Protecting Communities Serving the Public

A guide for public dialogue and problem solving

Police

and

residents

building relationships

to work together

Protecting Communities

Serving the Public

Study Circles Resource Center

A project of the Topsfield Foundation, Inc.

Police

and

residents

building relationships

to work together

Protecting Communities

Serving the Public

The Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC) developed this discussion guide. SCRC is aproject of the Topsfield Foundation, Inc., a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation dedicatedto advancing deliberative democracy and improving the quality of public life in the United States.SCRC carries out this mission by helping communities organize study circles – small-group,democratic, face-to-face discussions that give everyday people opportunities to make adifference in their communities.

In a community-wide study circle program, many study circles take place at the same time.Large numbers of people from all parts of the community meet in these small groups to talkabout one particular issue. These study circle programs lead to a wide range of action efforts.

We would like to help you organize study circles throughout your community. Our staff membersoffer their services to community leaders, free of charge, at every stage of creating a community-wide study circle program:♦ providing detailed, step-by-step advice on organizing and facilitating study circles;♦ working to develop strong coalitions within communities;♦ and writing letters of support for funding proposals.

SCRC publishes guides on a variety of issues, including race, crime and violence, education,immigration, diversity, youth issues, neighborhoods, urban growth and development, healthycommunities and families.

SCRC provides free discussion materials to help organizers start a community-wide program.For assistance please contact us: SCRC, P.O. Box 203, Pomfret, CT 06258. Phone: 860-928-2616.Fax: 860-928-3713. E-mail:[email protected] .

Protecting Communities, Serving the Public: Police and residents buildingrelationships to work together is available on our web site at www.studycircles.org.

Writers and consultants: Michele Archie and Howard D Terry – Harbinger Institute

Concept advisors: Carolyne Abdullah, John Landesman, Martha L. McCoy, and Patrick Scully

Editor: Molly Holme Barrett

Research assistants: Reem Ghandour, Carrie Boron

Editorial assistance: Phil Rose

Layout and design: M&M Design

Production coordinator: Francine Nichols

Managing editor and project director: Amy Malick

© 2000 Topsfield Foundation, Inc.

Printed in the United States on recycled paper using vegetable- based ink

S T U D Y C I R C L E S R E S O U R C E C E N T E R

Introduction

Why should we take part in study circles on police-community relationships? ............................. 1

What are the assumptions behind study circles on this issue? ....................................................... 2

What is a community-wide study circle program? ............................................................................. 2

What is a study circle? .......................................................................................................................... 3

What’s in this discussion guide? ......................................................................................................... 3

Discussion Materials

Session 1 Starting our study circle: sharing our experiences ........................................................ 4

Session 2 What’s the nature of the problem? .................................................................................. 6

Session 3 What do we expect from each other? .............................................................................. 9

Session 4 How can we make progress? .......................................................................................... 11

Session 5 Committing to change: What needs to happen in our community? ............................ 18

Tips for Study Circle Facilitators .................................................................................. 22

How to Organize Study Circles in Your Community .......................................................... 26

Keys to Organizing Study Circles on Police-Community Relationships ................ 29

Resources for Further Discussion and Action ........................................................... 31

Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................. 37

Table of ContentsProtecting Communities, Serving the Public

I

Introduction

1S T U D Y C I R C L E S R E S O U R C E C E N T E R

Study circles will...

♦ bring people of manyviewpoints and backgroundstogether for honest andhelpful talks.

♦ give people a chance toreach out to one another tobuild trust.

♦ help people find commonground for solutions andaction.

♦ build on good work thatalready is happening.

The purpose of thisguide is to help peopleuse study circles to...

♦ talk about the key issuesbetween police and thecommunity.

♦ take action and makechanges.

n most communities, residents and policedepartments have good relationships. Yet manycommunities are looking for ways to improvethose relationships. This may be particularlytrue where cultural tensions, policing practices,and a lot of media attention lead to distrust,anger, and fear. Everyone is affected.

♦ Citizens think the police are prejudicedand have unfair policies.

♦ Police feel blame for all kinds of socialproblems. They feel they don’t get creditfor doing their jobs.

♦ Local elected leaders feel pressure toreduce crime.

Many things cause problems betweenresidents and police:

♦ race, culture, and class background

♦ community history and politics

♦ laws and policies from outside the community

♦ the culture of the police department itself

People from different backgrounds orexperiences often view these issues in differentways. For example, some people blame policefor “profiling” when they arrest people of color.Others praise police for arresting the peoplewho commit crimes, no matter what their color.

Finding common ground for solutions is hard.Most of the time, people who see thingsdifferently don’t take the time to talk to eachother, much less work together. To makematters worse, problems between police andcitizens often get talked about only after a crisis.Then, people are very upset and it’s even harderto address the problems.

Why should we take part in study circleson police-community relationships?

Communities need to find answers and takeaction on many different levels. If police andresidents take part in honest and constructivedialogue where they can learn more aboutone another, they will build trust and respect.Study circle programs bring all kinds of peopletogether to share different views and experi-ences. In the process, they begin to buildstronger relationships and work together tofind solutions. We believe this is necessaryfor any long-term change to occur.

In communities where citizens and policealready have good working relationships, studycircles can help them look at ways to set evenbetter policies.

Clearly, this will not be easy. Study circles area first step. They provide a way for people withlots of different ideas and experience to cometogether to have a safe and honest discussionabout policing and community safety.


Building mutual respectamong diverse groups takestime. People need to discussideas, form better policies, andfigure out how to worktogether. This is most likely tohappen if leaders from thepolice department, theneighborhoods, and all kindsof community groups bringpeople into the study circles.When many people are talkingto each other and workingtogether for action, it can leadto change all across thecommunity.

Introduction

What are the assumptions behind studycircles on this issue?

1. People come into the study circles readyto learn from each other.

2. Everyone is equally important. Thismeans police, young people, electedofficials, activists, newcomers and long-time residents. All need to feel valuedand respected.

3. People are looking for ways to build trustand respect.

4. This is more than just getting along. Thesediscussions can lead to problem solvingand action by individuals, groups, and thewhole community.

5. When people join study circles they beginto own the issues. They stop thinking that“it’s someone else’s fault,” or “thosepeople should solve the problems.”

6. Racism and race relations are often at theheart of these problems. Talking aboutthese issues can be hard. The study circlesmay bring out many feelings such as anger,sadness, fear, guilt, and relief. Open andhonest talk and listening are key steps inhealing and moving to action.

7. People in study circles will have differentways of talking and seeing the world. It isimportant for people to learn to talk withand listen to each other, in spite ofdifferences in race, ethnic background,education level, or income.

What is a community-wide study circleprogram?

It’s when people all over the community meetin study circles – small, diverse groups – overthe same period of time. All the study circleswork on the same issue, and seek solutions forthe whole community.

Study circle programs need the support ofkey groups and leaders in town. They can includethousands of people. Study circles can be usedto talk about many issues, such as race, schools,crime, violence, neighborhoods, growth anddevelopment, and education.

As a result, people from many backgroundsform new networks in order to work together.They see common ground and want to takeaction for themselves, in small groups, asvoters, or as part of a larger effort.

What’s in this discussion guide?

In Session 1, you will ...

♦ get to know each other.

♦ agree on how the study circle will be run.

♦ learn how each person’s history hasshaped how he or she thinks about police-community relationships.


♦ look at what is happening between thepolice and the community.

♦ tell people what you think is going on.

♦ listen to what others think is going on.


♦ find out what the police and communityexpect from each other.


♦ look at different ways to improve workingrelationships between the police andcommunity.

♦ explore how to make progress on theseissues.


♦ look at action ideas in the guide.

♦ come up with key action steps for change.

Study circles for thisprogram will …

♦ meet five times.

♦ use this booklet as a guide.

♦ talk about this issue in fairand honest ways.

♦ try to find common ground.

♦ come together as a wholecommunity at the end,to find ways to take action.

Introduction

What is a study circle?

A study circle is a group of about 12 peoplefrom different backgrounds and viewpoints whomeet several times to talk about an issue. In astudy circle, everyone has an equal voice, andpeople try to understand each other’s views.They do not have to agree with each other. Theidea is to share concerns and look for ways tomake things better.

A facilitator helps the group focus on differentviews and makes sure the discussion goes well.This person is not an expert on the issue.


BFACILITATOR TIPS FOR

SESSION 1

♦ Divide the session into fiveparts. Use the amount oftime suggested for eachas a guide.

♦ Explain the purpose ofthe study circle and whatparticipants can do tomake the most of it. Setthe ground rules.

♦ Make everyone feelwelcome. Be sure eachperson has a chance tospeak and to hear theother group members.

Take notes

♦ Ask someone to takenotes.

♦ Print the notes on largesheets of paper so thateveryone can read them.

♦ Save the notes so thatyou can refer to them inlater sessions.

Starting Our Study Circle: Sharing Our Experiences

FACILITATOR TIP:

Spend some time to makesure everyone is comfortablewith the ground rules yourgroup chooses. Use them foreach session, and add to themwhen necessary.

uilding trust and respect is the first step insolving problems together. We need to listen toeach other and get to know each other better.This session helps us get started.

The purpose of this session is to …

♦ get to know each other.

♦ learn why we are in this study circle.

♦ agree on some ground rules on how totalk about the issue.

♦ share our stories and views about howpolice and the community get along.

Part 1: Getting to know each other

(25 minutes)

Here are some questions to get you started.Your facilitator will guide you.

1. Who are you? Tell people a little aboutyourself.

2. What do you want other people to knowabout you? Your family? Where you live?What you do? What is important to you?

3. Why are you here? What made you come?What do you hope to get from this studycircle?

Part 2: Setting the ground rules

(15 minutes)

We need to agree on the rules about how totalk with and listen to each other. They will helpour study circle work better. Here are someideas.

