Got a complaint against a Fort Worth Police officer? There's a new option

Fort Worth's Office of the Police Oversight Monitor has launched a new mediation program aimed to help restore community trust in the police department.

“It is a different avenue for internal affairs complaints to be handled. So normally someone comes in, they file a complaint, if it has merit, it goes to an investigation, the end," explained OPOM director Bonycle Sokunbi.

She said the offices interview the community member and the officer.

"There’s no opportunity for someone to explain how they felt or any educational opportunities during that experience," she said.

A new mediation option gives case reviewers an alternative to an investigation.

“Maybe it’s better for them to have the opportunity to discuss their issues than just render down punishment, because that doesn’t really doesn’t really bring the outcomes that we’re looking for," Sokunbi said.

She said the option would only apply to low-level offenses, like rudeness or discourtesy.

Sokunbi said if case reviewers think an incident qualifies for mediation, they'll contact both the citizen and officer—both have to agree to it.

The goal, she said, is for the two parties to come to an agreement or understanding.

"And the understanding could be that the officer explains, ‘This is the reason I did these things, this is what general orders requires for me to do.' But the person can still explain, ‘I get that’s what you had to do but when I saw the lights and sirens do you know the fear that was going through my body? I couldn’t automatically do what you wanted me to do, because of my own experiences and I want you to just take a breath and breathe a little bit before you interact with a community member in that way.’ Those are the conversations that we’re looking to have," Sokunbi said.

It's the first time in the complaint process that neighbors and officers have a two-way communication channel.

The conversation will be guided by a volunteer mediator; Sokunbi's office selected and trained 12 applicants.

“We screened them for neutrality, their ability to hold space, their ability to listen, their ability to communicate," she said.

They chose mediators of different ages, ranging from their 20s to over 50, and different races, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds.

“So that everyone at the table feels like they’re represented," she said.

Sokunbi emphasized that mediation is not a form of community-police oversight.

"So, this isn’t: Who was right? Who was wrong? We’re not showing body-worn camera footage and going, ‘These are the facts.’ This is about people’s values being heard, their feelings being expressed. It’s a very different experience," she said.

Longtime community activist Bob Ray Sanders said the program seems like a good step for the community.

“We have been waiting for a long time to be able to trust the department," he said. "We still have a community that when the police come, we’re afraid of them. We don’t’ always see them as friends, here to protect us. We see them as here to harass us."

Sanders, who co-chaired Fort Worth's task force on race and culture, pushed for and helped establish OPOM.

The task force was set up in the wake of Jacqueline Craig's viral arrest video in 2016. She was arrested after she called 911 to report that her 7-year-old son had been attacked by a neighbor.

Sanders said the task force took two years to come up with recommendations, which included a way for citizens to be heard.

“This is a start," he said. “It’s incremental, and it seems like I’ve been fighting the same battle for over 40 years. And in many cases I have been. But every now and then, you see a little light of hope. And I think this is what this is. We’ll have to see how it works, but it’s a little light of hope," he said.

Sokunbi said other big cities, such as New York City, New Orleans, and St. Louis, have similar mediation programs and have seen success.

“What we have found is by and large it changes officer behavior. More often than not, when an officer participates in a mediation program, they come back and say, ‘I would behave differently than I did in that immediate interaction," she said.

She said it works the other way around, too.

“More often than not, the community member comes back and says, ‘I would either a. interact with that officer again, or had an understanding of what I did and might change my behavior going forward," Sokunbi said.

She said they plan to measure their success by giving all participants surveys after mediation.

She said the police department and police association are both on board, too.

Robert Alldredge, Fort Worth Police executive assistant chief, emailed a statement to NBC 5, stating that the program could be beneficial for both officers and neighbors.

"First and foremost, the mediation program is voluntary. We will not be forcing any officer to participate. However, the mediation program is an opportunity for a citizen and an officer to sit down and discuss issues that occurred during an encounter. Only minor issues could be referred to mediation. When used, the mediation program could be a great opportunity to garner more trust and understanding from the community and for the officer. Officers who voluntarily opt into the program would not be subjected to an administrative investigation, and that issue would be resolved through mediation," Chief Alldredge wrote.

“Everyone realizes it’s a win-win," Sokunbi said. "We can change officers’ behaviors, officers don’t have to participate in investigations that might ruin morale, and community members have opportunities to use their voice.”

OPOM also picked four police officer ambassadors to be part of the program.

"The police ambassadors went through the entire training but cannot be mediators because of the neutrality requirement," Sokunbi explained.

Instead, she said, the officers are advocates for the program and can help explain the process to other officers to address any concerns.

"They are also essential for training for mediators to learn to be comfortable interacting with police officers during role plays," she added.

Sokunbi said she anticipates the mediation team to review their first case on April 1.