Discussion On Shorewood Police Accountability Continues Monday

Editor's note: A previous version of this article said the meeting would occur at 6:30 p.m. Monday, which is incorrect. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. See below for details.

SHOREWOOD, WI — The Shorewood Village Board and the Shorewood Police Commission will hear a presentation on Monday from Attorney Steven Zach. The presentation will continue the Village Board's discussion of how to structure police organizations.

The presentation, entitled "The Roles, Duties and Jurisdiction of Police and Fire Commissions," was requested by the Village Board as the Shorewood Public Safety Committee continues work on processing the 2020 police organizational study, commonly known as the Weiss report, according to a Village Manager Rebecca Ewald's newsletter.

After the presentation, members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions and raise comment. After public comment, the Village Board and the Police Commission will discuss the presentation.

The meeting is ultimately a continuation of the discussion prompted by the Weiss report last year. The report detailed ways the Village could improve policing, Patch previously reported.

"In our view, there are three critical issues to explain this incongruity: the handling of informal complaints, the process for filing formal complaints, and communication channels for resolving issues," the author of the report wrote. "A lot will depend on the nature and level of distrust of police and/or a lack of confidence in the ability of the police to treat complaints objectively and take their complaints seriously."

Related: Shorewood Residents Need Better Ways To File Complaints About PD

After the report was commissioned by the village, local advocate groups Shorewood Moving Forward (SMF) and the Shorewood Solidarity Network spoke out and continue to rally for changes to the Police Commission.

At the heart of the discussion is how to address citizen oversight of policing. Chuck Carlson, a member of the Shorewood Police Commission, told Patch that his board should be closer integrated into the community.

"It's really important for the Village Board members and the Police Commission to know that the community cares about this issue and that a lot of people want to be involved, but are not able to because the Police Commission has been, I guess the word is hidden," Carlson said.

In the past two years, the Police Commission has met twice in unrecorded meetings without citizen comment, according to Carlson. Many commissions meet more regularly — Carlson said it should be monthly.

At present, the Police Commission does not handle citizen complaints. Complaints are handled internally by the department — If necessary, the investigation into complaints can be followed up on by the Human Relations Commission.

Shorewood founded the Human Relations Commission in 2017 to "advocate for the rights and values of our community, listen to community member(s) grievances and complaints relating to discrimination, provide and coordinate educational resources, and report to Shorewood Village Police Commission, on an as needed basis, of incidences related to race and policing in the community."

Carlson said such powers should lie with the Police Commission because it is more related to policing.

"It just seems like if you have a focused Police Commission whose sole focus is policing I believe they should have the authority to do that," Michelle Waite, a member of the Shorewood Moving Forward Board, told Patch.

"They should have the authority to support the community in the best way possible as an independent body and if that's not happening or if the power that they could have is placed elsewhere, then you're kind of missing the moment of making an impact, especially if they're so severely underutilized."

At present, the Police Commission does not regularly do business about citizen oversight. The Shorewood Human Relations Committee (HRC) has some power to that end, but it lacks the true power needed such as the ability to hire and fire, according to Carlson.

"The HRC in and of itself would be a great place to have police community oversight for policing if the HRC also had authority to take action once concerns are identified," Waite said.

Carlson told Patch that the Police Commission could serve as a fixture embedded in the community with regular public comment during regular meetings — and the immediate power to address issues with policing.

Meeting Details

The presentation on Monday could offer insight into if that is possible. The meeting of the Committee of the Whole (the Police Commission and Village Board together), will take place on Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. over Zoom.

Attend the Zoom meeting and view relevant documents and the planned presentation here.

Shorewood Moving Forward wrote an open letter to the village following the 2020 police organizational study, outlining its key findings and what needs to be done.

Key Findings Outlined On Shorewood Moving Forward's Website:

1. "There is clear evidence of racial inequity in policing in Shorewood."
2. "The Village needs to create a more robust process of civilian oversight."
3. "The complaint process must be brought up to national best practice standards."
4. "Data collection, analysis, and access must be improved to ensure accurate reporting and transparent public access."
5. "The Village must explore ways to go 'beyond' policing, using non-sworn staff with different skills for activities that do not require/would better be served by alternatives to sworn police officers."
6. "The Report raised concerns about SPD’s Use of Force policies and Vehicle Pursuit policies"

Read the full letter to the Village Board and Police Commission regarding the Weiss report from Shorewood Moving Forward.

Carlson started his activism for police reform in the village in 2017 when Black Lives Matter signs that posted in his yard were repeatedly destroyed. Carlson attempted to resolve the matter with a police officer, but he says that the officer was combative and disrespectful about the situation — Carlson went to submit a complaint, but the process left a lot to be desired, according to Carlson.

At the time, complaints could only be made in person at the police station. Currently, an in person visit is still recommended, but not required by the Shorewood Police Department complaint procedure.

After the incident Carlson got involved. He has since been appointed to the Shorewood Police Commission.

He has attempted to instate the changes recommended by the Weiss report, but has been unsuccessful. Among those recommended changes: an overhaul to the citizen complaint procedure, the addition of public comment, more regular meetings and a general increase in how the Police Commission is involved with the community, according to Carlson.