VOA标准英语2015--美国很多城市的审查委员会处理警察投诉案

 

Review Boards in Many US Cities Handle Complaints Against Police 美国很多城市的审查委员会处理警察投诉案

INDIANAPOLIS—

The use of deadly force by law enforcement officers in Ferguson, Missouri and elsewhere in the United States in recent months has focused new attention on the procedures available to citizens to file concerns and complaints against the police. In Indiana, efforts are being made by the Indianapolis Metropolitan¹ Police Department to give citizens a voice in the effort to police the police.

Justin Henry is one of about 1500 police officers patrolling zones in and around the city of Indianapolis, where about one million people either live or work.

Henry’s job puts him in contact with some of these citizens every day.

For a policeman, each encounter is different, often uncertain and sometimes dangerous.

Police Chief Richard “Rick” Hite said his officers work to deal with that uncertainty² by being proactive about knowing the people they police.

“Meet some of the residents before an issue occurs, so that you are no stranger when something happens in the community when you show up. Your job is to go out there and be a problem solver,” said Hite.

But when a citizen has a compliant³ with an Indianapolis police officer, Chief Hite will know about it, thanks to the Citizens Police Complaint Office.

“We offer that citizen an avenue to say your voice is valuable, and you do have a voice in this process, and that police can’t come in and treat people however they want,” said Laura White, head of the Citizens’ Police Complaint Office.

White’s complaint board is made up of nine appointed civilians⁵. It also includes three law enforcement officers, but they don’t vote on cases under review.

“We are an independent agency of the police department, but we are there as an avenue for the citizens of Indianapolis to articulate complaints that they may have had in a law enforcement engagement with a police officer,” said White.

The complaint process in Indianapolis was established in 1989 by city ordinance⁶ to ensure independent accountability.

“They review the case, the complaint, the investigation⁷, and then they render a decision on the findings, whether they sustain the finding, or they don’t sustain it, there’s not enough proof one way or the other to say this complaint is valid,” White explained.

But the results of a 2012 audit⁸, conducted by a consulting firm contracted by the city, found that there were serious restrictions⁹ on how the complaints were filed.

White, who took over the office after the audit, said she believes recent figures for 2014 indicate the process is working.

“We had [a] total [of] 110 officers that had complains filed against them, and out of that we had 45 disciplines that came out of that, so almost half resulted in discipline,” she said.

Camern McEllhiney, a former member of the Indianapolis Citizens Complaint Board, and now serves as the Director of Training for the National Association for Civilian⁴ Oversight¹⁰ of Law Enforcement, or NACOLE, cited the importance of an outsider’s perspective.

“When you add the element of civilians to the process, they are able to look at it with an outsider's perspective, and make sure that the investigation is done fairly, and consistently over time,” said McEllhiney. “I think what Ferguson and other national cases have done for oversight is made not just law enforcement agencies but city leaders and members of the community understand is that this isn’t something that should be done after something has happened, that maybe it's time to start doing oversight ahead of time so that bad things don’t happen in communities."

Though the complaint and review process can be intrusive¹¹ and disruptive for the officer or department involved, Chief Hite welcomes the scrutiny¹².

“We have to have checks and balances.  It’s important to recognize they are quality compliance,” said Hite.

A 2013 study by California State University Fullerton shows that more than 100 police departments, many in large cities, have civilian oversight boards. While New York City has such oversight, the Ferguson, Missouri city council only voted last September to set up a civilian review board.

1 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 compliant   

adj.服从的，顺从的

参考例句：

• I don't respect people who are too compliant.我看不起那种唯命是从，唯唯诺诺的人。
• For years I had tried to be a compliant and dutiful wife.几年来，我努力做一名顺从和尽职尽职的妻子。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

11 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

12 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。