CPD selected for federal “procedural justice” program

The Columbia Police Department is one of a few departments in the country selected by the Department of Justice to try “procedural justice” in its practice.

Deputy Chief Jill Schlude told the city council last week representatives with DOJ and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, will be in town August 20 to discuss the new training with supervisors.

In a 2013 post on the COPS website, Emily Gold describes procedural justice as tackling the perception of fairness in policing and courts. People’s idea of the justice system is tied more to the process than the outcome.

“In other words, even someone who receives a traffic ticket or ‘loses’ his case in court will rate the system favorably if he feels that the outcome is arrived at fairly,” the post said.

Procedural justice, as summarized by Dr. Tom Tyler of the Yale Law School, calls for police and courts to clearly explain their particular interaction, and allowing the person to tell their side of the story. Procedural justice also should affect “perception that system players treat you with dignity and respect” and “perception that system players are interested in your personal situation to the extent that the law allows.”

In a similar post on the same website, Sioux Falls, Iowa Police Chief Rich “Skip” Miller praised the system for reinforcing many of the simple tenets his officers employed already. By utilizing the system, Chief Miller said, officers have another tool to avoid using force in situations.

“By having our officers do these simple things (treat people with respect, listen to what they have to say, make fair decisions, and explain their actions) we become more legitimate in the eyes of the public,” Chief Miller wrote.

An Australian study concluded that people perceive the police based on their interactions with them. In the study, people rated the service of police using the “procedural justice” model during a drunk driving checkpoint better than the control group.

“Underlying procedural justice is the idea that the criminal justice system must constantly be demonstrating its legitimacy to the public it serves. If the public ceases to view its justice system as legitimate, dire consequences ensue. Put simply, people are more likely to comply with the law and cooperate with law enforcement efforts when they feel the system and its actors are legitimate,” Gold said.