ALL CONCUR POLICE BOARD IS NEEDED; NEW ADVISORY GROUP WOULD HELP BUILD COMMUNICATION

Cutting through the tension between much of the black community and police won't be easy, but the Rev. David Allen suggests that a police advisory board is a place to start.

"Then people with grievances against police might be able to get better input than now," said Allen, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Cape Girardeau County.

The increased interest in dialogue between police and the black community arose after six police officers were injured by rocks and bricks thrown by a crowd of 150, angry over the arrests of Kenny and Greg Campbell on Good Hope Street early Friday. Seven other arrests were made in connection with the incident.

Members of the Campbell brothers' family have made complaints about the incident to the police department, FBI and Department of Justice.

Police Chief Rick Hetzel said he originally presented the idea of an advisory board to the city manager last year. He said he will follow up on it.

"It's an excellent idea," Hetzel said. "It is consistent with our goals in community policing."

Building communication between the community and police is the best way to improve trust, he said, and it is something police will continue to do through the substation on Good Hope Street.

In order to accomplish that through an advisory board, the City Council must take action, Allen said.

"I would hope that it would be able to look at and review the different activities of the police department and give advice," he said.

Hetzel said it would be different than a review board, which can make decisions and implement them itself. An advisory board would keep police aware of community issues, note police failures and report to the City Council, which would take action, he said.

At present, the only direct public accountability police offer is a two-tiered system for filing complaints. If the complaint involves discourteous treatment, it is reviewed by one supervisor within the department. If the complaint involves physical abuse, it is examined by a board of four officers within the department, and a decision is typically issued within 30 days, Hetzel said.

Creating an advisory board with members selected by the council would be a mistake, Allen said. They should be elected by wards.

A screening process of some sort would be necessary, Hetzel said.

"We would have to design it so that people would be selected who could observe the confidentiality needed to run a police department," he said.

Considering the current mood among many residents, Mayor Al Spradling III agreed. "There are a lot of people who want to get on a board just to cast stones," he said, although he supports an advisory board.

Councilman Melvin Gateley said the idea would be helpful as long as members keep the needs of the entire city in mind and not just one neighborhood.

Before an advisory board is created, more public comment is needed to find out how accepted the idea is, said J.J. Williamson, owner of an Allstate Insurance agency in Cape Girardeau and a former councilman.

"There have been misunderstandings on both sides," Williamson said. "And the mistrust among blacks is out there. A way has to be found to regain that trust."