Proposed Project Name: Texarkana Area Local Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures Review (TALLEPPR)
Proposed Committee Name: TACLC Committee for Excellence in Law Enforcement (TACLC-CFELE)
Issue: There exists much distrust within the minority community as to whether law enforcement leadership nationwide are adequately employing, training, and discipling law enforcement employees in properly interacting with personnel in the community especially minority personnel. The concern arises from observed senseless and unjustified injury and in some cases senseless and unjustified death of citizens caused by law enforcement to include innocent citizens. The concern also arises from observed failure of law enforcement to timely and adequately respond to such senseless and unjustified injury and death to include actions against citizens by other citizens.
The goal is not to demonize law enforcement community. For we know that most of their community are honorable citizens doing a great job. Yet, like in every profession people creep in who engage in dishonorable deeds from time to time. Of course such dishonorable deeds are not the usual case considering the multitude of encounters on a daily basis; yet, even one unjustified stoppage, arrest, injury, and/or death is problematic and needs to be timely dealt with to curtail its recurrence. In the case of law enforcement the dishonorable deed often leads to physical injury and death due to the nature of the profession; law enforcement therefore warrants periodic community review. We know that law enforcement is a difficult and dangerous profession. We therefore honor and appreciate those who commit to such a profession for honorable reasons. For they are much needed in our communities.
The 2020 cases of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, the 2015 Michael Sabbie death in custody as a Texarkana, Arkansas inmate, the 2014 Texarkana, Texas Dennis Grigsby incident, the 2016 Morgan Angerbauer seemingly Miller County or Texarkana Arkansas incident though it involved negligence rather than deadly force, all gives rise to concern and reason for this project
We understand that an associated review and education of citizens on properly interacting and responding to law enforcement personnel is also needed and shall therefore be undertaken.
Reference: Texarkana USA Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures
