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Police leadership lacking

On March 9, at an ineptly facilitated community meeting by the Department of Justice, Jim McDevitt asked the assembled to give him a report card at the end of his four month stint as chief law enforcement officer. The best I can give is a D. I have not seen a retraction of his oped piece from last year, which revealed a total lack of understanding of racially biased police decision-making.

Now we learn that McDevitt and the mayor have sidelined the research on race developed by EWU’s Ed Byrnes and Capt. Brad Arleth. As well, they have negotiated with the Department of Justice a delay in procedural justice training.

How about it, Spokane, are we getting the police leadership we deserve? Will we get a new chief who exemplifies the unanimous recommendation of the Police Leadership Advisory Committee that the “chief must lead the force in bias-reducing policies and practices for all legally protected classes of Spokane citizens”?

I recommend we all listen to Jesse Williams’ speech at the BET Awards or read it in the July issue of the Black Lens: News From A Different Perspective, page 13.

Mary Ann Murphy

Spokane

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