto; or create a memorial of Daytona Black icons on a prominent wall somewhere in the city that shows Black Lives Matter.
Finally, once the board has addressed these issues and others they deem necessary, then a citizen police review board is formed to review all complaints against police and or the police department with that information forwarded to an assistant manager who would then forward complaints to the police department. This would prevent Blue from protecting Blue.
Residents need to feel comfortable that they can file complaints against police who they believe have done them wrong. A box needs to be set up at the city hall, not the police department, where residents can pick up a complaint form and also turn them in at city hall which is first read by at least an assistant city manager before it is forwarded to the police department. The board needs to be made up of people with diverse opinions, even ex-felons if they are the best qualified to make a difference for our city.
Daytona Beach city commissioners will vote on the new board at 8 p.m Wednesday at City Hall.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.