There was push back Tuesday on the reform plan unveiled by Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall Monday at a city council committee meeting. City council members mostly supported the plan. Opposition among police officers was strong Tuesday according to a union leader.
George Aranda, president of the National Latino Law Enforcement Officers Association, Dallas Chapter said turnout for their regular monthly meeting was much higher than normal.
"We had a packed house today," Aranda said. "We had close to over 80 people in here who were concerned and upset over the new policies that are being put in place."
Hall's proposed policy changes are billed as "21st Century Policing Best Practices," a reference to policy research completed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Hall's recommendations include removing a 72-hour waiting period before officers are required to give a statement about critical incidents and giving more power to the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board.
Hall was hired from Detroit, where 11 civilian police commissioners oversee police hiring, discipline and policy. Seven of the Detroit commissioners are elected by the public and four are appointed by the mayor.
Monday, Hall said she believed expanded civilian oversight power was necessary in Dallas to build trust in the community.
"These are things that I intend to push forward and it's not without the officers input," Hall said.
Aranda said there was no input from his organization and members are most unhappy with removing the 72-hour waiting period.
"We did our research and it totally contradicts 21st Century Policing," Aranda said.
The union leader said the waiting period is intended to help get complete information from officers who may be under intense stress during a critical situation. Without it, Aranda said officers may fear making a partial statement.
"I'm surprised that we were not reached out to and briefed on it. You can't make a big policy change like that without talking to your officers," Aranda said.
Bishop Omar Jahwar, with a community action group called Urban Specialists, said he agreed there was a need for police reform in Dallas, but he said Hall's plan goes too far.
"We're trying to stop the innocent from being harmed. We're trying to stop the good police from being caught in this massacre of character assassination," Jahwar said.
He said he supported additional power for the Dallas Civilian Review Board but not as much power as civilians have over police in Detroit. He said police officers should have time to collect their thoughts after a critical situation, but 72 hours may be too long.
"You want to have a police department that's disciplined, that's balanced and fair. And I believe we can get there, but you've got to be strategic," he said.
Hall told the city council public safety committee Monday that her proposed changes are not final.
The committee chairman, councilman Adam McGough, attended the union meeting Tuesday. He declined to comment afterward except to say that he is doing a lot of listening.
