The recent findings of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) study of the Berkeley Police Department were submitted to Berkeley's City Council in mid-April. The study called on the city to hire 31 more police officers, at a cost of well over one million dollars per year. In these economically troubled times, the citizens of Berkeley must take a very critical look not only at the PERF study, but also at the very concept of Community Involved Policing around which the study was based.
The Police Executive Research Forum grew out of an informal assembly of major metropolitan police executives for the purpose of studying "mutual problems in effective law enforcement." By 1977, PERF had formally established itself in Washington, D.C. as a "law enforcement think-tank," expanding its staff to include experts in criminal justice and professionals in management and research. But its core membership continues to consist exclusively of police chiefs from cities of 50,000 people or more. In the interest of "different viewpoints" on crime, secondary memberships are offered to top cops in smaller towns, as well as the occasional "academician."
PERF's major focus is the development of "innovative approaches" to crime. These projects include studies on gang activity, asset forfeiture, community policing -- with a special emphasis on public housing -- money laundering, excessive force, internal review and community relations. PERF also conducts studies by city on the effectiveness of that city's police department and where there is room for improved efficiency. The City Council employed PERF to conduct just such a study last year. The bill: $40,000 -- for asking a group of police chiefs if we should hire more cops.
PERF submitted over 200 recommendations ranging from calling for more parking
spaces for BPD officers and staff, to urging a reduction in the Special
Enforcement Unit (SEU). Although we disagree with the main recommendation
of more police officers, COPWATCH found some of the PERF findings surprisingly
reasonable. For example:
Despite these constructive suggestions, the general premise of the study is that Community Involved Policing (CIP) requires a very substantial increase in the number of patrol officers. This recommendation is not based on crime levels. In fact, BPD records show a sharp decrease in major crimes last year, and an overall decline over the past four years. The PERF vision of Community Policing is that of police officers assuming responsibilities and functions which have previously been performed by social workers in the private and public sectors.
Citizens who think the hiring of additional officers will lead to increased visibility of officers on the street should certainly read the report. According to PERF:
"Many citizens are under the impression that the implementation of CIP will result in higher visibility of police officers. Even the addition of 30 officers will not have this result" (recommendation #43).
In fact, the PERF study suggests that under CIP, the police department should reduce the amount of time officers spend responding to calls for service from 49% to 35% of their paid time. PERF recommends that officers should instead spend more time working on community organizing, interdepartmental liaison, advocacy and information distribution.
This approach represents a fundamental shift in the very concept of police work. Supporters of CIP argue that the police will become more like social workers (with guns). Opponents counter that community organizing and advocacy are functions which are more effectively performed by civilian professionals. (For example, the sight of Officer Katz pouring beer on a homeless man he wrongly arrested [see story, p. 4] does not inspire confidence in the police capacity for homeless referral and advocacy.) The militarization of social work and neighborhood organizing will ultimately undermine public trust in city services and cause even greater divisions in our neighborhoods than already exist.
The PERF report details an alarming abundance of inefficiency within the
department:
Most Berkeley residents have had the opportunity to witness their police department in action. It is not uncommon to see four to six BPD and UC officers work together to issue a ticket for obstructing the sidewalk or trespassing. How officers spend their uncommitted time is a critical issue when we consider the option of increasing the size of our police force. And when officers do respond to calls for service, many are not even crime-related.
According to Officer Thornton, speaking at a Beat 6 Community Policing meeting in February, "More often than not, the calls that we go to have nothing to do with crime, but with people's personal problems... Every once in a while we get a crime report or something related to criminal activity."
Even though officers use their uncommitted time ineffectively and respond to calls unrelated to crime, PERF recommends hiring more officers -- with less oversight by the City Council and the PRC. PERF claims that the City Council should not attempt to "micromanage" the police department:
"Some certainty has to be provided by the Council that officers can take needed action and risks to resolve problems without undue scrutiny, criticism or sudden changes in their authority" (#45).
In a similar manner, the PERF study recommends that the PRC should "refrain from unwarranted criticism of police services" (#34). The report also states, "the PRC will have to overcome the perception that its role is an adversarial one, with respect to the police department. Until a stronger bridge is built between the PRC and the police, the success of a broader role for the PRC in community policing is unlikely" (#46).
Unfortunately, PERF does not seem to appreciate the role of the PRC. The PRC must remain independent: recently, cuts in its staffing have affected its ability to provide oversight of the department. It is conceivable that if the police department had a history of cooperation with the PRC, not just in specific investigations of officer misconduct, but also in matters of policy and deployment, the police department could have been prevented from wasting existing resources and staff.
At times, politicians and policymakers have viewed the police department as a sacred cow which should never be questioned or criticized. But with the City budget in crisis, throwing money at the police department is no guarantee that our streets will be safer and our citizenry better served. Rather than turn cops into social workers, let's see if we can work to create solutions that last and really address the roots of crime. When we have enough jobs and homes for our community, perhaps we will be able to look at reducing the size of our police force instead of increasing it.
Tell the Council: We want jobs -- not cops!!