Task force formed on race, justice, police
WEST CHESTER » In the wake of a growing national movement to address demands for racial justice and police reform, members of the Chester County law enforcement ranks and representatives of the larger community are being brought together to work towards those aims.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan announced the formation of the Chester County Law Enforcement Task
Force on Race and Justice, a group that she said will include members from the county’s Fraternal Order of
Police, the Chester County Chiefs of
Police Association, the Pennsylvania State Police, the county Sheriff’s Department, the local NAACP, community members, and others involved in the criminal justice system.
“This task force will focus to improve relationships with and treatment of communities of color with law enforcement as well as criminal justice reform to ensure just outcomes for all people equally,” said Ryan in a press release. “We will work together to reexamine our policies and protocols and to review our training so that we can uncover and address problems with systemic racism in the criminal justice system.
“Our goal is to engage in open and honest dialogues with the community, and each other, to facilitate the best practices moving forward,” she said.
The move comes as Philadelphia police and politicians apologized for the way a largely peaceful protest on June 1 was confronted, as legislation was passed both nationally and in Harrisburg to address police reforms, and the county community continued to protest past abuses, protests that began with the murder of a Black man in Minnesota at the hands of local police. They have been without incident or arrests.
Although Ryan said some people had already agreed to participate in the task force, its membership is still in the initial phase and thus she was not prepared to identify who would be included.
The idea of a task force was applauded by the head of the West Chester NAACP, Rev. Kyle Boyer of Tredyffrin, who was among those Ryan said she reached out to in discussing its formation.
“I think that any conversation among people who are committed to action to better our community is a good one,” said Boyer, who was among those who marched
through the streets of West Chester in a rally for racial justice organized by Mayor Dianna Herrin and borough Police Chief James Morehead earlier this month.
“If all the stakeholders are brought to the table, and as long as multiple viewpoints are included, I think it is a good idea,” Boyer said in an interview And here, I think it is important that the chief law enforcement officer in the county, the district attorney, is committed to the work. I am willing to support it.”
In her release, Ryan said that the task force will review law enforcement policies and protocols throughout the county on the use of force, and work to provide and improve training on, among other things, deescalation and implicit bias. Additionally, it will look at mechanisms to improve accountability at all levels and will review and examine hiring practices, including red flag reforms, to improve transparency. Finally, the task force will study and review legislation proposed on policing reforms.
Law enforcement has already begun dialogues with community members on these topics and will continue to engage in community outreach indefinitely throughout the county.
“Our office has been impressed by the efforts made by law enforcement around the county over the past few weeks” to address concerns by Black residents about police behavior, Ryan said. “We are fortunate to have many professional, dedicated, and ethical police officers in Chester County who want to do their part to make changes and improvements. There is a sincere commitment on their part to see how we can work together.
“We are also impressed by the protesters who engaged in their right to free assembly in a peaceful manner,” she added. “Their voices were heard and we expect to move forward understanding that there are many important stakeholders involved in the criminal justice system.”
Ryan, the county’s first Democratic district attorney, noted that the idea of addressing racial concerns and bridging a gap between police and community members had been on her mind even before the death of George Floyd and the national protest movement.
“These are ideas we had been discussing, especially when we were developing (her) campaign,” she said. “It was always something we needed to tackle.”
Additionally, Ryan said the District Attorney’s Office had created its own internal Racial and Ethnic Diversity Workgroup that consists of several subcommittees on training, community outreach and criminal justice reform. The office will also implement a conviction integrity review of cases where there is a claim of true innocence.
“This is only a first step and we recognize that many stakeholders must be involved if we want to effectuate real change. Our hope is that by listening to members of the community and discussing their concerns we can create actionable items to improve our system. This will take time, but we are committed to continuing our efforts to make improvements to ensure justice for all. “Ryan said.