1. Listen with respect.

2. Each person gets a chance to talk.

3. One person talks at a time. Don't cutpeople off.

4. Speak for yourself, and not as the repre-sentative of any group. Remember theothers are speaking for themselves, too.

5. If something someone says hurts orbothers you, say so.

6. It's OK to disagree. No name-calling orattacking someone.

7. Help the facilitator keep things on track.

8. What we say in the study circle is to be keptconfidential. Don't identify people by nameif you share someone's story outside thecircle. Or, ask for that person's OK. Whatwe learn about the issues is fine to sharewith others, but not personal stories.

9. If the note-taker makes a mistake, speak up.

Session 1

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S T U D Y C I R C L E S R E S O U R C E C E N T E R5

TIPS ABOUTTAKING NOTES

♦ Team up to take notesTwo facilitators, workingas a team, can easily taketurns leading the discussionand taking notes.

♦ Ask participants to volunteerIf you can't find anotherfacilitator to team with, askfor volunteers from the studycircle to take notes. Makesure it's not the same personfor every session, becausetaking notes takes the personout of the discussion.

♦ Focus on the main ideasCapture the main ideasinstead of trying to writeevery word. Notes maynot be necessary for everypart of the discussion.

♦ Make the notes easy to readUse colorful markers or largesheets of newsprint. Printclearly. Post the filled sheetsaround the room.

♦ Use the notesRefer to them during adiscussion. Post them at alater session. Have someonetype the notes and handthem out at the next session.Look at them betweensessions to prepare yourself.

Part 3: What are our experiences?

(40 minutes)

Everyone has a story to tell about somethingthat happened to them. There will be bothpolice and residents in our group. Be honesteven if it is hard.

Your facilitator will guide the questions. Youdon't have to answer them all.

1. What is a key event in your life that hasshaped your views about the police and thecommunity?

2. What did you learn about the police whenyou were young? How did you learn that?

3. If you are a police officer, how do you talkwith your family and friends about yourjob?

4. If you are not a police officer, how do youtalk about the police with your family andfriends?

5. How has your view of the police changedover time?

6. What is happening now with policing inyour community? How do you feel aboutthat?

Part 4: Stereotyping

(20 minutes)

Stereotypes– or labels– are things we think,believe, or assume about a group of people. Forexample, "All adults are out of touch." Or, "Allyoung people are lazy."

1. List three words that you would use todescribe a group you are part of (forexample, a religious group, a racial group, aclub, or a job). List three words thatothers might use to label your group.

2. How does stereotyping get in the way ofpolice and community working together?

3. Does race, culture, or a person's ethnicbackground affect how police andresidents relate to each other? Why?

Part 5: Reflect on the meeting

(20 minutes)

Use one or both of these questions.

1. What did you learn from this meeting?Any new ideas?

2. What do you hope will come from thisstudy circle?

For the next sessionTalk with your friends, co-workers, neigh-

bors, and family about this issue. What wouldthey like to change? What do they think isworking well?

Session 1

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eople have many different views about howrelationships are going between police andcommunity members. These views affect howwe feel about our community. They also affectwhether and how we are willing to worktogether with others to make this a better, saferplace to live. The purpose of this session is totalk about how we see things and to listen toother people's views.

P


Session 2 What's the Nature of the Problem?

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FACILITATOR TIPSFOR SESSION 2

♦ Divide the session intothree parts. Use theamount of time suggestedfor each as a guide.

♦ Post the notes fromSession 1 for all to see. Ifyou're short on space, justpost the notes from Part 5(what you learned fromthe meeting).

♦ Strong feelings mayemerge as people discussthese views. For morehelp guiding thesediscussions, see tips onpage 22.

♦ Take notes so you canrefer to them later.

To start Part 2 of this session

♦ Ask a few members ofyour study circle to readeach view out loud.

♦ After this, ask some of the"Questions to thinkabout" listed on the nextpage.

Part 1: Getting started

(30 minutes)

1. What did you learn since the last studycircle when you talked to your friends orfamily about this issue?

2. What is one hope you have for the futureof our community?

3. What is one hope you have about thepolice and the community?

4. What are we up against in trying to worktogether?

Part 2: What's the root of the problem?

(70 minutes)

Here are some views that people may hold.Talk about these views to clarify your ownthinking, and to understand what others in thegroup are thinking.


View 3Being tough on crime is good, but it leadsto other problems.

The police have done a good job in reducingcrime. They patrol and take even small offensesseriously. Making lots of arrests sends a clearmessage to criminals. Police are also getting alot of help from the courts.

Some people feel safer when police makelots of arrests. But many people, especiallypeople of color and lower-income people, feelthreatened by the methods police use to fightcrime. It is not OK to ignore people's basicrights. Being hard on criminals should makepeople feel safer, not more afraid.

View 4The community does not give policeenough support.

Police are often in danger. They need to makedecisions quickly. Sometimes it can seem likethey are making the wrong decision. Policeofficers need to know that they will be backedup. Without support, they might avoid dangerand not be there when we need them. With theright kind of support from the police depart-ment, the city, and the people who live here,police will be ready to face danger.

View 1Residents and policedo not understand each other.

Many people don't understand the police orknow much about the real work that police do.The police have a hard and dangerous job. Weget a lot of bad ideas about the police from TV,movies, and the news. The media often makethings worse by focusing on bad news and noton what is working. Another problem is thatpeople who are new to this country get con-fused. They think the police will act like thepolice from their home country.

At the same time, police don't understandthe people in our neighborhoods. Police donot live here and they don't know about thedifferent cultures. Our local leaders have notdone enough to hire officers with diversebackgrounds. These officers would fit intothe neighborhoods better. It is hard for thepolice to protect us if they don't understandand respect us.

View 2Police do not always treat peopleof color fairly.

Police too often favor whites and work againstpeople of color. Some police think that manypeople of color (mostly young men) arecriminals. The problem is worse in someneighborhoods. But all over town, people arepulled over, questioned, jailed, and even shotjust because of their color. This kind of "profil-ing" is a form of racism and prejudice.

Session 2

Questionsto think about

1. Which view is closest toyour own? Why? What arethe beliefs or things youhave experienced that havehelped form your ideas?

2. Think about a viewyou don't agree with. Whatmight lead someone elseto agree with that view?

3. What other views wouldyou add? What points ofview are missing?


Session 2

View 5No one is doing enough to hold policeaccountable.

When the police do something questionable,hardly anyone seems interested in finding outthe truth. Many leaders and police unions aremore interested in protecting the police thanin finding out what really happened. It seems thepolice don't have to account for their actions.Even the courts and elected officials don'tseem to ask hard questions when police workgoes wrong. This gives all police a bad nameand makes people suspect a cover-up.

Our leaders have not set high enoughstandards of conduct. The managers of somepolice departments aren't doing a very good job.The police and their bosses don't get all thetraining they need. That can lead them to usetoo much force or abuse power in other ways.

View 6Residents and police aren't doing enough tomake some neighborhoods safe.

It seems like everyone expects someone elseto make things better. This is especially true inneighborhoods with the biggest crime problems.

The police can't do it all. People who live therehave an important role, too. Residents aren'ttaking enough responsibility for helpingthemselves. They can do plenty of things to solvetheir own problems without getting the policeinvolved. And when police are involved, resi-dents can give them the information they need.

At the same time, the police aren't helping outon a regular basis. They only go to thoseneighborhoods when there is a crisis. Policeneed to crack down on basic problems likedrugs, street violence, and stealing. Also, policecan help with day-to-day problems like noise andloitering.


(20 minutes)

People may be feeling tense from this discus-sion. Use these questions to help think about it.

1. What did you learn from this meeting?What new ideas did you get?

2. What are the key points of agreement anddisagreement?

3. What did you hear from this meeting thatgave you hope that things can get better?

For the next sessionCheck out the TV, radio, and newspaper to

see what they are saying about the police andthe community.

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H ow citizens and police relate to each otheris complicated. What is really going on? Thissession looks at what the community andpolice expect from each other.

Part 1: Getting started

(15 minutes)

1. How do you think the study circle is goingso far?

2. Since our last session, what did you learnfrom the newspapers, TV or radio?

Part 2: Listening to learn

(30 minutes)

Building stronger relationships means wetruly need to listen to each other. We havetalked about many difficult questions in thefirst two sessions of our study circle. Some ofthe talk may have been tense. This exercisehelps us get to know each other better withoutworrying about who's right and who's wrong.

Sometimes it is hard to say what we reallythink or feel because we are afraid of whatothers will say. But it can be just as hard toreally hear what someone else is saying.Listening to each other without passingjudgment helps us build trust.

What groups are youpart of?

Religious group

School

Club or community group

Profession or job

Racial or ethnic group

Neighborhood

Age group


Session 3

FACILITATOR TIPS FORSESSION 3

1. Divide the session intofour parts. Use the amountof time suggested for eachas a guide.

2. Post the notes fromearlier sessions where allcan see them. If you'reshort on space, postnotes from Part 3 ofSession 2 (new ideas andhopes for the future).

3. Remember to take notesso you can refer to themlater.

What Do We Expect From Each Other?

Directions:Choose a few people with different back-

grounds to speak while the rest of the grouplistens. Each person speaking should answerthe first question below. After each person hasanswered, move to the next question. When allthe questions are answered, take some time totalk with the whole group about what youlearned.

1. Describe yourself to the group. Why didyou describe yourself the way you did?

2. In what ways is your description of yourselfalike or different from the others'descriptions?

3. How have others described you? Do theways that others see and describe youmatch the ways you think about yourself?

4. Think about the labels you use for yourselfor that others use to describe you. Whatgroups do these labels connect you to?What groups might they set you apartfrom? What does this suggest about yourconnection to your community?

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Wrap-up questions

For the speakers:

1. How did you feel about being in thisexercise?

For the whole group:

2. How did you feel about what you heardpeople say?

Part 3: What do we expect from each other?

