Emily Wright is a PhD student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In her address on Tuesday, June 16th, Mayor Fuller announced her plan to form a nine-person independent Newton Police Reform Task Force, stating that this group will:
“undertake a holistic assessment of the [Newton Police] department and make recommendations on the policies, procedures, practices and overall strategic direction for Newton’s policing effort. Its’ work should be based on an understanding through surveys, focus groups or interviews of what people of color are experiencing in Newton.”
As a PhD student in social epidemiology who studies the impact of structural racism (e.g., policing, historical redlining, residential segregation) on population health and health equity, I write to express my profound concerns about this proposed task force and investigation.
First, the premise that Newton leadership needs an investigation of Newton Police Department policies, procedures, and practices to enact evidence-based reform to Newton public safety systems is problematic.
Despite Mayor Fuller’s multiple references to systemic racism in her speech, this premise remains grounded in the faulty notion that racism in policing is a police department- or police officer-level phenomenon. Even though individual police departments and police officers can indeed be particularly violent and discriminatory, racism in policing is part and parcel of structural racism. This term refers to “the totality of ways in which societies foster discrimination, via mutually reinforcing systems of discrimination (e.g., in housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, health care, criminal justice, etc.) that in turn reinforce discriminatory beliefs, values, and distribution of resources.”[2] By limiting this task force to the study of the Newton Police Department, the Mayor’s proposal elides an opportunity to more broadly examine how racial and economic segregation, zoning law and historical redlining, policing, incarceration, and other phenomena operating within Newton city limits and beyond pattern the health, safety, opportunities, and needs of Newton residents, including in relation to who lives in Newton in the first place.
Relatedly, this premise overlooks decades of activism and empirical research from diverse fields. For example, research in social epidemiology demonstrates how policing and incarceration powerfully shape health and well-being, not only for individuals and families who directly experience them, but also for the broader population. Scholarship in the field of criminology describes alternatives (e.g., transformative justice) to a retributive justice system based on punishment for crime. Furthermore, the work of other cities, states, and nations to (re)imagine policing can provide instructive examples for Newton. Learning about the work of these other scholars, governing bodies, and social movements must be a necessary part of this task force’s work because it will undoubtedly facilitate the empirical and imaginative process of proposing new possibilities for protecting public safety while promoting equity.
In brief, the Mayor’s proposal that we need to study the problem of racism in policing in Newton specifically to be able to do something about it ignores the broader structural context, overlooks evidence from myriad sources attesting to the need and options for bold action, and insinuates a distrust or de-centering of the “subjective” experiences and demands of Black constituents Mayor Fuller and various City Councilors have repeatedly referenced in recent days.
Second, the aim of this investigation and how its results will be used is unclear.
The Mayor’s proposal asks for Newton residents, especially Black residents and other residents of Color, to invest their time and emotional energy to be interviewed, attend focus groups, and complete surveys. It is of the utmost importance for Newton leadership to be able to provide a concrete answer the following seemingly obvious question: Why?
Is the aim, as the Mayor’s proposal seems to suggest, to examine whether policing discriminates against and causes disproportionate harm to Black and other Newton residents of Color? If so, I would argue that, in keeping with my first point, we already have the answer to this question. Robust empirical evidence attests to the racist nature of historical and contemporary policing practices and policies in the United States, as well as the impacts this has on individuals, families, and the broader population. Moreover, accounts from Black and other Newton residents of Color in recent days and weeks attests to how these structural phenomena impact folks within city limits. Asking residents to share their stories of police encounters, and potentially re-traumatize themselves in the process, is no small request, especially if the evidence we seek already exists.
Relatedly, Newton leadership must ask itself how it plans to interpret the findings of this task force’s investigation, whatever its aims may be. Consider what might happen if the task force finds that Newton residents of Color describe fear and collective trauma from policing, but that there are no large disparities in arrests or use of force by the Newton Police Department. Would City Councilors, Police Department leadership, and the Mayor interpret this as evidence the Newton is somehow the exception to the rule of racist national and international systems of policing and incarceration and, thus, decide not to take any action? Would the methodological and statistical limitations of the task force’s investigation be taken into consideration? More importantly, would these Newton-specific findings be interpreted in appropriate structural and historical context?
What this task force studies and how Newton leadership plans to interpret and act upon the results are consequential questions at the core of any scientific investigation. Without clarity on these issues, this task force will, at best, be a waste of time and resources and, at worst, will actively harm Newton residents and undermine broader work to re-imagine public safety.
Third, even if we assume an investigation of this kind is warranted, serious questions about the composition, funding, and work of the task force remain.
To start, the Mayor has given community members only one week – from her announcement on Tuesday, June 16th to the application deadline on Monday, June 22nd – to apply to be on this committee. Although I understand the need to respond expeditiously in this moment of national anguish and mobilization, this quick turnaround does not offer adequate time for Newton residents, especially low-income folks and Black and other People of Color who ought to be represented, to consider the serious investment of time and labor that would come with joining this task force. Similarly, by calling for the task force to begin meeting in the first week of July, the Mayor has given her staff only one week to select the nine task force members.
