Detroit Police Departments Not Complying With Federal Court Order
DETROIT (WWJ) - Criticism and more questions over Detroit's police department's pace to fully comply with federal orders to clean up its act.
The DPD was ordered by the Department of Justice to take specific measures to reduce police abuse and misconduct as well as to stop holding crime witnesses too long. That order was in 2003 and Detroit was supposed to be compliant by 2006; they have failed to fully comply with the court order.
A day of inquiry at Wayne State University Law School brought together civil rights attorneys and law enforcement leaders. WWJ's Stephanie Davis spoke with Ron Scott with the Detroit Coalition against Police Brutality.
"We think that some of those issues that brought us to the table still exist. Not only think they do, but everyday with the people that we get in our office. We see that many of these issues are problematic and some of the ones that we thought to have ended are occurring again," says Scott.
"I think that the judge has the responsibility to make sure that the monitor takes the job seriously ,does what they are supposed to do, and that the benchmarks are met, that hasn't been done," added Scott.
"They were all supposed to be accomplished by mid-2006, and here it is 2011 and they are about 60% in compliance, with the hardest tasks yet to be done, " says Cynthia Henan, local civil rights lawyer who is also a part of the National Police Accountability Project.
Many believe that the judge and police department have not been aggressive enough.
Mayor Bing hopes to complete the reforms by the end of the year.
