The Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) - Police here plan to start tracking their officers’ behavior by using a new warning system that can call for intervention before problems get serious.
Police in Chandler and Tempe already have systems in place, and most other large agencies in the area are either studying the databases, designing new software themselves or trying to find money to pay for them.
“Early warning systems are the wave of the future. And the U.S. Department of Justice has identified early warning systems as one of the best practices that they recommend for police departments across the country,” said Merrick Bobb, founding director of the Police Assessment Resource Center, which works on police-reform issues.
Most agencies will focus on citizen complaints, firearm-discharge reports, use-of-force incidents, civil litigation, resisting arrest cases, pursuits and vehicular accidents.
Phoenix created one of the most complex, all-encompassing programs to track all department members.
It also will monitor commendations, overtime pay, an officer’s exposure to horrific events, off-duty work, vacation and discipline. The department also plans to examine age, sex and race of people who receive citations to try to prevent biased policing.
The program even allows officers to voluntarily enter more personal information, such as illnesses and whether they are going through a divorce or a death in the family.
“Sometimes those events can play heavily on an employee’s mind,” said Levi Bolton, a police union representative.
An administrator will monitor the Phoenix system to look for potential problems.
Supervisors can intervene by offering the officer counseling, training, days off, or even a switch in assignments. The system is not intended to be used for discipline.
Phoenix received a $150,000 grant to start building a system, and it’s been in the works for a little over a year, said Sgt. Ron Snodgrass, who helped design the database.
The department’s system is not yet fully operational because some thresholds are still being designed, such as how many times an officer can officer witness a baby drowning, get into a fight or be exposed to methamphetamine labs before intervention is necessary.
Some officers fear the databases will be used against them.
“We are not giving a blanket acceptance of everything they’re trying to do,” Jake Jacobsen, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said of the system. “We will continue to make sure none of our people are unduly or unfairly labeled without the human element being looked into.”