Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Racism, police brutality bring changes
Fort Lauderdale officers taking one-day training in art of communicating with public
FORT LAUDERDALE – A cop who sees a fellow officer using excessive force in Hillsboro Beach is now required to intervene, thanks to a new department policy.
In Wilton Manors, officers are now required to step in when a colleague uses excessive force. They also have to report the incident to the chief so it can be investigated.
In Fort Lauderdale, police officers from the top down are now doing one-day training sessions in the art of communicating with the public.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, cities across Broward County are publicizing their efforts to target systemic racism and respond to calls for change, according to a statement released this week by the Broward County City Managers’ Association.
The association — made up of city managers from all 31 cities in Broward, plus Broward County’s administrator — says it’s obvious there’s more work to do. Hence the renewed push for policy changes and training updates.
It will take more than one training class to stamp out systemic bias and racism, Fort Lauderdale City Manager Chris Lagerbloom says. But it’s a start.
“They’re 425 strong,” Lagerbloom said of the police department. “It won’t happen overnight. I don’t think you can change anything in a day. I don’t even think you can change a bad habit in one day. But we can start the conversation.”
Floyd, who was Black, was killed on May 25 by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer who kept his knee pressed into Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin and three other officers have been fired and criminally charged for their actions.
Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was left paralyzed after being shot several times on Aug. 23 by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
■ In response to the national outcry over those killings and others, Broward’s city managers’ organization is urging local governments here and nationwide to take the following actions:
■ Critically examine and review existing policies, practices and procedures through
the lens of racial equity.
■ Confirm that law enforcement recruitment and hiring practices represent the needs of our communities.
■ Evaluate nationwide best practice models for citizen review boards for law enforcement agencies.
■ Dismantle systemic barriers by establishing standardized training resources for elected officials, appointed officials and municipal employees on the topics of racial equity and implicit bias.
Lagerbloom said the “call to action” was created by a subcommittee on racial justice he chaired with input from city managers from Coral Springs, Hallandale Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, Miramar, West Park and Weston.
West Park City Manager Ajibola Balogun has told the Broward Sheriff’s Office he wants a report sent to the city on all use-of-force incidents as they happen.
“It’s already reported inhouse [at the agency], but now they will send a report to the city,” he said. “If there should be any use of force, I need to know.”
The information will be shared with the city commission and, if warranted, discussed at a public meeting.
Balogun is also arranging for employees to undergo diversity training twice a year.
“We want to make sure our employees understand we want to support racial equity and social justice,” he said.
He is encouraging deputies assigned to West Park to attend as well even though they do their own training sessions through the Sheriff ’s Office.
“We want to bring awareness to these issues,” he said. “By making these changes, we want to make the residents feel well informed and create an improved relationship with them.”
Here’s more detail on what a few other cities say they are doing.
Deerfield Beach: The city has formally recognized Juneteenth as an official city holiday. Come June 19, all city offices will be closed in honor of Juneteenth to recognize the end of slavery in the U.S.
Tamarac: New signs will be going up at parks in Tamarac warning against racist and inappropriate behavior of any kind.
The city is planning to post similar signs in other public areas as well.
The idea for the signs came about after City Manager Michael Cernech held a series of virtual and faceto-face meetings with employees to give them the chance to discuss systemic racism in the workplace. Parks and Recreation employees complained of being the targets of racist behavior from park visitors. The city is also sending out alerts to employees on what they should do if the feel they are personally at risk while on the job.
Wilton Manors: The Wilton Manors Police Department has banned officers from using the chokehold maneuver since 2006. This past June, the department expanded that rule with a ban on any maneuver or tactic that prevents breathing or obstructs someone’s airway. All police personnel were trained on the new policy.
The policy echoed a call by the Florida Police Chiefs Association on Thursday. The association issued a report calling for steps that include “preservation of life,” largely banning chokeholds and other neck-related restraints and stepping up recruitment of police officers who would better reflect communities.