The Mayor has also not provided any guidance about the criteria with which task force members will be selected or how they will be compensated for their time and labor. The proposed investigation constitutes a major empirical undertaking including both primary data collection in the form of surveys, focus groups, and/or interviews as well as secondary analysis of existing Newton Police Department data. These kinds of analyses are each intensive processes that require resources and substantive and methodological expertise to conduct rigorously. Despite this, the Mayor is asking for this work to be done by part-time community volunteers.
In a recent study by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement of 97 US police civilian oversight programs, 12 out of 17 (70.6%) agencies with similar investigatory powers/parameters to the one proposed by Mayor Fuller (and 50% of all 76 agencies that provided data) had yearly operating budgets from over $250,000 to over $1 million. This is more than the entire $200,000 amount transferred from the Newton police cruisers budget to the Mayor’s office to help hire a facilitator or consultant for the task force. In this same study, 17 out of 23 (73.9%) similar agencies (and 66% of all 90 agencies that provided data) had at least one full-time paid professional staff member. These findings help to demonstrate the monumental task of conducting a holistic assessment of a police department and, thus, the absurdity of the request being made of Newton residents.
Finally, the proposed work of this task force presents significant ethical concerns. How will the task force compensate participants for their time and effort? Researchers conducting interviews, focus groups, and surveys typically provide participants with cash or gift cards to help offset the work of participating. Asking Black and other Newton residents of Color to participate in a focus group or interview and share their experiences of policing without compensating them would be exploitative. Similarly, how will interview, focus group, and/or survey data be stored, managed, and shared to protect participants’ privacy? Asking Black and other Newton residents of Color to share potentially damaging information about Newton Police Department officers or practices without properly protecting their identity of protecting potential retaliation would violate principles of human subjects research and put Newton community members in harm’s way.
Overall, although the Mayor’s proposal to form a task force to conduct a holistic assessment of the Newton Police Department may initially appear to be a strong, measured commitment to evidence-based reform in response to sustained community pressure, this proposal raises profound questions about the role of theoretical framing, evidence, and expertise in re-imaging public safety.
[1]https://village14.com/2020/06/15/written-text-of-mayor-fullers-address/#axzz6PeZNQlsM
[2]Krieger, N. Discrimination and Health Inequities. International Journal of Health Services 44, 643–710 (2014).
[3] https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/nacole/pages/161/attachments/original/1481727974/NACOLE_AccessingtheEvidence_Final.pdf
Which countries in the world are considered to have little or no racism? What can we learn from these countries?
A very thoughtful and challenging post which raises many excellent questions. However, as Newton’s chief executive, it is up to the Mayor to appoint a police chief whose job is to lead our local law enforcement. Neither the Mayor nor the Newton City Council have any control over (a) statutory crimes; (b) statutory sentencing for crimes; (c) criminal indictments; or (d) classification of offenders to specific penal institutions. Thus, as to the broader aspects of criminal justice reform addressed by Ms. Wright, those are matters that are beyond the scope of any local task force. Our local law enforcement are, however, responsible for criminal investigations among their other duties. Part of the investigatory process is the acquisition and execution of search warrants as well as the conduct of investigatory stops of individuals. Some simple measures of whether the PD is performing those functions within the confines of the law can be gleaned from (a) how often evidence seized by the Newton PD is suppressed by a court and (b) whether and to what extent the the City and individual officers are named as defendants in civil lawsuits alleging civil rights violations.
What is uniquely within the scope of a local task force is an inquiry into how the local police department comports itself with individuals within this community, and whether and to what extent the police department exhibits bias, if any, based upon race, ethnicity or perceived religious affiliation.
The mission of law enforcement is stated simply: To serve and protect. Whether all members of the community are or perceive that they are equally served and protected here in Newton is a worthy task.
As to the excellent ethics, privacy and confidentiality concerns raised by Ms. Wright, I would suggest that these issues would be best referred to the Newton law department for review.
Again – a very thoughtful piece. I do agree that this will be a significant undertaking. I also believe that it can be done thoughtfully and that there are very worthy questions to be asked and information to be gleaned which is specific to this community and to the experiences within this community.
Kudos to Emily Wright for delineating the weaknesses of Mayor Fuller’s proposed Newton Police Reform Task Force such as its purpose, composition , funding etc. I suggest however, that Emily also study Politics 101 to learn how politicians evade responsibility while appearing concerned by utilizing consultants, committees, councils, charettes, conciliatory newsletters, focus groups and selected citizens …and let’s not forget the ever-present camera to record superficial involvement.
