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CLAREMONT - Ten months after a study found black and Latino drivers in
Claremont are pulled over at a higher rate than whites, the city has agreed
to spend up to $40,000 to study the imbalance further.
As part of a long-in-the-works "action plan" aimed at curbing the rate that
minority drivers are pulled over, the City Council decided this week to
earmark the money for a community survey, focus groups or other possible
measures to find out why the disparity exists.
"We want to have a better idea of what creates the disparity," said
Councilman Paul Held, who helped draft the plan. "We're trying to analyze
the problem a little bit more so we can know what to do to address the
problem."
The action plan, which contains a number of recommendations for what to do
in response to the vehicle stop study, now goes to the Police Commission,
which will decide how to spend the money and which of the included
suggestions - or new ideas - to pursue.
The suggestions - including auditors to monitor the Police Department, a
community survey about the department, and focus groups and forums for
concerned citizens - were pieced together by a small committee of city
officials and residents over 11 meetings, which began in May.
Several residents expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday night with the lack of
any concrete actions in the long-awaited plan, saying the "action" plan was
more of a "study" plan.
"I think it's dis-action," said former police commissioner John Murphy, who
echoed concerns of many speakers that the city would continue studying the
problem without ever actually doing something. "It's circular and it's
redundant and it's bureaucratic to the point that it's embarassing."
Councilman Llewellyn Miller defended the recommendations, saying it is
important to identify why the problem exists before deciding how to solve
it.
"(The plan) is a logical and meaningful step in the progress that flows from
the original study," he said.
The $33,000 vehicle stop study - which the council authorized in March 2002
to determine whether the Claremont Police Department engages in racial
profiling - identifies a disparity in stops of minority drivers, but does
not explain why or suggest any deliberate bias or profiling on the part of
police officers.
Police Commission Chairwoman Carol Painter said the commission is eager to
begin consideration of the action plan and looks forward to working with
police to implement its goals.
"We don't think we have an evil department - we have a great department,"
she said. "But because we have a disparity, we have to find out why we have
a disparity."
At the same time, she said, the commission has to examine how many more
studies the city should conduct if they end up saying the same thing.
"An action plan has to have actions - it can't just be more studies,"
Painter said.
The Police Commission will discuss the city's vehicle stop study and action
plan during a retreat Tuesday and Wednesday in the Citrus Room at City Hall,
225 W. Second St. The meetings, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Wednesday, are open to the public. |