(45 minutes)

1. What makes a good police officer? Howdoes that compare with what makes agood citizen?

2. What should a police officer's job be inour neighborhood? How do we know if heor she is doing a good job?

3. What should citizens be in charge of whenit comes to community safety?

4. How do we usually let each other knowwhat we expect?


(30 minutes)

1. What are we up against? What stands inthe way of building better relationshipsand working together?

2. What's working well? Are there any goodchanges under way?

3. What responsibility do we share forkeeping people safe?

For the next sessionThink about the kinds of things that would

need to happen to improve working relation-ships between the community and police.

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Session 3

O

How Can We Make Progress?Session 4


♦ Divide the session intofour parts. Use theamount of time suggestedfor each as a guide.

♦ Post the notes from earliersessions for all to see. Ifyou are short on space,post notes from Part 4of Session 3 (problems,challenges and sharedresponsibilities forpeople's safety).

♦ Remember to take notesso you can refer to themlater.


♦ Ask for volunteers to readeach approach out loud.

♦ To move the discussionalong, use the "Generalquestions."

♦ Use the specific questionsthat follow each approachto help people add to thediscussion.

ur study circle has helped us have a betterunderstanding of relationships between thecommunity and police and what we expect of oneanother. Now let's talk about how to improvethings. We will discuss several approaches forpositive change. This will help us get ready for thelast meeting on how to work together.

Part 1: Looking to our future

(20 minutes)

1. What are some of the ways that we hopepolice and community members can buildbetter working relationships?

Part 2: How can we make things better?

(80 minutes)

Following are some approaches to buildingbetter working relationships between thepolice and community. Use these approachesto think about new ideas for our community.

General questions

♦ Which ideas make sense? Why? Whatconcerns or doubts do you have?

♦ What are other communities doing thatmight work here?

♦ What approaches seem most likely to moveus toward the future we want?

♦ Who will take the lead on this issue?

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Approach 1

Bring police and community together.We need to meet not just when there is a crisis or a big crime. We should do things to build

relationships that are not so full of conflict. Then it would be easier to work together.We can build respect and trust for one another when we make time to meet with and learn

about each other. This is the only way to do it.

Actions that someone who agrees with Approach 1 might support:

♦ Hold regular local meetings with police to raise concerns and talk about what to do tomake things better.

♦ Set up a community police academy or other training to learn more about the police's job."Ride along" programs with police on patrol help teach people about this.

♦ Work together on projects like community gardens, after-school programs, and block parties.Work with the media to create guidelines on how to cover stories fairly for both citizens and police.

♦ Have officers work in one neighborhood for a long time. Have more foot or bicycle patrols.Give officers enough time on calls to get to know the people they serve.

♦ Make a strong commitment to community-oriented policing. Everyone in the policedepartment should be involved, not just a few units or officers.

Questions about this approach

1. Are people ready for this much reaching out? Will those who reach out be labeled as betrayingfamily, friends, and neighbors? Will other officers see police who are involved as "soft"? Why?

2. Who or what groups will really take the lead to bring people together?

3. Will people really come out if there isn't a crisis or big crime? Why, or why not?

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Action Approaches

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Session 4

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Approach 2

Make police more accountable.The police department needs to show it is willing to change and improve relationships. It needs

to set high standards for…

♦ how officers behave.

♦ how problems are solved.

♦ how well it talks to citizens.

This will show everyone that the police and those in charge respect the citizens they serve.Respecting others will become the standard.


♦ Create a citizen review board to oversee how the police investigate themselves. The board'swork should be open to the public. The board also should report to the public on how internalinvestigations are going.

♦ Make strict rules for how police behave. Reports need to be made when weapons or otherforce is used.

♦ City leaders should publicly support officers who act responsibly and respectfully.

♦ When officers act poorly, discipline them publicly and make policy changes.

♦ Take a stand against racial profiling. Policies against profiling are needed. These policiesneed to be clearly told to both police and citizens.


1. How much do people really need to know about police work to judge whether police are doingtheir job right? What training is needed for a citizen review board?

2. What kind of support from the community would the police need to make changes?

3. How will people know if the police are making real changes?


Session 4

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Approach 3

Address race and class issues head-on.

We are deeply divided by race and income levels. People are treated differently depending ontheir background. Problems like racial profiling reveal deeper problems. Until we do somethingabout these problems, not much will change between the police and citizens.

We must stop prejudice not only in the police force but all across the community. We must bringpeople together from all different backgrounds and neighborhoods. This will help them to learnabout each other and work together. Citizens and police can be involved in this equally.


♦ Do cross-cultural training that is open for all residents and police. Faith groups could be goodsponsors for this.

♦ Police need to be hard on crime and reach out to people in neighborhoods at the sametime. Police need to work with African-American, Latino, Native American and other leaders tofind common goals, reduce crime, and build trust.

♦ Support programs that bring together people of different income levels. Habitat forHumanity, which builds homes for poorer people, is one such program.

♦ Police need to think about how to reduce racial tension when they fight crime. For example,in one city, the law required police to crack down on a type of business that happened to belocated in an ethnic neighborhood. The police chief formed an ongoing task force of leadersfrom the neighborhood. He got their advice on how to get rid of the illegal businesses withoutpicking on the residents.


1. Are different groups ready to reach out to each other? Do enough people want the divisionshealed? Why, or why not?

2. Will sensitivity to race and class make police hesitate to arrest lawbreakers who are non-whites? Why, or why not?

3. A long history divides us. Can a long-range approach really reduce crime and make things safer?Why?

Approach 4

Help youth be a stronger part of the community.

We need to take youth more seriously. Too often they are left out. When it comes to making ourcommunity a safer, better place to live, young people have a lot to offer. Instead of blaming them, weneed to make them part of our efforts to change things.

When we do this, we will change our community's future. If young people get involved in positiveaction, there will be more hope.


♦ Set up a youth police commission to advise the police. Members could be selected by theirpeers and appointed by the mayor. They could speak to young people's issues and make theirvoices heard.

♦ Use peer mentors. Set up school programs to get young people to help younger kids with theirhomework and other problems.

♦ Set up in-school and after-school programs to help youth learn how to stop fighting andresolve their problems.

♦ Take youth seriously. Say hello to young people we see on the street or in other public places.Talk to young people who live near us, and get to know them.

♦ Have police visit schools at lunchtime just to talk and meet young people.

♦ During the summer, hire young people to work along with police in programs to promotesafety, fun, and learning.


1. In what ways do young people want to be more involved? How willing are adults to accept andlearn from young people?

2. How can we reach out to those young people causing the most trouble?

3. How can we not look like we are going soft on those who cause problems and commit crimes?


Session 4

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Session 4

Approach 5

Provide better training for police officers and their bosses.The work of police officers can be hard and dangerous. Officers often put their lives on the line

to do their jobs. They work with people who can fly off the handle in anger or fear. Some people areviolent.

Managers of the police department also have hard jobs. They have to make sure that theirofficers are doing the right thing. Sometimes, they have to justify the actions of officers or thedepartment to an angry public or city hall. They are often in the media spotlight even as a crimesearch is unfolding.

Some are doing the best they can. Others are not as good as they should be. We need to givethem better training and support so they can do a good job.


♦ Train police in cultural diversity. Have leaders from different races and ethnic groups offerworkshops on race and other cultures to officers.

♦ Train police on how to reduce stress. This will help them think and act wisely when they areunder pressure. Police also need help coping with job stress in their personal lives.

♦ Train police at the academy on how to resolve conflicts more peacefully. Include how tomediate or negotiate crises and problems. This will help them rely less on force.

♦ Offer training to managers of departments in areas such as …

– personal ethics

– setting and upholding standards

– management skills

– working under pressure

– reaching out to the community

– working with the media


1. How will this training change the culture of the police department? Will it really work forpeople who are very narrow-minded?

2. If officers are trained to solve problems in non-violent ways, how will that prepare them todeal with real violence?

3. How will this long-range approach help with problems now?

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Approach 6

Do our part to make our neighborhoods safe.

People should not wait for someone else to make things better. A lot can be done withoutcalling for outside help. We need to learn how to handle things ourselves before relying on thepolice or the courts.

We need to follow up when police have taken care of a problem so that it does not occur again.When people take action in our neighborhood, we all feel proud to live here. We can also take

some of the pressure off the police and the courts when we solve problems ourselves.


♦ Train local people to be mediators. These mediators help people resolve their own prob-lems and come up with solutions.

♦ Form "neighborhood watch" or "street guardian" groups to work with police to makethings safer.

♦ Hold "Take Back the Night" or "Take Back Our Streets" events to let people know ourconcerns about safety. Bring police and citizens together.

♦ Help shape police priorities in the neighborhood. Make "contracts" with the police aboutwhere and when they patrol and how to prevent crime.


1. Would this approach demand too much from community members? Does it let police off thehook? Why, or why not?

2. What role should police play in these community efforts?

3. What would it take for people to work together in programs like these?

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Part 3 Reflect on the meeting

(20 minutes)

1. Has your thinking changed during ourtalks? If so, how?

2. Does your study circle seem to be "lean-ing" in a certain way? Do any approachesseem to make more sense to people?

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Session 4

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Session 5


♦ Divide the session intothree parts. Use theamount of time suggestedfor each as a guide. Leavetime for the questions inPart 3. It is important forpeople to talk about whatthe study circle has meantto them.

♦ Post the notes from Part 3of Session 4 (approachespeople are leaningtoward).

♦ The group is likely to comeup with many actions ona variety of levels. Tellpeople that they get todecide their own actions.


Form three or four groups.Ask people to use theaction ideas and examplesto spark their own thinking.(See "Action Ideas," page19). Give the groups time tofind three key action ideas.OR

♦ Ask people to take a fewminutes to look over theaction ideas and examples.

♦ Use the questions in Part 2to explore the action ideas.

Committing to Change: What Needs to Happen in Our Community?

hanging working relationships betweenpolice and community members is a big job.Everyone is involved in some way. This sessionasks, "What can we do?"

