hired, the auditor will evaluate
AAPD community engagement
processes through the end of
June 2017, with a final report
communicated by the end of July
2017 and a follow-up performed
in February 2019. However, the
other main recommendation
— the oversight board — won’t
start being implemented until
August 2017.
Lazarus said in an interview
Friday that he chose to delay
the
implementation
of
an
oversight board until after the
completion of the audit to allow
for sufficient public input and to
ensure transparency. He added
that
all
major
stakeholder
groups he has communicated
with
—
the
HRC,
AAPD,
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
and the local police union —
have all responded favorably to
his framework.
“I want to make sure there’s
sufficient
time
for
public
discussion, and I want to not
be guilty of over-promising
and under-delivering,” Lazarus
said. “This is an important
effort, and I don’t want to rush
through it. I don’t want either
side to think we just went
through the motions to get to a
pre-determined outcome.”
Lazarus
also
emphasized
that
public
discussions
regarding
the
creation
of
a civilian review board —
which would have the power
to independently investigate
complaints against the AAPD —
will also not begin until August
2017, using the audit’s findings
as a framework.
This decision comes after
the HRC and AAPD Chief
Jim Baird publicly disagreed
during the summer on whether
a civilian oversight board is
necessary in Ann Arbor.
In a June memo to City
Council,
Baird
expressed
reservations that the push for
increased police oversight in
Ann Arbor was tied to national
events as opposed to actual
local problems. He suggested
that concerns about a lack of
transparency in how the AAPD
investigates complaints against
its
officers
are
overblown.
While not outright ruling out
support for a civilian oversight
board and the HRC’s other
recommendations
of
the
creation
of
crisis
response
teams, Baird urged that no
further action be taken until
after the completion of an audit.
Amid a renewed national
outcry over police brutality
in July, the HRC put out its
own statement calling for the
implementation of a review
board to begin independently
of the audit of the AAPD. The
HRC also noted it was not
directly criticizing the AAPD,
but rather emphasized the goal
of its recommendations is to
build police-community trust.
In
an
email
interview,
HRC chair Leslie Stambaugh
expressed
support
for
the
timeline outlined by Lazarus.
Though
she
acknowledged
some people may be concerned
by the long timeframe before
the creation of a review board,
Stambaugh
wrote
she
was
confident this would allow for
an effective implementation.
“At this point, any timeline
might seem too long to some,
but the one described here is
realistic and promises to be
both inclusive and effective,”
Stambaugh wrote, also noting
that her commission intends
to be active through the entire
process.
“I think the fact that this
process is designed to be
inclusive
early
on
should
create a good foundation for
implementation
down
the
road and appreciate that the
City Administrator made it his
priority in the first two months
of his administration.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 — 3A
POLICE
From Page 1A
on campus, though it is worth
noting that in both 2013 and
2014 a home football game took
place during Welcome Weekend.
In 2015, one did not.
Wolverine Wellness director
Mary Jo Desprez said certain
factors
during
periods
like
Welcome Week that contribute
to alcohol- and drug-related
conflicts,
such
as
a
home
football game, are out of the
control of Wolverine Wellness
and the police departments.
Because of that, Desprez
said
the
University
began
launching efforts to reduce
those instances. Recently, this
has included the University’s
creation of an alert system for
parents of freshmen students
who have had a second run-
in
with
alcohol
or
drugs.
Additionally, they have updated
the Stay in the Blue phone
app. Created in 2013, the app
helps students estimate their
blood alcohol content, order
cabs, track drinking events and
even displays a list of events
happening in Ann Arbor.
The University also hosts
marketed dry events, such as a
Friday-night event at the Union
that provides activities, games
and food as a sober alternative
to off-campus parties.
According
to
the
Center
for
Campus
Involvement,
the number of students who
attended
UMix
has
almost
doubled since last year, with
5,258 students attending the
nearly weekly events in 2014
and 10,132 in 2015.
Other
efforts
include
sober
monitor
training
for
new
Interfraternity
Council
members and the mandatory
AlcoholEdu
online
course
for incoming freshmen and
undergraduate
transfer
students.
This
is
the
first
academic year that all four years
of students on campus have
completed this course.
Desprez
said
it
is
the
combination of these efforts,
among others, that makes the
difference in reducing alcohol-
related incidences.
“The most important thing
to know is that these efforts
are most effective when they’re
done in combination, not just
as one thing,” she said. “We
always try to do the next best
thing or we use evidence-based
strategies. We have dogged
determination
to
prevent
harm. I think having a plan but
then also having collaborative
partnerships are the two most
important things.”
DPSS Chief Robert Neumann
also cited programs aimed at
off-campus students such as
Beyond the Diag, as well as a
partnership between the DPSS
and the Ann Arbor Police
Department serve to reduce
conflict.
Last
week,
Beyond
the
Diag,
working
with
DPSS,
canvassed the neighborhoods
near campus. This included
providing off-campus students
with information about Stay
in the Blue, wellness coaching
and other safety and security
resources.
Neumann said the community
canvassing event allows them to
meet off-campus students and
inform them about resources.
“It’s an important part of the
whole picture of engagement
with our off-campus residents
to promote their safety and to
let them know what services are
available here at the University
of Michigan, as well as services
that are available from the city
and other providers,” he said.
As for Welcome Week itself,
Neumann said DPSS prepares in
advance to keep students safe.
“We do bolster patrols and
enforcement activity because
this is a high-risk period —
this time between move-in and
classes,” he said.
Before last year, DPSS was
not responsible for off-campus
incidents, though they could
work in cooperation with AAPD.
As of last year, however, DPSS
gained county-wide authority
to
operate
independently
from AAPD. Though it still
coordinates its work with the
city police, a formal agreement
was made with the Washtenaw
County Sheriff’s Office that
grants it permission to enforce
the law beyond the bounds of
campus.
Brown
said
the
main
objective with this expanded
authority is to continue to raise
awareness and educate people
about off-campus safety by
doing presentations in Greek
houses and co-ops as well as
working with Beyond the Diag
leaders.
“(The police officers) are
there to help build relationships,
share
information,
answer
questions about nuances with
the laws, and discuss when
students can say, ‘No, you can’t
come in my house,’ to a police
officer, and when they need to
allow them in,” she said.
Desprez also said fraternities
have helped contribute to the
reduced number of alcohol-
related incidents in recent years
by not serving hard alcohol at
early parties.
Engineering junior Roy Ziv
said sober monitor training,
required
for
all
fraternity
pledges, was useful in terms of
preparing for a party.
“I
thought
it
was
very
helpful,” he said. “It highlighted
the importance of how we
should split up sober monitors:
some at the front door, some by
the bathrooms or staircases,
some roaming around the party.
It showed us what to keep an
eye out for, and what to do in the
case of an emergency.”
Ziv also mentioned that his
fraternity house has a water
fountain and water bottle filler
in order to keep people hydrated
at parties.
“We are always exceeding
the minimum number of sober
monitors we should have,” he
said. “We had our biggest party
the other night. We’re supposed
to have a minimum of five
sober monitors, but I believe
we had seven or eight because
we understood the importance
of keeping everyone safe and
organized.”
HOSPITAL VISITS
From Page 1A
the
state,
Michigan
is
considered a possible swing
state this election cycle.
Trump receives a large
amount of support from
non-college educated white
men, making the middle
class and the Rust Belt states
particularly
important
for Clinton. In 2012, this
demographic
represented
nearly half of all voters, and
currently Trump is doing
even better with this group
than Mitt Romney, the 2012
Republican nominee.
CLINTON
From Page 1A