Letter: Pasco police still haven’t addressed core issues criticized by ACLU
The Herald’s Feb. 21 editorial pinging the ACLU report on the Pasco Police Department is inaccurate and one-sided.
The ACLU did reach out to Police Chief Metzger and did speak with him before issuing its report. Attempts by the ACLU to obtain police records were generally not honored.
The ACLU report correctly identifies community concerns regarding inadequate and outdated use of force policies and training, as well as a lack of a credible mechanism for community engagement. Coffee with a Cop and the police social media campaign are modest steps and do not address core issues.
We have made serious recommendations and are engaging Metzger in dialogue to bring about real, verifiable progress. As an example, setting up a credible Community Advisory Board, appointed by the mayor and city council, would do much to restore trust and confidence in the police. Consejo Latino has been at the forefront of calling for this and other constructive reforms in police policies and practices. We requested U.S. Department of Justice assistance in March 2015, some of which is now showing up.
Until the community can see positive change, the Herald cannot say that “Pasco has come a long way” in providing solutions to community policing.
Felix Vargas, Consejo Latino, Pasco
This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Letter: Pasco police still haven’t addressed core issues criticized by ACLU."