Coming together to talk and learn in a studycircle is a form of action. To keep talking and getmore people involved is a good next step. Ifsome people want to go further, they can formnew groups to decide how to take action.

Part 1: Think together about how we canmake a difference

(45 minutes)

What can you do on your own? With others?Use the action ideas on page 19 as a startingpoint for your discussion.

Questions to think about

1. Of all the many concerns raised in our studycircle, what would you most like to seepeople work on? Why?

2. What can each of us do to make a differ-ence? Why is this important to you?

3. What can we do if we work together as agroup? As a community? What ideas fromother places can we use? Why might theymake things better?

4. How can we build on existing efforts tocreate better working relationships? Who'sinvolved? Who else should be involved?

Part 2: What are our priorities?

(55 minutes)

Our study circle will identify the action ideas wethink are most practical and useful. We will share ourideas with the other community study circles at the

action forum. Then, as a group we will decidewhich ideas from all the study circles to put intoaction for long-term change.


1. What two or three ideas seem mostpractical and useful?

2. What would it take to make these ideasbecome real? What help or support do weneed?

3. What resources are already in place tohelp out? Where is our community strong?

4. If we don't have enough power to moveahead on one of our ideas, who can help?How can we get them to work with us?

5. What is our next step? Who else shouldwe link up with?

6. If we plan to meet with other studycircles, what action ideas do we want toshare with them?

Part 3: Reflect on our study circle

(20 minutes)


1. What have you learned so far? What hasmade the biggest impact on how you thinkand act?

2. What do you value most about your studycircle?

3. What worked well? What didn't work well?What changes would you make?

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Session 5

Making Change Happen

♦ Get involved.

♦ Act as an individual.

♦ Work with groups in thecommunity.

♦ Start something new.

♦ Keep the dialogue going(and growing).

Action Ideas

Below are some action ideas. They reflectmany different views about what should bedone. The police and community could worktogether on many of these projects. On somethings, the police could take the lead. Onothers, the community could start the action.Use these ideas to spark your own thinking.What about ideas from the last session?

What can one person do?

♦ Learn about other cultures and tradi-tions in the neighborhood.

♦ Get to know the people in the neighborhood.

♦ Work with young people in the schoolsor youth programs. Young people needgood role models.

♦ Take leadership. Help build respectamong police and citizens.

♦ Say what you think. Write letters tothe newspaper. Talk to public officials,neighbors, family and friends.

♦ Keep a study circle going or start anew one.

♦ Learn to handle your own anger.

♦ Learn more about police work. Askabout "Ride Along" programs or otherprograms that can help you understandthe challenges of police work.

♦ Get to know the officers in yourneighborhood.

♦ Find out who besides the policehandles problems like barking dogs andpiles of trash.

What can we do with our neighbors?

♦ Start a neighborhood watch program.In Little Village, Chicago, five people gottogether once a week to walk around theneighborhood to talk with people abouttrash, dogs, graffiti and so forth.

♦ Invite police to neighborhood meetings.In Syracuse, New York, when crime washigh, a neighborhood-watch group had thepolice chief come to a meeting. Lots ofpeople came. He agreed to send a policeofficer to meetings to train people on howto stop crime.

♦ Meet with police and neighbors to talkabout how to better use police resources.In Portland, Oregon, police and citizenswrote up contracts with each other abouthow the police will work in the neighbor-hoods.

♦ Get more people to come to meetingswith police.In Chicago's South Shore, people wentdoor-to-door to get neighbors to comeout to meetings with police. One policeofficer rebuilt old computers in his sparetime. He gave them to young peoplewhose parents came to the meetings andwho got a "B" average.

♦ Help police get to know your neighbor-hood better.In the Safe Streets Program in Indianapo-lis, Indiana, police and residents identifiedthe least safe parts of the community.Residents then asked police to respondto even minor crimes in these areas. Thepolice increased their support and, as aresult, people felt safer.


What can we do in our community?

♦ Demand that the media be fair andaccurate.

♦ Work to stop abuse of drugs and alcohol.In Washington, D.C., the Marshall Heightsneighborhood started "Fighting Back." Theygot all the drug programs to work together.Police, probation officers, and doctors andnurses were trained in spotting abuse andgetting people to get help.

♦ Let lawbreakers know how we feelabout crimes.In north Minneapolis, Minnesota, commu-nity members met with first-time offendersto tell them how they felt about crime. Nowpolice tell first-time offenders they caneither be arrested or meet with and listento these citizens.

♦ Survey neighbors about how they thinkthe police are doing.

♦ Bring young people together to takepositive action.In Missoula, Montana, citizens set up"Wisdom Circles" for youth. In these circles,young people talk about problems and howto resolve conflicts. These youth, in turn,teach younger kids.

♦ Offer self-defense classes.Train women and others who might bevictims of violent crime.

♦ Train people to help neighbors mediateconflict.Since the 1980s, an organization called SanFrancisco Community Boards trains peoplein resolving conflict. These trained media-tors can be called upon by neighborhoods tohelp out in times of conflict. Police and thecourts refer many offenders to thesemediators to keep them out of jail.

What can the police department andgovernment do?

♦ Take a stand on racism in the department.In Arlington, Virginia, the police chief startedgroups in the department to talk about racialprofiling. As a result, everyone in thedepartment made a public pledge that theywould not base their actions on race.

♦ Educate the community about police work.In Detroit, Michigan, police started a commu-nity police academy. It teaches people aboutpolice work, laws, and how to get involved.A business owners' police academy trainsbusiness owners about security, false alarms,and preventing robberies.

♦ Take action to stop racial profiling.A California state senator has proposeda state law to train all police in race anddiversity. Police are required to give a cardwith their name on it to anyone they stopbut do not arrest. Several other stateshave passed laws banning racial profiling.Police must record the age, gender, andrace of all motorists stopped.

Session 5


Session 5

♦ Work with the media to be fair andaccurate.

♦ Help officers buy homes in the neigh-borhoods they serve.The "Officer Next Door" program of theU.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment offers police officers HUD-owned houses at a 50-percent discount.

♦ Have police officers visit schools to getto know youth better.In Montgomery County, Maryland, officersvisit local middle schools during the lunchbreaks. The RAP (Reality and Police)program gives officers and youth a chanceto meet informally. As a result, youth andpolice see each other more positively.

♦ Train police to do their jobs better.In Santa Clara County, California, sevenpolice departments have hired HeartMathto train officers in reducing stress. Thetraining helps police make better choiceswhen there is danger.

♦ Take pressure off police officers.In Seattle, Washington, the police depart-ment hires citizen Community ServicePolice Officers. These citizens handlethings like landlord-tenant problems,runaways, missing-person calls, andfinding housing for those in crisis.

♦ Reach out to youth.In Dallas, Texas, the Law EnforcementExplorers helps youth 14-21 learn moreabout police work. They ride with police onpatrol and do community service related tostopping crime.

♦ Give police radios that work, new cars,and sharp uniforms.This shows respect for police work.

♦ Make improvements in poorerneighborhoods.Minneapolis, Minnesota, voted to builda new elementary school in a poorerneighborhood. As a result, a local founda-tion gave $3 million to improve housingin the same neighborhood.

♦ Bring the court system closer to theneighborhood.In Brooklyn, New York, the court systemis setting up teams of judges and districtattorneys. These teams work on all the casesfor a specific part of Brooklyn. As a result,prosecutors get to know all about theneighborhood and the police who work there.

♦ Give serious attention to charges ofmisconduct by police.Many cities now have review boards separatefrom the police department. They are madeup of citizens from the community.

♦ Support police officers and theirfamilies.In Fairfax County, Virginia, police offersupport to other officers who are involvedin crises, like shootings.

Want to know more?

For more information onorganizing community-widestudy circles, contact the StudyCircles Resource Center. And,check out our web site at:www.studycircles.org.

A


Tips for Study Circle Facilitators

study circle facilitator does not need to bean expert on the topic being discussed. But thefacilitator should be the best prepared for thediscussion. This means ...

♦ understanding the goals of the study circle,

♦ being familiar with the subject,

♦ thinking ahead of time about how thediscussion might go,

♦ and preparing questions to help the groupconsider the subject.

Several of the sessions in this guide offermore choices for discussion than you can coverin a two-hour session. Choose the options thatyou think will be most interesting to your group.(You may want to consider having extra meet-ings.) If you are well prepared, it will make iteasier for you to give your full attention to groupdynamics and to what individuals in the groupare saying.

Stay neutral!The most important thing to remember is that,

as a facilitator, you should not share yourpersonal views or try to push your own agenda onthe issue. You are there to serve the discussion,not to join it.

Set a relaxed and open tone.

♦ Welcome everyone and create a friendlyand relaxed atmosphere.

♦ Well-placed humor is usually appreciated.

Explain the purpose of the study circle,and help the group set ground rules.

At the beginning of the study circle, remindeveryone that the purpose of the study circle isto work with one another to look at the issue in ademocratic way. Also remind them that your roleas leader is to remain neutral, keep the

discussion focused, and guide the conversationaccording to the ground rules.

Start with the basic ground rules listed onpage 4, then ask participants to add theirown ideas.

Stay aware of and assist the group process.

♦ Always use your “third eye.” You are notonly helping to keep the group focused onthe content of the discussion, but you willbe keeping track of how the participants arecommunicating with each other – who hasspoken, who hasn’t spoken, and whosepoints haven’t yet received a fair hearing.

♦ Consider splitting up into smaller groupsto examine a variety of viewpoints or to givepeople a chance to talk more easily abouttheir personal connection to the issue.

♦ Try not to interfere with the discussionunless you have to. Don’t allow the group toturn to you for the answers.

♦ Resist the urge to speak after each commentor answer every question. Allow participantsto respond directly to each other. The mosteffective leaders often say little, but areconstantly thinking about how to move thediscussion forward.

♦ Once in a while, ask participants to sum upthe most important points that have comeout in the discussion.

