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Updated 09.08.08 Good police practices, thorough training, carefully crafted policies, appropriate allocation of resources and strong political and professional leadership can ensure public safety and prevent abuses in encounters between police officers and citizens.
What’s Happening Nationally
Read about the
ACLU's work to defend citizens' rights to effective and humane
law enforcement.
What's happening in Ohio
Columbus Curfew Enforcement
The ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to Columbus city officials questioning some of the enforcement practices of their new curfew for young people. Under the curfew regulations, all young people under 13 years of age are required to be indoors by sunset and all youth 13 and older must be indoors by midnight. If young people
are caught violating the curfew, they will be brought to the local YMCA and held until a parent comes to claim them. In addition, personal property such as cell phones will be confiscated and young people will be interviewed by YMCA staff about their health and home life.
In general, the ACLU opposes curfews as unnecessary and discriminatory towards youth and other communities. Oftentimes boys and people of color are targeted by police and disciplined unfairly under curfew regulations. The ACLU of Ohio has also expressed concern about particular aspects of Columbus' program. In its letter, the ACLU questions the authority of the police or YMCA to hold young people against their will, seize their personal property and question them on private issues.
In answer to the ACLU’s letter to the city attorney and mayor, the city agreed they could not hold youths at the curfew center if they did not want to stay and they had no legal authority to search their belongings, absent obvious
and specific circumstances. They also agreed to not question youths regarding personal information such as family or household circumstances, health and other issues.
Read the letter sent to the Columbus City Attorney
Read the response from the City of Columbus
Lima Drug Raid Results in Police Shooting
In January 2008, police officers in Lima executed a high-risk, no-knock arrest warrant on Anthony Terry for drug-related charges. Terry shared a home with 26-year-old Tarika Wilson and her five children. During the raid, Wilson and her infant son Sincere were shot by Sergeant Joe Chevalia. Wilson died on the scene and her son sustained injuries to his hand.
Chevalia was charged with two misdemeanors in connection with the incident. A jury in Lima ruled in early August 2008 that Chevalia was not guilty on all charges. The family of Tarika Wilson filed a civil suit against the city and Chevalia soon after.
The ACLU of Ohio continues to monitor this situation and is concerned about the state of police-community relations in Lima. As is the case with many police shootings, they are often indicative of broader,
systemic problems that cause tension between law enforcement and community members.
Read more about the misguided war on
drugs.
Ohio Senate Bill 260: Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws
The Ohio General Assembly is considering a bill that would greatly expand the ability
of local law enforcement to impose federal immigration laws. Senate Bill 260 passed the Ohio Senate unanimously in 2008 and is awaiting a vote in the Ohio House of Representatives. It could still be voted on before the session expires at the end of 2008.
The ACLU of Ohio opposes this bill and other attempts to allow local police to enforce federal immigration laws for several reasons, including: the Constitution expressly states that immigration is a federal issue; local law enforcement are by and large not trained in how to interpret immigration laws, which can be extremely complex; these types of initiatives tend to encourage increased use of racial profiling techniques; it causes immigrant communities to develop distrust towards police officers, harming their ability to effectively work together; and it diverts resources from local law enforcement to effectively protect against other crimes it is charged with handling.
Read more about the ACLU’s position on immigration issues.
Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement
In August 2006, the ACLU of Ohio, the Hamilton County Sheriff and the City of Cincinnati came to a consensus on county sheriff patrols of Over-The-Rhine, a neighborhood plagued by crime.
The decision was hailed as a win-win because the sheriff was able to patrol the area, while maintaining and enhancing the accomplishments of the ACLU of Ohio and City of Cincinnati in community policing practices.
READ MORE»
In August 2008, the Collaborative Agreement ended, but the work on police-community relations will continue into the future. Read more about the landmark Collaborative Agreement.
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Resources
December 10, 2008 will mark the 60th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Racial profiling is any police or private security practice in which a
person is treated as a suspect because of his or her race, ethnicity,
nationality or religion.
READ MORE»
Sanctioned Bias: Racial Profiling Since 9/11
What to Do if the FBI or Department of
Homeland Security Wants to Question You
What
to Do if You Are Stopped by the Police
Click here for 4-up layout (two-sided,
4 cards per sheet)
Protesters:
Know Your Rights
Click here for 4-up layout (two-sided,
4 cards per sheet)
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