The team, known as the constitutional policing unit, is already on board and its first batch of recommendations is expected to reach the chief’s office in February, Dallas police officials told the City Council’s public safety committee Monday. Comprised mostly of civilian employees, the unit will publish an annual accountability report and outline possible policy and training additions and changes to uphold the highest policing standards, the chief said.
“Your police department has a very strong, positive culture,” Dallas police Chief Eddie García told the public safety committee. “To preserve that strength and that integrity, it’s important that we’re constantly analyzing ourselves to ensure that we are on the right path.”
Police officials said the unit is intended to “build on the department’s recent success and commitment to transparency,” pointing to efforts including the department’s disciplinary decisions, use-of-force dashboard unveiled earlier this year, collaborations with the police oversight office and attempts to expedite internal investigations. Police oversight members have repeatedly highlighted difficulties hearing from rank-and-file officers, who are not required to respond to subpoena requests and often don’t answer oversight officials.
Sgt. Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association, said the unit is similar to the department’s current inspection unit, but its scope will be broader and will include the work of third-party experts. He said usually the department refers to case law and city attorneys to review internal policies.
“To me, it’s a win-win for everybody,” Mata said. “We hope that we are using best policies, but you don’t know unless you do a lot of self checking. That’s what I believe this is — it is self checking, but doing it from not only internally from our own personnel, but having that third outside set of eyes.”
Earlier this year, The Dallas Morning News published an investigation about how some of the department’s internal investigative practices weren’t up to federal standards. One of the U.S. Department of Justice recommendations highlighted in The News’ report outlined how police departments should consider creating units that audit investigative practices to determine whether policies are followed and to pinpoint weaknesses.
García declined to comment for that report in The News, but on Monday referred to a “recent story” that he said mischaracterized the department. He added that the constitutional unit had been “long in the making,” and stemmed from discussions about how police can study themselves better.
The Los Angeles police and sheriff’s departments operate similar constitutional offices. The offices there were launched at separate times in response to federal consent decrees — court orders that mandate reform in agencies where the justice department found evidence of misconduct. The LAPD said in a 2019 news release the office is intended to “further institutionalize the reforms prescribed during that federal oversight.”
Dallas police Lt. Julio Gonzalez, who will lead the unit, said teams focused on best practices are usually put in place as a “reactive response to criticism” from the Department of Justice. He said Dallas is “proactively” launching the unit to reinforce the department’s commitment to transparency.
“That is what the citizens of Dallas expect and deserve,” Gonzalez said.
City Council member Gay Donnell Willis said there are residents “at the starting point of where we need to build trust” that may not hear about the department’s transparency efforts, so DPD’s steps forward are critical.
”There are council members who would probably line up to say, ‘Start with my community so we can build that trust,’” Willis told police. “But I’m really glad to see you thinking about this and taking this step.”
Unit Responsibilities
The unit will work with an expert to review Dallas police policies and training and outline recommendations to the chief, Gonzalez said. Employees will also compile and organize a database with law enforcement national best practices, which will be available internally to Dallas police commanders, Gonzalez said.
The department already identified the expert as Alex del Carmen, an associate dean of the school of criminology at Tarleton State University. del Carmen will conduct four “strategic reviews” of high-risk areas and help with recommendations, Gonzalez said.
The associate dean already works with Dallas police on other matters and told The News he looks forward to assisting in the review and implementation.
“This proactive initiative will be unique and of national relevance in its efforts to identify and address challenges within police organizations,” del Carmen said in an email.
The team will monitor the department to ensure the agreed upon recommendations are adopted, Gonzalez said. A webpage accessible to the public through the department’s main website will document the unit’s progress.
The unit will also host employee and expert roundtables about constitutional policing and “fine tune” their own methodology as they work to implement this. The team will then publish an annual accountability report with outcomes achieved during the year.
Gonzalez said the department has a “golden opportunity” to implement the unit now, noting support from community members and city officials and that Dallas is on pace for a third year of violent crime reduction. (The murder tally, however, is up about 11.7 percent for a total of 230 murders compared with this time last year.)
The effort is separate from the compliance teams implemented by Dallas police earlier this year, which the department announced after The News reported on widespread digital evidence storage issues.
Reaction to New Unit
Brandon Friedman, a member of Dallas’ Community Police Oversight Board, said he’d like to do more research on the expert who’ll review the policies, but he views the unit’s creation as a great step forward.
“I’m very proud to live in a city with a police department that is making an effort like this,” Friedman said. “Now, the payoff here is going to be the execution.”
He said police need to police themselves, but it doesn’t negate the need for outside oversight.
“It doesn’t replace our job as the police oversight board,” Friedman said. “But if we have a professional police department that’s going to take constitutional rights of residents seriously, then it sure does make our job a whole lot easier.”
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