NCJ Number
137459
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 59 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 17-18,20,22,23-28
Date Published
1992
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The techniques used by the police to protect civil liberties and civil rights are demonstrated by the efforts of the police in Aurora, Colo. and Wichita, Kans. and by the efforts of other police agencies to address hate crimes.
Abstract
The Aurora police had no prior experience in dealing with demonstrations and marches when they had to plan for a Ku Klux Klan rally in 1991. Their efforts included persuading citizens and the city council that the Klan had the right to hold the rally, holding meetings with the Klan leaders and counter- demonstration planners, creating a secure area for the Klan rally, and restricting counter-demonstrators and spectators to the opposite end of the park. No injuries or arrests occurred. In Wichita, the police prepared a detailed operational plan to deal with more than 6 weeks of daily demonstrations by Operation Rescue at three abortion clinics. No injuries occurred, but the police had to depart from their plan to counter the demonstrators' tactics. A total of 2,700 arrests took place, and the effort cost about $500,000. To address hate crimes, the International Association of Chiefs of Police's National Law Enforcement Center has developed a model policy. It notes that the procedures are similar to those for other crimes, but that victims are likely to be much more emotionally upset than victims of common crimes. The New Jersey Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith offers a 17-minute training video for police officers that covers how to identify a hate crime, the effects of hate crimes, and the police officer's role. Photographs and sources of model policy and video