Cincinnati EnquirerMediation halt / Clock ticking Avoid a TrialEditorial March 24, 2002Now is not the time for Cincinnati officials and plaintiffs in the racial profiling lawsuit to harden their positions.U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott has given them until April 5 to reach a settlement or else go to trial. Wednesday, negotiators deadlocked and called a one-week time out. They should take a deep breath and get back to the table - and not just because April 5 comes two days before the one-year anniversary of the Timothy Thomas shooting by Officer Stephen Roach that sparked three days of rioting. Nobody in this lawsuit defends racial profiling. City officials and the plaintiffs need to stay focused on long-term reforms we all want, and not get bogged down maneuvering for petty victories that five years from now nobody will remember. Its debatable whether the ACLU and Black United Front could win their lawsuit, The city already has a police policy prohibiting racial profiling and last year council formalized the ban. But if the city wins the lawsuit it could lose a chance to reunite this community. Likewise, the plaintiffs could win the law suite and lose police and citywide support needed to fight crime and decay in the neighborhoods. A collaborative settlement is still the best ending for this script. It is not necessary for the city's voluntary, separate negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department to be included in the racial profiling lawsuit. The city continues to make a good-faith effort to comply with the great majority of DOJ recommendations. What are the essentials to a deal? For dealing with complaints against the police, Cincinnati needs an independent investigative body everyone can trust. We have too may review boards, but none that works. The city needs to settle on a single body, give it sufficient investigative powers and staff it with experiences, impartial professionals. The settlement needs to be monitored. A special master or expert panel appointed by the judge would be reasonable. The Black United Front, one of the plaintiffs, disqualified itself from having final say over who's appointed, by its continued economic boycott against the city. Residents must "partner" with police for better relations. That's one of the five collaborative goals set out early by those involved in the mediation. It ought to be front and center in the final deal. The deal should be done fast, but it must be done right. We will be living with it for a long time. top Back next |