Community - Police Complaint Mediation Really Works!

• "The ability for both of us to openly discuss the incident, the feelings and the processes an officer goes through was very helpful.  I now have a better understanding of the officer's situation."  (female, college graduate)
• "I was able to talk and discuss with the complainant - and they listened!" (police officer)
• "I just wanted to say thank you for arranging last nights mediation.  I think this is a great process that has the opportunity to educate both the public and the police as to the perspectives of the other side.  I believe Officer __ was sincere and forthcoming in their explanation, and truly understood my situation.  I believe the experience will make them a better officer, and I know it will make me a better person, should I get stopped by an officer again.  Once again, thank you!"   (In an email we received several days after mediation)
• "I was able to tell my side of the story without being told I was wrong."
  

Police Chief Magazine

• "The benefits of a community-police mediation program so vastly outweigh the costs that every metropolitan police department should offer it as a service to its community and its own officers."
• "Denver's Independent Monitor administered a survey evaluating perceptions and attitudes about the traditional complaint-handling and disciplinary process before the creation of community-police complaint  mediation. With mediation, satisfaction figures have risen significantly and are being maintained in the 90th percentile for both community members and officers.
• "Denver has successfully mediated racial-bias complaints by enabling both sides to address these allegations directly with the assistance of a professional mediator." 
  

Community Policing Dispatch Magazine

• "Citizen complaints against the police are inevitable, given the often confrontational nature of police-citizen interaction.  Feelings that the police were discourteous, biased in their actions (sexist, racist, etc.), violated one's constitutional rights, or used excessive force frequently lead to mistrust of police officers and a reluctance to cooperate with them or call on them in times of emergency."
• "Mediation programs should be seen by police departments as contributing to a larger goal of improving community-police relations, which is essential to enhancing neighborhood safety."
• "Mediation often improves the relationship between complainants and officers - one case at a time."
• "Based upon our evaluation, we strongly recommend that police departments develop and implement citizen-police mediation programs."
  

Our Experience

Since 2005 we have provided community-police complaint mediation for Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and other municipalities along the Colorado Front Range.  Our surveys and anecdotal stories indicate a surprisingly high satisfaction among both officers and community members!  We'll explain in the next few pages.

We currently provide community - police/sheriff complaint mediation and facilitated conversations for:
- Aurora Police Department
- Boulder County Sheriff Department
- Colorado Springs Police Department
- Denver Police Department

We've trained mediators and been instrumental in beginning police complaint mediation programs for:
- Calvert County, Maryland
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Greenville, South Carolina

You can also see our additional conflict resolution and mediation programs at www.FindSolutions.org