♦ Don’t be afraid of silence! People some-times need time to think before theyrespond. If silence feels awkward to you,try counting silently to 10 before yourephrase the question. This will givepeople time to collect their thoughts.

♦ Don’t let anyone take over the conversation;try to involve everyone.


Tips for Facilitators

♦ Remember that a study circle is not adebate, but a group dialogue. If participantsforget this, don’t hesitate to ask the groupto help re-establish the ground rules.

♦ Keep careful track of time!

Help the group look at various pointsof view.

♦ Make it clear to participants that you willnever take sides on the issue; your role asa facilitator is to be fair and act neutral.

♦ Use these written materials to helpparticipants consider a wide range of views.Rely on the guide rather than presentingsomething as your idea. Referring to theguide helps you stay neutral. You might askparticipants to consider a point of view thathasn’t come up in the discussion. Ask thegroup to think about the advantages anddisadvantages of different ways of looking atan issue or solving a problem.

♦ Ask participants to think about the con-cerns and values that underlie their beliefs.

♦ Don’t allow the group to focus on just oneparticular personal experience or anecdote.

♦ Help participants to identify commonground, but don’t try to force agreement.

Ask open-ended questions that don’t lendthemselves to easy answers.

Open-ended questions are questions that can’tbe answered with a quick “yes or no.” They pushpeople to think about why they believe what theydo. Open-ended questions also encouragepeople to look for connections between differentideas.

Get familiar with the following questions. Theyare a great resource during any study circle.

General questions:

♦ What seems to be the key point here?

♦ Do you agree with that? Why?

♦ What do other people think of this idea?

♦ What would be a strong case against whatyou just said?

♦ Have you had any experiences with thisthat you can share with the group?

♦ Could you help us understand the reasonsbehind your opinion?

♦ What do you think is really going on here?Why is that important?

♦ How might others see this issue?

♦ Do you think others in the group see thisthe way you do? Why?

♦ How does this make you feel?

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Questions to use when there isdisagreement:

♦ What do you think he is saying?

♦ What bothers you most about this?

♦ What is at the heart of the disagreement?

♦ How does this make you feel?

♦ What experiences or beliefs might leada reasonable person to support that point ofview?

♦ What do you think is really important topeople who hold that opinion?

♦ What don’t you agree with?

♦ What do you find most convincing about thatpoint of view?

♦ What is it about that position that you justcannot live with?

♦ Could you say more about what you think?

♦ What makes this so hard?

♦ What have we missed that we need to talkabout?

Questions to use when people are feelinghopeless:

♦ Say a little about how that makes you feel.

♦ Is there any hope?

♦ Can the problems that you are talking aboutbe solved in any way? How?

Closing questions:

♦ What are the key points of agreement anddisagreement about today’s session?

♦ What have you heard today that has madeyou think, or has touched you in some way?


Be aware of the dynamics of cross-cultural communication.

♦ Awareness of cross-cultural dynamics isimportant in a study circle setting. This isespecially true when issues of race andethnicity are a part of the conversation.

♦ Even though some of the conversationmay revolve around differences, set atone of unity in the group. While ourdifferences may separate us on somematters, we have enough in common ashuman beings to allow us to talk togetherin a constructive way.

♦ Facilitating in pairs is often helpful instudy circles on police and communityrelationships. To help establish unity, theco-facilitators could be a man and awoman, a white person and a person ofcolor, an adult and a young person, amanager and a clerical assistant. Also, anewly trained facilitator is likely to learna lot from an experienced facilitator whohas first-hand knowledge about howcross-cultural dynamics can work in astudy circle.

♦ Sensitivity, empathy, and familiarity withpeople of different backgrounds areimportant qualities for the facilitator. If youhave not had the opportunity to spend timewith all kinds of people, get involved in acommunity program that gives you thatopportunity and helps you understandcross-cultural dynamics.


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♦ Help people to appreciate and respecttheir own and others’ communication styles.People’s cultural backgrounds affect the waysin which they communicate. For example, insome cultures people are encouraged to takecharge and say exactly what they think, whilein other cultures, people are expected to bemore reserved and keep their thoughts tothemselves. Some cultures value listeningmore than speaking. In others, taking a standis of utmost importance. Help group membersto realize there is more than one good way tocommunicate. Understanding one anothertakes practice! Your leadership should showthat each person has an important and uniquecontribution to make to the group.

♦ Help the participants understand that culturallabels, or stereotypes, are usually unfair.

♦ Remind the group, if necessary, that no onecan represent his or her entire culture. Eachperson’s experiences, as an individual and asa member of a group, are unique and OK.

♦ Encourage group members to think abouttheir own experiences as they try to identifywith people who have been victims of discrimi-nation – in the workplace or elsewhere. Manypeople have had experiences that make thisdiscussion a very personal issue. Others,particularly those who are usually in themajority, may not have thought as much abouttheir own culture and its effects on their lives.It might help to encourage people to thinkabout times in their own lives when they havebeen treated unfairly. Be careful not to equatethe experiences. To support study circleparticipants who tell how they have beenmistreated, be sure to explain that you respect

their feelings and are trying to help all themembers of the group understand. Remindpeople that no one can know exactly what itfeels like to be in another person’s shoes.

♦ Encourage group members to talk abouttheir own experiences and cultures, ratherthan other people’s. This way, they will beless likely to make false generalizations aboutother cultures. Also, listening to others tellabout their own experiences breaks downstereotypes and helps people understandone another.

Close with a summary of the discussion –provide time for evaluation, and set thestage for the next meeting.

♦ Give participants a chance to talk about themost important thing they got out of thediscussion. You may wish to ask participantsto share any new ideas or thoughts they’vehad as a result of the discussion.

♦ If you will be meeting again, remind thegroup of the readings and subject for the nextsession.

♦ If the groups are meeting because they hopeto have an impact on community decisionmaking, be sure to document the content ofthe discussions. In some study circles,participants record common concerns andpoints of agreement and disagreement, aswell as ideas for action steps.

♦ After the last session, provide some time forthe group to do a written evaluation. Thisallows participants to comment on theprocess and give feedback to the facilitator.

♦ Thank everyone for their contributions!


Pilot study circles

Pilots are invaluable. You canuse them to ...

♦ help build the coalition.

♦ spread the word aboutthe program.

♦ provide practice fornewly trained facilitators.

You may even want to holdan entire round of pilot studycircles before you officiallykick off the community-widephase.

Try to make your pilots asdiverse as possible. A note ofcaution: Explain that there isa difference between pilotstudy circles and a fullcommunity-wide program.Make it clear that the pilotsare just a starting place: Theymay not represent the fulldiversity of the community,and they are not likely tolead to significant action. Thepurpose of the pilots is tobuild a foundation for acommunity-wide program,where many people from allwalks of life take part inmeaningful dialogue andconstructive action.


f you want to get more people involved inefforts to improve working relationshipsbetween police and community, this guide canhelp you. By organizing study circles through-out your community, you can give people animportant chance to share their concerns andideas, form new relationships, and take actionto solve problems.

There are several important things toremember.

♦ First, share the work. Ask for help fromother community members.

♦ Second, make it clear that all differentviewpoints and backgrounds will berespected in the study circles.

♦ Third, make sure that people understandthat this project will help people solveproblems in the community, not just talkabout them.

Every community-wide program gives usinformation about how to organize studycircles. We try to learn from every organizer,using new ideas to improve the basic model.

The following steps represent our most up-to-date thinking about what works best. Callthe Study Circles Resource Center for moredetailed advice.

How to Organize Study Circles in Your Community

I 1. Get a few people to help you. Single out afew people you know well, have workedwith before, and who would be excitedabout this project.

2. Hold a pilot study circle. Working together,make a list of 10 or 12 people who couldhelp move this project forward. Includepeople whose ideas are different fromyours. Give them a personal invitation toa pilot study circle, and try out one or twoof the sessions. (Find someone who canserve as a neutral facilitator for thatmeeting. See “Tips for study circle facilita-tors” on page 22.) At the end, ask theparticipants what they think of the process,and how to make study circles happen inyour community.

3. Make a list of groups and organizationsin your community. To involve a largenumber of people, you need to tap into asmany groups and organizations as you can.Make a list of all the schools, faith groups,businesses, clubs, nonprofits, libraries,tenants’ associations, scout troops, social-service agencies and other groups in thecommunity. Be sure to include key govern-ment employees, such as police officers,court officials, and elected officeholders.

4. Hold another pilot study circle, withrepresentatives from different organiza-tions. Invite people from some of theseorganizations to another pilot circle.(Personal invitations work best.) If youhave more than 12 people, hold more thanone circle. Try for a good mix of people ineach circle.


5. Form a study circle working group. Askall the people who’ve been involved so farto join the working group. Make sure thisgroup represents all the different kinds ofpeople living in the community. Split theworking groups into twos and threes tostart on the following tasks:

a. Plan the kickoff. This is a largemeeting that takes place just beforethe study circles begin to announce theproject to the whole community. Inviteone or two speakers who can describethe study circles and inspire people totake part. Provide refreshments, andleave some time for people to socializeand sign up.

b. Recruit and train facilitators. If youcan, find some people who are skilledat facilitating groups. Also, invite peoplewho have the personality to be goodfacilitators - good listeners often makegood facilitators. Give them informa-tion about study circle facilitation, andschedule a training.

In a typical “round” ofstudy circles,

this is what happens:

♦ The kickoff, a large meetingto get people involved inthe study circles.

♦ Many study circles takeplace, each meeting severaltimes.

