By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — The controversial issue of racial profiling,and the broader matter of bias-based policing are practices that the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association (RIPCA) is hoping to address with a multi-year strategic plan.

With a phalanx of state and local police chiefs and Attorney General Patrick Lynch standing beside him, Pawtucket Police Chief George L. Kelley III announced the plan at a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the Cape Verdean American Community Development building in Pawtucket.
Kelley, the president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, said the matter of racial profiling — both the reality and the perception — is one of the hottest topics among members of law enforcement both locally and nationwide. Following studies of racial profiling data, and working in collaboration with some local civil rights group, the RIPCA began in 2008 to draft the strategic plan, which was ultimately written by 25 law enforcement professionals.
Kelley said that two in-depth studies of traffic stop and search procedures, that were conducted in 2000 and 2004-2005 by Northeastern University, showed no definitive evidence of racial profiling. However, Kelley said the studies did point to two issues the RIPCA is still concerned with: a “perception” that racial profiling exists and a lack of communication between law enforcement professionals and members of the community.
Kelley cited the 2005 study of traffic stops and searches, which looked at approximately 9,060 traffic stops statewide over a six-month period, and said that less than one percent resulted in searches. He said that out of 61 searches that resulted, 25 were of Caucasian drivers and 36 were non-white drivers. While acknowledging that within this one percent there was still a higher number of non-white drivers searched, Kelley said that in many cases, these were found to be for reasons such as having an unregistered car or other motor vehicle violation.
Attorney General Patrick Lynch also said that while the two data collection studies suggested that actual instances of racial profiling were rare in the state, he, too, acknowledged that the perception of police bias in the community clearly does exist and must be addressed. “We must ensure that our streets are protected, but also, all those driving on them, so there is no bias,” he said. He said the document “goes beyond racial profiling to practices of bias as a whole.”
The new plan, Kelley said, “contains ten goals and objectives that we hope to reach.” He pointed out that the first goal of the plan is one that he and other police chiefs consider as key: the establishment of a RIPCA Minority Advisory Board that consists of a diverse group of community members. During the next 6 to 12 months, this board will create guidelines that will focus on issues relative to bias-based policing. He said that the existence of such a board will work to “keep dialogue open for years to come.”
Another main component of the plan involves increased education about preventing bias-based police practices, both for new recruits and current officers, Kelley noted. The Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy will develop a comprehensive training program for all personnel that is designed to prevent racial profiling, encourage diversity, and emphasize customer service and professionalism.
Among the other highlights is a collaborative effort with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation that will create a standardized process and complaint form to investigate complaints of bias-based policing, Kelley said.
Janis Loiselle, an administrator with the state DOT’s Office on Highway Safety, said the new electronic form, called an “e-citation,” is in the works that will allow police officers to quickly and easily provide additional information on not only the race of the driver involved in a traffic stop, but also that of the passenger, along with other pertinent information. The data, which she said will not include the names of those involved, will be kept on file with the state DOT and will be useful for future studies on traffic stops and other matters involving bias. 
Loiselle said the DOT has been assured of federal funding that will allow for the creation of the e-citation form and an analysis of the data over the next two to three years. She said it is important because it will allow for a “uniformity” among various police departments and law enforcement professionals.
Among the other goals is one that encourages all police departments to evaluate traffic stops quarterly, identify patterns of biased treatment by police officers, and annually evaluate police training, policies and procedures for performing traffic stops.
Additionally, the plan calls for the development of a public information and education program to maintain open communication with the community, the development of a police selection process that meets the needs of contemporary strategies and practices that promote bias-free policing, and the establishment of model policies pertaining to the adoption of early intervention systems and the use of audio and visual recording devices.
The plan also calls for the creation of a statewide policy that encourages every department to identify a “Police/Community Advocate” that will help with the transparency of police practices.
James Vincent, second vice president with the NAACP’s Providence branch, said he attended the press conference out of concern about the issue and to show the support of his organization. While he said he was pleased about the goals outlined in the plan, he disputed the statements made earlier that racial profiling is rare or almost non-existent in Rhode Island.
William L. Shaw II, pastor of the Union Baptist Church and director of Pawtucket’s Office of Affirmative Action, said he thinks the most important part of the plan is that it will open up a dialogue on bias and racial profiling between law enforcement and members of the community. He added that he had input during the drafting of the new plan and plans to become involved on the advocacy panel.