Advancing Charlotte a Police Foundation Assessment of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Response to the September 2016 Demonstrations
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Advancing Charlotte A Police Foundation Assessment of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Response to the September 2016 Demonstrations Frank Straub, Ph.D. Jeffrey Brown Roberto Villaseñor Jennifer Zeunik Ben Gorban Blake Norton Eddie Reyes February 2018 Acknowledgements The authors of this report wish to thank the Charlotte City Council who supported this effort and without whom this report would not have been possible. Thank you to Chief Kerr Putney and Assistant Chief Vicki Foster and the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) for their cooperation with our review. Chief Putney and Assistant Chief Foster provided us significant access to their department, answered our questions, shared vital information and resources related to the department’s response to the September 2016 demonstrations. Our thanks are extended to the members of the Charlotte Community Stakeholder Group that was assembled to represent the Charlotte community. The Stakeholder Group reviewed and provided feedback on the report, and suggest potential action steps to advance policing of demonstrations in Charlotte. Their input was invaluable. Finally, thank you to University of Central Florida Police Department Deputy Chief and Police Foundation Executive Fellow Brett Meade for his peer review and feedback on this report. Advancing Charlotte 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 5 The Foundation: Addressing Underlying Challenges in Charlotte .......................................... 7 The “Charlotte Way” ............................................................................................................................... 8 Incident and CMPD Response Description .............................................................................. 10 Tuesday, September 20, 2016 – Wednesday, September 21, 2016 ....................................................... 10 Wednesday, September 21, 2016 – Thursday, September 22, 2016 ..................................................... 15 Thursday, September 22, 2016 – Friday, September 23, 2016 ............................................................. 19 Friday, September 23, 2016 – Saturday, September 24, 2016 .............................................................. 20 Saturday, September 24, 2016 – Sunday, September 25, 2016 ............................................................ 21 Sunday, September 25, 2016 – Monday, September 26, 2016 .............................................................. 21 Monday, September 26, 2016 – Tuesday, September 27, 2016 ............................................................ 22 Pillar 1: Policies, Protocols, and Strategies .............................................................................. 23 CMPD Planning for Large-Scale Security Events ............................................................................... 23 Incident Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 25 Summary Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 28 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 30 Pillar 2: Training and De-Escalation ........................................................................................ 35 North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training .............................................................................. 35 CMPD Recruit and In-Service Training ............................................................................................... 36 CMPD Specialized Training .................................................................................................................. 37 Constructive Conversation Team Training .......................................................................................... 38 Implicit Bias Training ........................................................................................................................... 39 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 40 Pillar 3: Equipment and Technology ........................................................................................ 43 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 43 Equipment .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Technology ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 51 Pillar 4: Social Media and Communication.............................................................................. 54 Public Information and Media .............................................................................................................. 54 Coordinated and Unified Public Messaging ......................................................................................... 55 Demonstrators Controlled the Narrative .............................................................................................. 57 Social Media Use During a Critical Incident ....................................................................................... 59 Citywide Communication and Collaboration ....................................................................................... 62 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 63 Pillar 5: Transparency and Accountability .............................................................................. 66 Accountability ........................................................................................................................................ 69 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 75 Pillar 6: Police-Community Relationships ................................................................................ 78 During the Demonstrations ................................................................................................................... 78 The Role of the Clergy ........................................................................................................................... 79 Since the Demonstrations ...................................................................................................................... 79 Involving the Community in the CMPD Moving Forward .................................................................. 81 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 83 Advancing Charlotte 3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 87 Appendix A: Recommendations ................................................................................................ 88 Appendix B: Charlotte and CMPD Background and Governance ........................................ 92 The City of Charlotte ............................................................................................................................. 92 The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department .................................................................................. 92 Governance Structure of CMPD and the City of Charlotte ................................................................. 93 Appendix C: Methodology ......................................................................................................... 96 On-Site Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 96 Resource Review .................................................................................................................................... 97 Off-Site Data Collection ........................................................................................................................ 97 Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 97 Appendix D: About the Authors ................................................................................................ 99 Appendix E: About the Police Foundation ............................................................................. 103 Advancing Charlotte 4 Executive Summary The September 20, 2016, officer-involved shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, and the subsequent demonstrations in Charlotte, took place within a milieu of similar events in cities across America. Protests in New York, Ferguson, North Charleston, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, and Dallas demonstrated the increasing anger and frustration within communities of color and growing tension