Task force to work on social justice
Broward Sheriff’s Office hopes to get ahead of unrest
In an attempt to end social unrest before it begins, the Broward Sheriff’s Office has announced the creation of a 21-member Social JusticeTask Force.
The goal is to laymore lines of communication between lawenforcement and the community it is supposed to serve, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said at a news conference Thursday morning.
“Inclusion is fundamental,” he said. “[That’s] having the community get involved in the activities thatwe’re doing, the policies we’re making, the engagements we’re trying to have to earn and continue to keep the public’s trust.”
Members of the task force include law enforcement, a judge, lawyers, community leaders, religious leaders, children’s advocacy groups and other groups such as Black LivesMatter.
The idea is to involve those who are on the ground in the community, who will be able to report back to the task force about the issues they see in their communities, saidNikHarris, an LGBTQ advocate on the task force.
She said she hopes that by getting local representatives involved early, they’ll be wellversed in those issues once they’reupinTallahassee creating and advocating for new laws.
Those on the task force will also make sure Broward Sheriff’s deputies are going through adequate implicit bias andsensitivity training, Harris said. She said wants to see deputies out in the community on a regular basis so that law enforcement’s relationship with the community can improve organically.
That sort of trust from the community may have come in handy in the case of Bree Black, a transgender woman who was shot dead on a street crowded with people who were celebrating the July 4th holiday. Authorities are still looking for Black’s murderer more than twomonths later.
“Nobody came forward because there is distrust of law enforcement,” Harris said. “Howdo you change that? Number one you’ve gottabein thecommunity, not showing up to the community because you got a call about something beingwrong.”
Awebsitewill be set up to take and categorize community complaints so they can be addressed
quickly, but Harris hopes the group will address those concerns before they become complaints.
“By the time you have a report, it’s too late,” she said. “We look forward to addressing these issues before they are issues.”
The task force is meant to complement, not replace, existing entities such as Internal Affairs that investigate complaints against deputies.
“When small things go unchecked, that’s when they become major,” said task force director Capt. Renee Peterson.
“So, our goal inBroward County is to not wait until our city is burning down before we address the problem.”
The task forcewillmeet the third Tuesday of every other month beginning in November.