♦ The action forum, a largemeeting where study circleparticipants can report ontheir discussions, sign up foraction groups, andcelebrate the program.

c. Find sites and handle other details.Arrange for study circles to meet inneutral locations like schools, libraries,churches, firehouses, and businesses.To maintain neutrality for this issue, it’sbest not to meet in police stations. Ifyou can, provide child care, transporta-tion, or other services that will helppeople take part.

d. Recruit people to join the studycircles. Remember, personal invitationswork best. Get everyone on the workinggroup to recruit people from theirorganization or circle of friends. Godoor-to-door. Create flyers and signupsheets to pass out in neighborhoods.Get your information into local newslet-ters, church bulletins, and newspapers.

e. Plan for action. Invite study circleparticipants to a large meeting, or actionforum, at the end of a round of studycircles. Use the records from eachgroup to identify the main areas ofconcern. At the forum, allow enoughtime for someone from each studycircle to give a quick summary of itsideas (no more than five minutes each).Encourage people to sign up for actiongroups. Give the action groups sometime to get acquainted and beginplanning. Close the meeting with aspeaker who will congratulate everyoneon their efforts. Make sure there isfood, and time for socializing. Thinkabout how to keep the action groupsgoing after the forum.

How To Organize…


How To Organize…

6. Hold the kickoff meeting. Try to get thelocal newspaper to cover the kickoff.

STUDY CIRCLES BEGIN

7. Support the study circles. Bring thefacilitators together for a meeting so theycan compare notes on how their groupsare going. Start new study circles forpeople who are joining late. Collect therecords from each circle to give you asense of the discussions and help youdocument the process.

STUDY CIRCLES END (for now)

8. Hold the action forum. This is a chanceto celebrate what your community hasdone, and to move from talk to action.

9. Keep the momentum going. Keep trackof the action groups to see how they’redoing. Try to get local media to cover theaction efforts. Work with people who wantto get a new round of study circles going.

10.Pause and reflect on what you’velearned, and start planning the nextround. Get the working group together,and talk about how things went. Record(and applaud!) your achievements, andlook for ways to make the programstronger. Check in with SCRC. Givefeedback and encouragement to volun-teers. Use what you learned to plan forthe future. Try to expand your workinggroup so that your study circle programwill grow and you can help build a stron-ger community.

Please report outcomes of

your program to SCRC to help

us inspire organizers in other

communities.

C


Keys to Organizing Study Circles on Police-Community Relationships

What are the goals of the program?Set clear goals from the outset. Being

clear about your goals is important becauseit makes it easier for you to explain whypeople should join the working group, andto inspire people to join the circles. It alsomakes it much easier to plan a strategy forreaching those goals.

Why are study circles the right tool forthis issue?

Considering this question will help youunderstand the nature and scope of thechallenge facing your community. Then, youcan talk about whether and how study circleswill help you get to the root of the matter.

Who should participate?Successful programs have a diverse mix of

participants from all parts of the community.For this issue, you need “buy-in” from thepolice department, city leaders, and therange of people they serve. Consider whosevoices you need to hear, and whose supportyou need to make changes.

How will you recruit the participants?Think about why people would want to

take part, and what would keep them fromparticipating. Then decide what to say topersuade them, and how to get yourmessages across.

An exampleHere’s how one working group began planning

its program. Keep in mind – your communitymight have very different answers to thesequestions.

What are the goals of the program?The primary goal is to build trust between

police officers and people of color. More produc-tive, long-term relationships between thesegroups might lead to positive changes in policyat the city level.

Why are study circles the right tool for this issue?The city wants to improve relationships

between police and people in a neighborhoodwhere young men of color and white policeofficers generally don’t trust each other.

Who should participate?To accomplish its goals, the program must

include police officers, police officials, cityofficials, residents and business leaders fromthe neighborhood, and specifically, young menof color from the neighborhood.

How will you recruit the participants?Representatives from each of these groups

will form a study circle working group. Possiblepartners could include: representatives of thepolice chief, the mayor, the police union, theparole office, the district attorney, victim’sgroups, neighborhood associations, the ministe-rial alliance, youth organizations, the communitycenter, the neighborhood business association,the schools, and a gang. The working groupshould brainstorm the best ways to recruitparticipants from all over the community. Forexample, a representative of the police unionmost likely would have a better chance ofrecruiting police officers than a leader froma community organization.

oncerns about police-community relationships goto the heart of our sense ofsafety and quality of life. Anynumber of concerns – crimeincidents, racial profiling,media scrutiny – are certainto get people talking. Thechallenge is knowing how toget a study circle programgoing on this complex andoften divisive issue.

Thoughtful organizing leadsto successful programs.Experience has taught us thatcertain early decisions andactions are important tosuccess. Here are somequestions to consider. Formore detailed information,please contact the StudyCircles Resource Center.


Confidentiality

Organizers need to discusshow to handle confidentialityin study circles where residentsare sharing personal storieswith police officers. Policegenerally are required tofollow up when they hearabout illegal activity. Groundrules about confidentialitymust be spelled out veryclearly to protect bothpolice and residents.Although people may bereluctant to speak freely whenpolice are there, clear rules up-front should make frankconversation possible.

Keys…

Other questions for the study circleworking group to consider:

Will the working group go through pilotcircles?

Taking part in a pilot study circle will helpbuild trust within the working group, and helpmembers to be more effective when they startrecruiting participants for the study circles.

Who will coordinate the project?Recruiting people from all parts of the

community, training facilitators and organizing thecircles takes a lot of work. It’s important to find acoordinator who is good at managing details andcan devote enough time to the project.

Who will facilitate the circles?Ideally, there should be two facilitators for

each circle. The facilitators must be able to gainthe trust of all the participants. Generally, peoplein positions of authority should not facilitate, soit’s important to talk about whether it would befair to all concerned before asking police to actas facilitators.

Where should the circles be held?The circles should be held in places where

everyone feels comfortable. Police stations maynot feel welcoming to community people; policeofficers may not feel at ease where activistorganizations usually meet.

What should the study circles look like?How many police officers, neighborhood

people, or leaders should there be in each circle?It’s important to talk about how to create“balanced” study circles where all groups will bewell represented. Should the police departmentrequire officers to take part? There also shouldbe a discussion about if and when police officersshould wear their uniforms.

How will you reach people who are thehardest to recruit?

To meet your goals, it is important to includepeople who are often left out. Look for trustedcommunity leaders who can reach them. Youcould hold a sample study circle in their“territory” to give people a chance to try outthe process.

Will young people and adults participatetogether?

If one of the goals is to build trust betweenyoung people and police officers, then theyneed to be in groups together. This can betricky. Parents may worry about having theirchildren in the circles, and some young peoplemay not feel comfortable speaking up in thegroups. In some communities, organizersmake sure that there are at least two or threeyoung people in a group. Sometimes, the youngpeople discuss the material together beforejoining one of the community study circles.

What will happen after the dialogue?People will not want to participate if they

think the program is just a public relationstool. It’s important to have “buy in” from thepolice department and city leaders, so thatpeople know that their action ideas will belistened to.

Resources for Further Discussion and Action

OrganizationsThe list below provides a small sample of the manyorganizations working around the nation to addressissues of community-police relationships. All offerassistance and can provide referrals.

American Civil Liberties Union125 Broad St., 18th FloorNew York, NY 10004-2400212-549-2500Web site: www.aclu.org/A nonprofit, nonpartisan, 275,000-member public-interest organization devoted to protecting thebasic civil liberties of all Americans. The ACLUmeets this goal through litigation, legislation, andeducating the public on a broad array of issuesaffecting individual freedom in the United States.

American Society of Criminology1314 Kinnear RoadColumbus, OH 43212-1156614-292-9207Web site: www.asc41.comAn international membership organization thatworks to create a multidisciplinary forum oncriminology study, research, and education. Theorganization has four divisions: Division of CriticalCriminology, Division of International Criminology,Division of People of Color and Crime, Division ofSentencing and Corrections, and the Division ofWomen and Crime.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation701 St. Paul St.Baltimore, MD 21202410-547-6600Web site: www.aecf.orgProvides data and analysis for practitioners, policymakers, and citizens on critical issues affectingdisadvantaged children and families in order toadvance efforts on behalf of children.

Civic Practices NetworkWeb site: www.cpn.orgProvides an online journal of tools, stories, and bestpractices of community empowerment and civicrenewal.

Community Oriented Policing ServicesU.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Community Oriented Policing Services1100 Vermont Ave., NWWashington, DC 20530202-514-2058Web site: www.usdoj.gov/copsFederal office responsible for advancing commu-nity policing. COPS promotes community policingthrough a variety of initiatives: hiring grants, trainingand technical assistance, compliance andmonitoring programs, and grants for technology andequipment.

Community Policing Consortium1726 M St., NW, Suite 801Washington, DC 20036800-833-3085Web site: www.communitypolicing.orgPartnership of five police organizations in theUnited States: International Association of Chiefs ofPolice (IACP), National Organization of Black LawEnforcement Executives (NOBLE), NationalSheriffs’ Association (NSA), Police ExecutiveResearch Forum (PERF), and Police Foundation.Administered and funded by the U.S. Department ofJustice, Office of Community Oriented PolicingServices (COPS). Its primary mission is to delivercommunity-policing training, and technicalassistance to police departments and sheriff’soffices that are designated COPS grantees.

Community Relations ServiceU.S. Department of Justice600 E St., NW, Suite 2000Washington, DC 20530202-305-2935Web site: www.usdoj.gov/crs/crs.htmArm of the U.S. Department of Justice, a specializedfederal conciliation service available to state andlocal officials to help resolve and prevent racial andethnic conflict, violence and civil disorders. CRShelps local officials and residents find solutionswhen conflict and violence threaten communitystability and well being.

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.P.O. Box 3199South Highway 5Camdenton, MO 65020573-346-4911Web site: www.nationalcops.orgProvides resources for families of law-enforcementofficers killed in the line of duty. COPS also offerstraining to law-enforcement agencies on survivor-victimization issues, and educates the public on theimportance of supporting police officers and theirsurviving families.

Fraternal Order of Police1410 Donelson Pike, Suite A-17Nashville, TN 37217615-399-0900Web site: www.grandlodgefop.orgWorld’s largest organization of sworn law-enforce-ment officers, with more than 2,000 lodges and morethan 280,000 members. FOP works to improve theworking conditions of law-enforcement officers andthe safety of those served through education,legislation, community involvement,and employee representation.



