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Posted by: kwflatbed

By David Hench
Portland Press Herald

PORTLAND, Maine - Standing in front of the Fore Play Sports Pub on Fore Street, doorman Matt Perfetto describes how Portland's Old Port bar district is tamer than it was years ago, with police being more visible and more inclined to talk down an unruly drunk person.
''I remember the officers back then being more physical,'' he said. ''Now they're more apt to try to assess the situation before they just jump in and get injured or injure somebody else.''
New Old Port patrol tactics and a focus on defusing confrontations are among a series of changes seen as reasons for a major drop in the number of complaints against officers leading to internal affairs investigations.
Portland's Police Citizen Review Subcommittee recently concluded its review of internal affairs cases from 2006, investigations that cover allegations of excessive force and other misconduct or policy violations. Just 15 investigations arose from public complaints, following a steady decline from the 45 investigations reviewed in 2003, when the department beefed up its internal investigations division.
''We're sort of like the Maytag repairman now. We have very little to do,'' said Robert McAfee, chairman of the subcommittee. ''The chief and department deserve our accolades.''
The committee's job is to review the ''thoroughness, objectivity, fairness and timeliness of the police department's internal affairs' unit methods and procedures'' in its handling of citizens' complaints.
Many of the policies credited for reducing complaints are the result of a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation in 2002. Following a series of excessive-force claims, one of which led to an unprecedented $600,000 settlement, the federal agency was called in to identify problems and help restore public confidence.
That process led to closer tracking of when officers use force, including a monthly review of all uses of force and an ''early warning system'' if an officer was found to be using force frequently.
''There are a lot of checks and balances in place and the officers are aware of that,'' said Deputy Chief Joseph Loughlin, head of patrol.
At the same time, the department increased its internal affairs division from one sergeant to a lieutenant and two sergeants.
The department has increased the involvement of supervisors in potentially violent or problematic encounters, with sergeants and lieutenants routinely responding to calls with officers.
Officers have video equipment in their cars with microphones on their belts, giving a record of what transpires during any encounter.
The improvements go beyond tactics, technology and accountability.
Officers and command staff members say there has been a philosophical shift in patrolling, emphasizing professionalism and problem-solving over simply asserting authority.
That may explain why, although the number of arrests is up to 4,188 from 3,311 the year before, complaints against officers are down.
Police Chief Tim Burton said there is closer supervision and a more disciplined force, but he isn't trumpeting the drop in complaints.
Police work is unpredictable, and the department could get hit with a rash of complaints at any time, he said.
Last year's drop in complaints is generally a positive sign for police-community relations and not entirely unexpected, said Pierce Murphy, community ombudsman for the Boise (Idaho) Police Department and president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
''It tends to indicate that there have been improvements on the policing side and that the community has strengthened its trust in its police,'' Murphy said. ''And that's ultimately the purpose of oversight - not to catch officers doing something wrong. It's to build mutual trust and support.''
Portland police were initially wary of civilian oversight, concerned that it could interfere with contractual due process rights and interject politics into the internal affairs process.
The department and the city developed a system within the Civil Service Commission to audit internal affairs investigations to ensure they are thorough and fair, to bolster public confidence in the process.
Boise, a community in many ways similar to Portland, also saw a sharp decline in complaints over time, especially immediately after the oversight agency was created in the wake of a series of police shootings.
Murphy said community attitudes about police in general also have changed, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when the public celebrated the work and sacrifice of first responders.
But Boise's ombudsman, Murphy, cautioned against gauging officers' conduct solely on the number of complaints.
In some communities, those numbers have been skewed by systematic obstacles to reporting complaints or by a department's system of classifying complaints so they don't require high scrutiny.
In Portland, residents may make complaints using the Internet, or at City Hall, the public library or a community policing center, as well as at the department headquarters.
Portland's oversight committee did note that while serious complaints have declined, complaints about officers' rudeness continue and it recommended that additional training be considered.
On a recent night in the Old Port, Officer Julie Grabofsky was walking down Wharf Street, describing herself as ''a visible deterrence.''
''If they see us here all night, the bars are less apt to have issues,'' she said.
A visibly intoxicated man approached, complaining that he had been turned away from a nearby bar. Grabofsky smiled, but did not engage him and he eventually wandered off.
The emphasis on professionalism and de-escalating conflict has not diminished the department's reputation as a force to be taken seriously.
Perfetto, the doorman at Fore Play, said most people, even those who have been drinking, behave in the presence of police.
''The last thing you want to do is provoke a Portland cop,'' he said.

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