Rob Vanella is the coordinator for Neighbors Organized for Credibility and Accountability in Policing.
I’m writing in response to Dover City Council President Fred Neil’s Opinion (“Dover Police Department is under siege”).
We agree with Mr. Neil that many aspects of journalism have evolved since he covered police and the courts in the 1960s. One thing that hasn’t changed at all is a reporter’s obligation to protect the identity of sources.
Neighbors Organized for Credibility and Accountability in Policing has indeed launched a citizens’ complaint pilot in Dover. Based on feedback received from the community, the trust between the people and the police has eroded. Reading Mr. Neil’s commentary, our group can clearly see why this breakdown has occurred.
Mr. Neil uses an arcane dichotomy to drive a wedge through the community, separating “taxpayers” out into a special category. Of course, we have Dover taxpayers as part of NOCAP, but that’s not really the point.
Are poor people and those receiving benefits in a lesser category of constituents?
(In a dossier distributed to all City Council members July 15, Mr. Neil doubles down on this argument, lamenting that complaints may come from “panhandlers, the homeless, or prostitutes.” I suppose this is possible since these individuals are statistically common targets of police harassment and violence.)
Additionally, Mr. Neil describes “scary” folks, from whom taxpayers need protection. Homelessness and mental illness are significant issues, but do homeless individuals and the ill commit more crimes than average people do? No, they don’t. In fact, while people experiencing homelessness may have illness and substance abuse issues, they are victims of violent crime at much higher-than-average rates. (You can refer to the National Library of Medicine for details and citations.)
Demonizing the poor and people experiencing homelessness is both ugly and unhealthy. NOCAP would argue that this rhetoric, and the message it sends to local law enforcement, are big reasons the police lack credibility in the community.
The city of Dover and its insurance company have paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years to settle cases of extreme police violence. This ensures that the city avoids trials and can keep all evidence and body camera videos secret.
Given all these factors, NOCAP will be taking complaints from citizens, analyzing them for trends and reporting on what is found. Based on Mr. Neil’s statements, it appears the city won’t be cooperating.
Also, to be very clear, the database will be treated as journalistic source material, protected by the U.S. Constitution, and everyone making a complaint can rest assured that names won’t be disclosed. Our group will approach this work with a foundation in journalistic ethics and professionalism — the same as reporters did in the 1960s.
Also, importantly, NOCAP will know who makes the complaints and will assess whether the claims are reliable. The records are confidential, not anonymous.
Mr. Neil claims that this project lacks transparency. At the same time, we’re meant to take at face value that Hope York’s car was stolen and that the bodycam footage shows guns drawn but pointing down, simply because the police chief says so.
If the city is sincerely concerned about transparency, it should release all material and video from this incident.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