Resources…

The Harbinger InstituteP.O. Box 618Kapa’au, Hawaii 96755808-889-5985Web site: www.harbingerinstitute.orgProvides training and resources for transformingstress into peak performance, mental clarity, andphysical health. Specialized programs provided forpolice and emergency-services personnel,government agencies, schools, and hospitals.Contact Harbinger for copies of “Stress andPolicing: HeartMath® Research Study Report” andrelated publications.

International Association of Chiefs of Police515 North Washington St.Alexandria, VA 22314703-836-6767Web site: www.theiacp.orgThe largest nonprofit membership organization ofpolice executives, with more than 16,000 membersin more than 95 countries. Conducts research andprovides training, technical advice, and networkingopportunities.

International Foundation for Protection OfficersP.O. Box 771329Naples, FL 34107-1329941-430-0534Web site: www.ifpo.orgA nonprofit organization that provides for thetraining and certification needs of protectionofficers and security supervisors.

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies1090 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 1100Washington, DC 20005-4928202-789-3500Web site: www.jointcenter.orgNational, nonprofit institution that conductsresearch on public-policy issues of special concernto African Americans and other minorities. Foundedin 1970, the Joint Center provides independentanalyses through research, publications, andoutreach programs.

Mexican American Legal Defense andEducational Fund634 South Spring St., 11th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90014213-629-2512Web site: www.maldef.org/Works to secure the rights of Latinos in the areas ofemployment, education, immigration, politicalaccess, and public-resource equity. MALDEF meetsthis goal primarily through litigation, advocacy,community outreach and education, as well as byparticipating in community coalitions, community-leadership training, and scholarships.

National Association for the Advancement ofColored People4805 Mt. Hope DriveBaltimore, MD 21215410-358-8900Web site: www.naacp.org/Works to ensure the political, educational, social,and economic equality of minority-group citizens byremoving racial discrimination in housing,employment, voting, schools, health care, thecourts, prisons, and business enterprises.Conducts research and promotes a variety ofeducational programs. Washington Bureau alsolobbies Congress and other governmental agenciesto promote the interests of minority groups.

National Association of Town Watch1 Wynnwood Road, Suite 102P.O. Box 303Wynnwood, PA 19096610-649-7055Web site: www.nationaltownwatch.orgNonprofit organization dedicated to the develop-ment and promotion of organized, law-enforce-ment-affiliated crime- and drug-preventionprograms. Sponsors the annual “National NightOut” program to promote community involvementin crime- and drug-prevention activities, strengthenpolice-community relations, and encourageneighborhood camaraderie as part of the fight forsafer streets.

National Black Police Association3251 Mt. Pleasant St., NW, 2nd FloorWashington, DC 20010-2103202-986-2070Web site: www.blackpolice.orgA nationwide association of African-American policeorganizations that focuses on law-enforcementissues and the effect of those issues on acommunity. NBPA is an advocate for minority policeofficers and, through a national network, providestraining and education to police officers and othersinterested in law enforcement.


Resources…

National Center for Community PolicingMichigan State UniversitySchool of Criminal Justice1407 South Harrison Road, Suite 324East Lansing, MI 48823800-892-9051Web site: www.ssc.msu.eduProvides training, technical assistance, and writtenresources on community policing.

National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise1424 16th St., NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20036202-518-6500Web site: www.ncne.com/A research and advocacy organization focused onempowering low-income Americans. Works withneighborhood organizations to reduce crime andviolence, restore families, create economicopportunity, and revitalize low-income communi-ties. Identifies positive neighborhood agents andsupports these movements through training,technical assistance, and links to outside supportsources.

National Center for Women & Policing8105 West Third St.Los Angeles, CA 90048323-651-2532Web site: www.feminist.orgA program of the Feminist Majority Foundation, thefirst nationwide resource for women in policing,law-enforcement agencies, community leaders, andpublic officials seeking to increase the numbers offemale police in their communities and improvepolice response to family violence. Provides training,research, educational, and action programs.

National Civic League1445 Market St., Suite 300Denver, CO 80202-1717303-571-4343Web site: www.ncl.org/nclWorks directly with communities to foster cross-sector collaboration and grass-roots problemsolving. Provides technical assistance, publications,and research to foster the practice of collaborativeproblem solving and democratic decision making.Sponsors the “Alliance for National Renewal,” anetwork of community-building organizations thataddress civic problems. Publications include TheCommunity Visioning and Strategic PlanningHandbook and the quarterly National Civic Review.

National Council of La Raza1111 19th St., NW, Suite 1000Washington, DC 20036800-808-6027Web site: www.nclr.orgA nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established toreduce poverty and discrimination, and to improvelife opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Workstoward this goal through support of community-based organizations, applied research, policyanalysis, and advocacy. Also produces publicinformation, media activities, and special andinternational projects.

National Crime Prevention Council1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 13th FloorWashington, DC 20036202-466-6272Web site: www.ncpc.orgPrivate, nonprofit organization whose mission is toprevent crime and build safer, more caringcommunities. Offers a variety of publications andresources for communities, including a detailed listof 350 tested methods to prevent crime.

National Criminal Justice Association444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 618Washington, DC 20001202-624-1440Web site: www.sso.org/ncjaFocuses on helping develop and implementnational policy in the criminal-justice field as well ashelps states address criminal-justice-relatedproblems. In conjunction with the NationalGovernors’ Association, NCJA provides policyguidance to governors regarding public issues ofdrug control, prison and jail crowding, and firesafety.

National Institute of Justice810 Seventh St., NWWashington, DC 20531202-307-2942Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nijA component of the Office of Justice Programs, theresearch agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.Supports research, evaluation, and demonstrationprograms, development of technology, andinformation dissemination.

National Latino Peace Officers Association133 Southwest Boulevard, Suite BRohnert Park, CA 94928877-657-6200Web site: www.nlpoa.comWorks to promote equality and professionalism inlaw enforcement by providing mentoring; careertraining for its members and members of thecommunity; conferences and workshops topromote education and career advancement. Alsomaintains an academic-scholarship program andcontinues to develop and operate community-based programs aimed at preventing and reducingjuvenile delinquency.

Resources …


National Organization of Black Law Enforce-ment Executives4609 Pinecrest Office Park Drive, Suite FAlexandria, VA 22312-1442703-658-1529Web site: www.noblenational.orgA membership organization that provides researchand consultation on criminal-justice issues, such asfostering diversity in law enforcement; developspolicies and procedures that ensure equity in thedelivery of law-enforcement services; createscommunity partnerships to reduce violence,delinquency, crime and racism; and addressesprofessional misconduct within the law-enforce-ment community.

Neighborhoods USAP.O. Box 307Dayton, OH 45402937-333-3644Web site: www.nusa.org/index.htmA national nonprofit organization committed tobuilding and strengthening neighborhoodorganizations. Encourages networking andinformation sharing to facilitate the development ofpartnerships between neighborhood organizations,government and the private sector.

Officer Next Door Program451 7th St., SWWashington, DC 20410202-708-1672Web site: www.hud.govA Department of Housing and Urban Developmentprogram that offers HUD-owned homes to law-enforcement officers with a 50% discount. Thisprogram helps prevent crime as well as providesneighborhood safety and security by encouraging law-enforcement officers to become homeowners andreside in economically depressed neighborhoods.

Police Executive Research Forum1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 930Washington, DC 20036202-466-7820Web site: www.policeforum.orgNational membership organization of progressivepolice executives from the largestcity, county, and state law-enforcement agencies.Works to improve policing and advance profession-alism through research and involvement in public-policy debate.

Police Foundation1201 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200Washington, DC 20036202-833-1460Web site: www.policefoundation.orgThis independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit foundationworks to improve police services through itsresearch and experimentation on police behavior,policy, and procedure.

Community Services1319 F St., NWWashington, DC 20004202-783-2961Web site: www.ncl.orgHelps communities develop a civic culture thatnurtures and supports community problem solving.Offers training programs, presentations, and coachingservices to communities directly and through itssponsoring organizations. Publications includeInvolving Citizens in Community Decision Making: AGuidebook, and Building the Collaborative Commu-nity: A Select Bibliography for Community Leaders.

National Urban League120 Wall St.New York, NY 10005212-558-5311Web site: www.nul.org/Nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based movementdedicated to helping African-Americans attain socialand economic equality. Headquartered in New YorkCity with professionally staffed affiliates in 115 cities,34 states, and the District of Columbia.

Vera Institute of Justice233 Broadway, 12th FloorNew York, NY 10279212-334-1300Web site: www.vera.org/Working in collaboration with government, designsand implements innovative programs thatencourage just practices in public services andimprove the quality of urban life. Its research incriminal justice and social reform has led to avariety of programs that deal with challengesranging from foster care to family-focused drugintervention.

Resources


Publications

This bibliography offers a sampling of availableworks on the topic of community-police relation-ships in the United States. This list was selectedprimarily from recent works to reflect aspects ofthe current national dialogue. Many of thesesources were very helpful to us as we developedthis guide.

Amnesty International. Race, Rights and PoliceBrutality. New York, NY: Amnesty International,September 1999.

Anderson, David C. Crime and the Politics ofHysteria: How the Willie Horton Story ChangedAmerican Justice. New York, NY: Times Books, 1995.

Brown, Michael. Working the Street: PoliceDiscretion and the Dilemmas of Reform. New York,NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 1988.

Clear, Todd R., and Dina R. Rose. When NeighborsGo to Jail: Impact on Attitudes About Formal andInformal Social Control. Washington, DC: NationalInstitute of Justice, July 1999.

Community Links: Progress through Partnerships.Published quarterly by the Community PolicingConsortium. Available on-line atwww.communitypolicing.org/publications/comlinks.

