The University of Wisconsin and police community came together at the annual Diversity Forum on Monday, seeking to strengthen trust between citizens and police officers through a discussion of affirmative action and diversity.
Several law enforcement leaders, including Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval and the UW Police Department Chief Susan Riseling, attended the town hall at Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall, addressing issues of distrust in law enforcement among community members.
Koval said MPD is dealing with a lot of people moving to the area from Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities, many of whom are distrustful of police services in those areas.
People act as though MPD is starting with two strikes, Koval said.
“White people used to trust the police, but I don’t know if people of color ever trusted the police,” Riseling said. “Somewhere we lost the idea that we’re guardians and became warriors, and I’ve never felt like a warrior.”
In an effort to find a solution to the problem of fear between the police and the people, the police departments would like to have a dialogue between students and officers to see where they overlap and where they diverge, Riseling said.
Riseling said the police force needs average people to take whatever steps they can to further the conversation, which has been bottled up.
#uwdf14 VC Sims , myself Dr. Rose and chief Koval on panel discussing Ferguson and other important topics. pic.twitter.com/TU5w5CfeEO
— Sue Riseling (@RiselingGroup) November 10, 2014
The MPD values those who have had previous experience working with other cultures, and hiring these people will improve cultural competency in law enforcement, Koval said.
“Those agencies that stand up and … say they gave 12 hours of cultural competency are naive and shallow,” Koval said. “There has to be an ongoing commitment, so that you are putting it to the forefront.”
Forum attendees also discussed poverty, education and race, analyzing the two in terms of community with an emphasis on neighborhoods and schools.
Madison community leader Dr. Floyd Rose cited an example in which 14 black children who stole items and were caught on camera had to attend a meeting to discuss what could be done for them. The school and the parents were absent from the meeting, where Rose said he discovered the students could not read.
“Of the 20,000 people in the school district, 7,000 are black and there is not 500 of the 7,000 that can read at grade level,” Rose said.
Education is the important key to opening up minds and opportunities and a world of creativity that the country needs, Riseling said. Riseling said affirmative action hasn’t been the problem, but rather the problem is who affirmative action is helpingL usually white males.
There has never been a level playing field, Riseling said. The field is definitely not level depending on sexual orientation, gender, race and political party, she said.
The Diversity Forum concludes Tuesday with a program at the Pyle Center.
