Item B: Annual Meeting with Human Rights Commission

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HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM FY 2006 ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS WORKING COOPERATIVELY WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT contracting for professional mediation services and providing compensation for those services to elevate perceptions that the process is credible, neutral and safe; . Human Rights Commission members and staff continue to work with the Eugene Police Department (EPD) to aid the department in its efforts to work with the community proposing that case assignment, coordination, and program evaluation occur through the Auditor's Office; and . recognizing that getting both parties to agree to mediation is often a challenge, MATT recommended several incentives for participation to incorporate into program design . MATT also discussed the role of advocacy in the new complaint process and developed several recommendations for how addi- tional, outside support could be provided to complainants. Most significantly, MATT emphasized that the Human Rights Program will have a critical role in educating people about the new com- plaint intake and review process and assuring them that their concerns will be treated fairly and with due diligence. Future con- versations between the Auditor's Office and the Human Rights Program were encouraged to ensure a collaborative working rela- tionship and to create mutually acceptable protocols for how ad- vocates can assist in the new system. Mediation and Advocacy Task Team (MATT): The task team, consisting of members of both the Police and Human Rights commissions and mediation practitioners, was charged with evaluating the City's existing mediation program and reviewing other programs in place nationally, using this information to develop recommendations to opti- mize the use of alternative methods of resolving com- plaints against police employees, and developing a report to both the Police and Human Rights commissions which, if accepted, could be forwarded to the Police Auditor as a framework for future program redesign Some key recommendations included: . retaining both mediation and facilitated conversations as voluntary alternative complaint resolution options and clarifying the distinction between the two proc- esses; Cooperation with EPD Internal Affairs staff: Human Rights Program members continued to work with EPD staff on police- related Human Rights Support System cases establishing broader case eligibility standards so that with the exception of a few categorical exclusions, com- plaints would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine where mediation would offer the best chance of a satisfactory resolution for both parties; . Page 18 FY 2007/2008 Work Plan FY 2006 Annual Report and Eugene Human Rights Commission