Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 19, 1997

Release #499-97

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958, Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972


MAYOR GIULIANI CREATES A POLICE/COMMUNITY RELATIONS TASK FORCE

All 38,000 Members of the NYPD to Participate in Community Relations Forums

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir today announced an initiative designed to foster better communication and understanding between all 38,310 members of the Police Department and local residents. The initiative builds upon the Police Department's recently implemented Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect (CPR) Strategy. The new initiative includes the implementation of forums throughout the City involving police officers and local residents of each precinct, together with individuals with differing perspectives on police/community relations.

Joining the Mayor and Police Commissioner Safir at today's announcement were many members of the newly created Task Force on Police/Community Relations. Please see attachment for the Task Force members and their affiliations.

"Over the next six months, the members of this Task Force will participate in discussion forums that will have every single police officer in New York City talking with community residents in their precincts about how they are mutually perceived and how they should relate to each other. The Police Commissioner, every high-ranking member of the Department and I will also participate," Mayor Giuliani said. "The Task Force, consisting of individuals who have wide ranging views of the Police Department, will help develop a program format for a structured discussion between police officers and community residents.

"At the conclusion of this dialogue, police officers in this City should know that when an officer acts improperly, criminally or disrespectfully, that officer is not entitled to his colleagues' support in any way," the Mayor continued. "On the other hand, when police officers are improperly accused while they are putting their lives on the line for the communities they serve, then officers should rightly expect that members of the community are going to stand with them.

"The police and the communities of this City are suffering because of the same notion of group blame. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of police officers and an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers are good people. We cannot allow the worst few among us to determine the agenda. This Task Force, the new training sessions and dialogue will help break through this atmosphere of group blame and move us forward -- together," the Mayor concluded.

Police Commissioner Safir said, "I believe it is crucial that the members of this Department and the residents of every community work together to ensure that the lines of communication and understanding remain open. I know that the vast majority of police officers are professional, honorable men and women who are horrified and deeply hurt by the incident that occurred in the 70th Precinct. We must all overcome the barriers of fear and suspicion that this case has placed between our officers and many of the citizens they are sworn to protect. I hope that all New Yorkers will work with us in the weeks and months ahead to forge a greater understanding, mutual respect and trust."

The following initiatives will be immediately implemented:
All 38,310 uniformed members of the New York City Police Department will receive CPR training within the next six months.

The Mayor has directed that a program be immediately implemented to conduct forums involving all of the police precincts throughout the City within the next six months which will bring together precinct personnel, local residents and individual members of the Mayor's Task Force. The Department, working with the Task Force and the Mayor's Office, will develop a program format to be utilized in the forums. The forums will encourage police officers and local residents to share their perspectives regarding policing and the role the community plays in supporting law enforcement. The forums will foster off-the-record dialogue among the assembled group focusing on the criticisms that local residents may have about the conduct of police officers and that police officers have regarding the local residents' lack of understanding of their work in the community.

Every uniformed member of the New York City Police Department will take part in these police/community seminars. In addition, the entire management structure of the Department will be required to attend a seminar within the next six months.

The Police Commissioner, the Chief of Department and other high-ranking members of the Department will immediately implement regularly scheduled meetings with precinct commanders, their executive officers and their respective precinct community liaison officers for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of these forums, as well as to review issues relating to police/community relations in the precincts. These meetings will incorporate the COMPSTAT-style approach used by the Department in all of its crime fighting strategies and precinct commanders will be held accountable for police/community relations in their precincts.

The Mayor has directed the Office of Management and Budget to provide sufficient resources to fund this new initiative.

www.ci.nyc.ny.us


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