But Emily is absolutely correct in her concept of structural racism. As she explains ” This term refers to “the totality of ways in which societies foster discrimination, via mutually reinforcing systems of discrimination (e.g., in housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, health care, criminal justice, etc.) that in turn reinforce discriminatory beliefs, values, and distribution of resources.”[2]
Newton Public Schools, in spite of having an even larger budget than last year has just cut over 100 positions….a large portion of which are personnel caring for disabled students. This is definitely “structural racism”…and what committee, task force, etc. will deride this instance of discrimination in distribution of Newton’s resources?
@Maria-
I believe that the 100 school employees you referred to are SPED aides who are hired annually.
I don’t see that as an example of racism. However, it has been established that NPS has a disproportionate number of Black children in special education. That in and of itself deserves critical analysis as to whether those are school based referrals vs parent based referrals, and what is the male to female ratio. I strongly suspect without knowing the answer that the referrals lean heavily towards male students.
Smart and informative piece. The Task Force’s job should not be to fix our policing, but to determine the best model to transition away from policing. Sign Defund NPD’s Task Force Demands to make sure that happens (linked here: https://forms.gle/hVHYHYfsGj7KaniZ7)
Thank you Emily Wright for this very thoughtful piece. It is so frustrating to hear city councilors talk about a lack of data over and over again when it come to public safety when they haven’t even tried to read any social policy research (and yes, every elected politician should be able to read and thoroughly understand policy research). The data have been analyzed and these patterns are found across so many different data sets that we can extrapolate them to our city as well. Is it really feasible to conduct a thorough study in every city or town, for every institution that needs to be changed? Can we justify waiting years and spending millions or billions of dollars nationally for each task force to suggest reforms when people are still dying at the hands of police? These are just barriers to structural change and transformative justice. Fuller is fine with the status quo and she is betting that in 6 months this will all blow over.
I agree with Lisap’s assessment of the task force and what it can do. I would also add that fundamental change requires information and community discussion. While there may be challenges with elements of the Mayor’s approach as Emily Wright describes, we have to start somewhere.
Any discussion about changing the police’s role in our community requires a detailed and ongoing understanding of what that role is and how they perform it. Without that understanding, the community can’t meaningfully discuss shifting that role to civilians without the potential loss of critical services.
Without that understanding, the community can’t meaningfully direct the reallocation of funds within the police department or away from the police department.
Without that understanding, the community can’t be fully confident that good police practices will be perpetuated and any failures, biases, or blind spots corrected.
Without that understanding, the community can’t gain or regain the confidence it needs in the police so that they can effectively serve their mission in Newton and that all of us can feel safe.
I suggest, if it hasn’t happened already, that the city and police immediately start the process of increasing public transparency in any way possible. The task force and the public both need this information. It benefits us all, and it doesn’t have to wait for anything. This should not be defensive, controversial or even adversarial. It benefits the police to have an accurate public understanding of what they do and how they do it. Indeed, it should be a source of pride for a well-run department. It benefits the police to have informed oversight.
@Emily Wright: If not willing to donate your time and talent to the Mayor’s task force, with the intent of making it’s results as relevant and effective as needed by the citizens of Newton, then will you please allow readers to understand the above as mere marketing and advertising in preparation for your next application and interview for an academic job?
Discerning what should be done by who and then seeing to its implementation is the hard work yet ahead. Help by doing instead of repeating what the majority of Newton’s citizens already know to be generally true. Help by seeing to the changes here in Newton that are aimed at improving the situation in Newton … the South Side of Chicago, Beacon Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue are distant worlds.
Leading here and now could make a difference … other Newton citizens similarly pitch in for the public good, without compensation … try it; sure beats “shelfware”.
One thing I think I agree with Emily Wright on is that a task force should look at other Newton departments besides the Police. Certainly the school department needs as much if not more scrutiny since it has a much greater impact on Newton than the police department.
I think Mike Halle makes a very good point here. Even without a task force, the Newton Police department should make its data on stops, arrests, and complaints against it easily accessible.
To expand on Arthur’s point, we need a much more complete view of what the police do and how they do it. The police website has some information on their web site, primarily about crashes. It could provide so much more information that would help the public and lawmakers understand that role of the police in Newton.
I would be interested in seeing an org chart for the police, for instance.
Another thing that would be great is an annual report, available online. I couldn’t find any for Newton. For instance, here’s one from Brookline:
https://www.brooklinepolice.com/DocumentCenter/View/1148/2019-Year-End-Report-FINAL
In my experience, this kind of report of other statistics are sometimes looked down on as “not real police work”, done by “house mouses”. But it is critical work for tying the police department into the community and the rest of government. I suspect is also provides information to make policing better even within the department.
An annual report and a website with a wealth of information isn’t going to magically resolve the issues of police / public relations. But it is a straightforward start, a commitment greater transparency that any review of reform will need.
Good ideas Michael Halle. Thanks!