Community Policing Exchange. Publishedbimonthly by the Community Policing Consortium.Available on-line at www.communitypolicing.org/publications/exchange.

Eig, Jonathan. “Eyes on the Street: CommunityPolicing in Chicago.” The American Prospect 29,November-December 1996.

Geller, William A., and Hans Toch. Police Violence:Understanding and Controlling Police Abuse ofForce. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996.

Goldstein, Herman. Problem-Oriented Policing.Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1990.

Harris, David A. Driving While Black: RacialProfiling On Our Nation’s Highways. New York, NY:American Civil Liberties Union, June 1999.

Hill, James. “For Black Cops, Trust Hard to Gain:Diversity doesn’t close credibility gap.” ChicagoTribune, July 19, 1999.

Justice on Trial: Racial Disparities in the AmericanCriminal Justice System. Leadership Conference onCivil Rights and Leadership Conference EducationFund. Washington, DC, 2000.

Kaminer, Wendy. “Crime and Community.” TheAtlantic Monthly, May 1994.

Miller, Jerome G. Search and Destroy: African-American Males in the Criminal Justice System.New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Muir, William. Police: Streetcorner Politicians.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1977.

Nicholl, Caroline G. Toolbox for ImplementingRestorative Justice and Advancing CommunityPolicing. Washington, DC: U.S. Department ofJustice, Office of Community Oriented PolicingServices, 2000.

Police and Urban Youth Relations: An Antidote toRacial Violence. Washington, DC: U.S. Departmentof Justice, Community Relations Service, Septem-ber 1995.

Police Use of Excessive Force: A ConciliationHandbook for the Police and the Community.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,Community Relations Service, June 1999.

Principles of Good Policing: Avoiding ViolenceBetween Police and Citizens. Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Justice, Community RelationsService, March 1993.

Scheingold, Stuart. The Politics of Street Crime:Criminal Process and Cultural Obsession. Philadel-phia, PA: Temple University Press, 1991.

Sheriff Times. Published quarterly by the Commu-nity Policing Consortium. Available on-line at http://www.communitypolicing.org/publications/shtimes.

Skolnick, Jerome. Justice Without Trial LawEnforcement in a Democratic Society. New York, NY:Macmillan, 1994.

Tonry, Michael. Malign Neglect: Race, Crime, andPunishment in America. New York, NY: OxfordUniversity Press, 1995.

Weisburd, David and Craig Uchida, and LorraineGreen eds. Police Innovation and Control of thePolice: Problems of Law, Order, and Community.New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1993.

Wilbanks, William. The Myth of a Racist CriminalJustice System. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1987.

Wilson, James Q., and George L. Kelling. “BrokenWindows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety.”The Atlantic Monthly, March 1982.

Youngblood, Johnny Ray. “It’s Not So Easy to GetMinorities on the Police Force.” The Black WorldToday, August 4, 1999.

Zimring, Franklin E., and Gordon Hawkins. Crime isNot the Problem: Lethal Violence in America. NewYork, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Also from theStudy Circles Resource Center

Building Strong Neighborhoods: A Guide forPublic Dialogue and Problem Solving - Offerssessions on many important neighborhood issuesincluding: race and other kinds of differences;young people and families; safety and community-police relations; homes, housing and beautification;jobs and neighborhood economy; and schools; 1998

Changing Faces, Changing Communities:Immigration & race relations, education,language differences, and job opportunities -A multiple-session discussion guide designed tohelp communities face the challenges and meetthe opportunities raised by the arrival of newcom-ers; includes pointers on how to involve publicofficials; 1998

Confronting Violence in Our Communities: AGuide for Involving Citizens in Public Dialogueand Problem Solving - A four-session discussionguide examining how violence affects our lives,what causes violence, and what can be done inneighborhoods and in schools; 1994

Education: How Can Schools and CommunitiesWork Together to Meet the Challenge? - Amultiple-session discussion guide examining thechallenges schools face and the ways in whichcitizens and educators can improve education; 1995

Facing the Challenge of Racism and RaceRelations: Democratic Dialogue and Action forStronger Communities - A five-session discussionguide including recommendations for tailoring thediscussions to a particular community ororganization’s concerns; 3rd ed. 1997

Smart Talk For Growing Communities: Meetingthe Challenges of Growth and Development - Afive-session guide for public dialogue and problemsolving; includes tips on involving public officials;1998

Toward a More Perfect Union in an Age ofDiversity: A Guide for Building StrongerCommunities through Public Dialogue - A four-session guide examining ideas about unity,diversity, and pluralism, and how they affect us asmembers of our communities and our country; 1997(Created in collaboration with A More PerfectUnion)

Youth Issues, Youth Voices: A Guide for EngagingYoung People and Adults in Public Dialogue andProblem Solving - A multiple-session discussionguide to help young people and adults address thecommunity issues which involve and impact them;1996

Planning Community-wide Study CirclePrograms: A Step-by-Step Guide, 1996. Based oninput from organizers of study circle programsacross the country, this comprehensive “how-to”guide provides a detailed explanation of the basicsteps for organizing and coordinating a community-wide study circle program. Included are sampleorganizing documents, stories from successfulprograms, and strategies for coalition building,recruitment of facilitators and participants, mediacoverage, and planning for action.

A Guide for Training Study Circle Facilitators,1998. Presents a step-by-step agenda for a basicstudy circle training program. Includes informationon building and supporting an ongoing trainingprogram, as well as methods for recruitment, skillbuilding, training young people as facilitators, andother related information. Training and evaluationmaterials are also included.

Resources …


A

Acknowledgements

special thank you to the police departmentsand community members in Seattle, Washington;Saginaw, Michigan; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Aurora,Illinois; and Manchester, Connecticut. They reviewedand tested this guide, and we learned a great dealfrom their observations. Thanks also to the policedepartment and community members in Syracuse,New York, who helped us understand this issue bysharing their expertise, experience, and opinions.We thank the many people who shaped this guide byreading drafts and offering constructive criticism anduseful suggestions. These reviewers, along withorganizers of the field tests, are listed below. (TheStudy Circles Resource Center is solely responsiblefor any errors in the guide.)

Francesco Amoroso, Community RelationsService, U.S. Department of Justice, Boston,Massachusetts

Charles E. Armstrong, Baton Rouge PoliceDepartment, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Philip Arreola, Community Relations Service, U.S.Department of Justice, Denver, Colorado

Jonathan Bartsch, Hawaii County PoliceDepartment, Kapa’au, Hawaii

Carmen Best, Seattle Police Department, Seattle,Washington

Robin Boehler, Seattle Police Department, Seattle,Washington

Jerome Boles, Michigan State University School ofCriminal Justice, East Lansing, Michigan

Richard Boykin, Office of the Hon. Danny K. Davisof Illinois, Washington, District of Columbia

Beth A. Broadway, Organization and LeadershipDevelopment, Syracuse, New York

Ed Chin, Charleston Police Department, Charleston,South Carolina

John Crew, American Civil Liberties Union –Northern California, San Francisco, California

Robert C. Davis, The Vera Institute of Justice, NewYork, New York

Julius D. Edwards, Partnership to ReduceJuvenile Gun Violence, Syracuse, New York

Stephen Gibbons, Western Oregon University,Monmouth, Oregon

Joyce Hamilton, DemocracyWorks, Hartford,Connecticut

Penny Harrington, The National Center forWomen and Policing, Los Angeles, California

Willy C. Harris, Saginaw Neighborhood Associa-tion, Saginaw, Michigan

Hollis Hill, Attorney, Seattle, Washington

Mary Jane Hollis, Aurora Community StudyCircles, Aurora, Illinois

Caralyn Holmes, Western Community PolicingCenter, Salem, Oregon

Jonathan J. Hutson, Western Justice Center,Pasadena, California

Muata Kiongozi, National Crime PreventionCouncil, Washington, District of Columbia

Carrie Longoria, SAFE City, Department of Healthand Human Services, Anchorage, Alaska

Alvin Mack, Baton Rouge Police Department(Retired), Baton Rouge Parks and Recreation, BatonRouge, Louisiana

Efrain V. Martinez, Community Relations Service,U.S. Department of Justice (Retired), Houston, Texas

Nancy McPherson, Culver Consulting Services,Seattle, Washington

Michael R. Morris, Gulf Coast High IntensityDrug Trafficking Area (Retired), Baton Rouge,Louisiana

Arthur W. O'Neal II, Saginaw PoliceDepartment, Saginaw, Michigan

Allen Rabideau, Saginaw Police Department,Saginaw, Michigan

Timothy M. Richardson, Fraternal Order ofPolice, Washington, District of Columbia

Ada Sanchez, The Study Circle Fund, Amherst,Massachusetts

Robert Sherman, SURDNA Foundation, NewYork, New York

Robert Stewart, National Organization of BlackLaw Enforcement Executives, Alexandria,Virginia

Robert J. Tassone, Syracuse PoliceDepartment, Syracuse, New York

Larry J. Todd, Los Gatos/Monte Sereno PoliceDepartment, Los Gatos, California

Andres Valdez, Vecinos United, Albuquerque,New Mexico

Roger Vann, National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People, Baltimore,Maryland

Alfonso Velarde, El Paso Police Department,El Paso, Texas

Lori Villarosa, C.S. Mott Foundation, Flint,Michigan

Maria R. Volpe, John Jay College of CriminalJustice - The City University of New York, NewYork, New York

Thomas A. Webb, Citizen Police AdvisoryCouncil, Saginaw, Michigan

Cathy Wenderoth, Seattle Police Department,Seattle, Washington


This guide is a manual for study

circle organizers and facilitators.

The Busy Citizen’s edition, a

companion handout for study circle

participants, also is available from the

Study Circles Resource Center.

A project of the Topsfield Foundation, Inc.

Study Circles Resource Center

P.O. Box 203

Pomfret, CT 06258

Telephone: 860-928-2616

Fax: 860-928-3713

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: www.studycircles.org

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