Post by Okwes on Jan 13, 2008 17:55:40 GMT -5
Committee hears more comment on Windy Boy's 'profiling' bill
By GWEN FLORIO
Tribune Capitol Bureau
HELENA - Even though the practice of racial profiling is illegal in Montana,
there's a perception that it continues, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy told the
Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday.
Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, is sponsoring a bill to urge law enforcement agencies
around the state to keep track of the race of people stopped for possible
traffic violations. Those numbers, he said, could determine if the perception
is reality.
An earlier version of the bill would have demanded reports on the race of
every person stopped, but the bill was amended to merely require periodic
reviews. A review showing a pattern of profiling would trigger an investigation.
"I strongly urge you to ... return it to the original version," Windy Boy
told the Senate panel Friday.
Windy Boy acknowledged, however, that the changes in the bill were probably
the reason that Friday's hearing - unlike one earlier in the legislative
session - was not awash in blue uniforms. Law enforcement officers from around the
state opposed his original bill.
They did again on Friday, but there were fewer objections this time.
Jerry Williams, head of the Montana Police Protective Association, said the
bill, if it becomes law, might make officers so wary of stopping minorities
that it would decrease their crime-fighting effectiveness.
Capt. Stan Martin of the Havre Police Department also was among the bill's
opponents.
"I am Native American. I field all of our complaints on our office, and I
have yet to see anyone come through our office indicating racial profiling,"
Martin said.
Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, suggested that people who feel singled out by
authorities because of their race might be too intimidated to file a
complaint with those same police officers.
"Oftentimes, there's an undercurrent of fear," she said. "I think people's
biggest concern in Montana is biased policing, not profiling."
Cynthia Schmockel, a Native American woman who lives in Havre, said a Montana
Highway Patrol car often parks just outside the entrance to the nearby Rocky
Boy's Indian Reservation.
"It's like a dog waiting for a cat. Just to see it worries me," she said.
Windy Boy's legislation would cost the state $161,000 to set up a database
that would hold the information collected.
"If we don't have any data to train officers, what are we going to do - have
a feel-good training session?" Windy Boy asked.
His bill has already been approved in the House. If approved by the Senate
Judiciary Committee, it will go before the full Senate for debate.
By GWEN FLORIO
Tribune Capitol Bureau
HELENA - Even though the practice of racial profiling is illegal in Montana,
there's a perception that it continues, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy told the
Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday.
Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, is sponsoring a bill to urge law enforcement agencies
around the state to keep track of the race of people stopped for possible
traffic violations. Those numbers, he said, could determine if the perception
is reality.
An earlier version of the bill would have demanded reports on the race of
every person stopped, but the bill was amended to merely require periodic
reviews. A review showing a pattern of profiling would trigger an investigation.
"I strongly urge you to ... return it to the original version," Windy Boy
told the Senate panel Friday.
Windy Boy acknowledged, however, that the changes in the bill were probably
the reason that Friday's hearing - unlike one earlier in the legislative
session - was not awash in blue uniforms. Law enforcement officers from around the
state opposed his original bill.
They did again on Friday, but there were fewer objections this time.
Jerry Williams, head of the Montana Police Protective Association, said the
bill, if it becomes law, might make officers so wary of stopping minorities
that it would decrease their crime-fighting effectiveness.
Capt. Stan Martin of the Havre Police Department also was among the bill's
opponents.
"I am Native American. I field all of our complaints on our office, and I
have yet to see anyone come through our office indicating racial profiling,"
Martin said.
Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, suggested that people who feel singled out by
authorities because of their race might be too intimidated to file a
complaint with those same police officers.
"Oftentimes, there's an undercurrent of fear," she said. "I think people's
biggest concern in Montana is biased policing, not profiling."
Cynthia Schmockel, a Native American woman who lives in Havre, said a Montana
Highway Patrol car often parks just outside the entrance to the nearby Rocky
Boy's Indian Reservation.
"It's like a dog waiting for a cat. Just to see it worries me," she said.
Windy Boy's legislation would cost the state $161,000 to set up a database
that would hold the information collected.
"If we don't have any data to train officers, what are we going to do - have
a feel-good training session?" Windy Boy asked.
His bill has already been approved in the House. If approved by the Senate
Judiciary Committee, it will go before the full Senate for debate.