AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY DEBI ROSE

STATEMENT BEFORE THE N.Y.C. COUNCIL SELECT COMMITTEE ON POLICE PERFORMANCE & COMMUNITY RELATIONS

May 8, 2000

Good evening. My name is Debi Rose. I want to thank the City Council, Chairwoman Robinson and Speaker Peter Vallone for this important and much needed opportunity to discuss the state of police performance and community relations in the City and on Staten Island.

I speak tonight as a community activist and leader on Staten Island for over 25-years, having served on Community Board #1, as an elected member of the Community School board and on various community and civil organizations. I also speak tonight as a mother of a 21-year-old son who has grown up on Staten Island.

I believe that the Committee may hear “a tale of two Staten Islands” in tonight’s testimony. One perhaps on the commendable job that the police do in protecting Staten Island and reducing the impact of crime in our communities. The other will speak of the fear, intimidation and distrust of the police in our communities of color. Staten Island is not immune to the issues that have impacted that rest of the City. In 1994 we had the case of Ernest Sayon, killed in an altercation with police on the street, and just last year two incidents of undercover police shootings in the Park Hill community. It is this dichotomy of experience and possible suggestions that I wish to touch on in the short time that I have tonight.

First, we all must realize that the police officers on the NYPD have one of the toughest jobs that we can ask on anyone serving the public good. And we must commend their daily efforts to put their lives at risk to protect us from those who would do harm to ourselves, our families and our communities. We can look to the example of Officer Gerald Carter who gave his life to protect his community. Staten Island, as the rest of the City, has seen a tremendous reduction in crime, especially in communities of color which are most impacted by crime. However, we must asked as to what price has been paid in some communities for this success.

One can not only see but also feel the anger and hostility in relations between some communities and the police officers that serve them.

With this crime reduction success, we now have the opportunity to reexamine aggressive police tactics and policies, including Stop & Frisk and Zero Tolerance. Has the push to reduce crime and highlight numbers created a climate for possible abuse of the civil rights of New York’s citizens, particularly in communities of color? The first step to answering this question is to have the Mayor and Police Department to recognize and acknowledge that there is a problem. I am glad to see that the Council was already done this by instituting these hearings.

Recent reports have highlighted disparities in police tactics, including on Staten Island. In the State Attorney General’s December 1999 Report on “The New York City Police Department’s ‘Stop & Frisk’ Practices”, which examined police records for the period of January 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999, it found that minorities, blacks in particular, were “stopped” at a higher rate than whites, particularly in precincts with a majority population is white. On Staten Island, the report found that for the 120^th police precinct, which has a black population of only 18%, 64% of the NYPD stops were of blacks. In the 122^nd precinct, with a black population of 1.4%, 17.3% of NYPD stops were of blacks. According to recently published newspaper reports, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) own study found that NYPD officers failed to file “Stop & Frisk” reports as required. This calls into question the nature and quantity of these police-community interactions that officially are never reported. In addition the Commission on Civil Rights has also found racial disparity in NYPD stops on Staten Island, indicating in a draft report that in 1998 51% of stops on Staten Island were blacks while representing only 9% of the populations. This statistics only quantify what I and other members of the African-American community on Staten Island hear and experience everyday. I would like the NYPD to provide any explanation for this.

That is why I support the recommendations contained in the City Council’s May 1999 “Blueprint for Reform” and those expressed by the coalition of New Yorkers that came together last year in the wake of the Amadou Diallo shooting, including:

1. having a residency requirement for future police officers - although it does not guarantee that there will not be bad officer – just look at Staten Island’s own Justin Volpe and Charles Schwartz – police officers leaving in NYC have a stake in their communities;
2. stronger support for a truly independent Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) – although the Mayor argues that complaints are down, it does not reflect the lack of confidence that communities have that their complaints will have a fair and quick resolution;
3. rescinding the 48 hour rule in the collective bargaining agreement with police unions – why do officers need this protection when no one else is entitled to it;
4. re-establishing a Special Prosecutor for police misconduct – to avoid apparent conflicts between District Attorneys and the Police;
5. increasing recruitment and promotion of minorities and woman on the force; and
6. increasing training and positive community contacts between police and the communities they serve.

Finally, one thing is clear, that a continued lack of faith in and respect for the NYPD in minority communities will hinder cooperation and call into question the effectiveness of any crime reduction strategy, particularly in those communities that needs the protection the most. Without the full support of community, the police cannot be completely successful.