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Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

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Supervision and Oversight of Front-l<strong>in</strong>e Officers andLaw Enforcement OperationsIn law enforcement, <strong>the</strong> lowest-rank<strong>in</strong>g officers have most frequent <strong>in</strong>teraction withcivilians, often on <strong>the</strong> basis of highly discretionary decisions made with little or no directsupervision or oversight. Hold<strong>in</strong>g officers accountable for <strong>the</strong> choices <strong>the</strong>y make <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>use of <strong>the</strong>ir powers requires appropriate forms of monitor<strong>in</strong>g and feedback. Research<strong>in</strong>dicates that day-to-day management and supervision is a key <strong>in</strong>fluence on officers’behavior. 190One of <strong>the</strong> most effective ways to assure that police powers are used <strong>in</strong> a fairmanner is to focus rout<strong>in</strong>e management and supervisory practices <strong>in</strong> areas where ethnicprofil<strong>in</strong>g is a concern. When law enforcement management and supervisors makeclear that non-discrim<strong>in</strong>ation is a core value of polic<strong>in</strong>g, and implement this throughmonitor<strong>in</strong>g and supervision of <strong>the</strong> use of discretionary powers, officers adjust <strong>the</strong>irbehavior accord<strong>in</strong>gly.As discussed <strong>in</strong> Chapter V, collect<strong>in</strong>g and analyz<strong>in</strong>g ethnic data facilitates supervisionof officers’ use of discretionary law enforcement powers such as stops andsearches. This provides a paper trail that can be reviewed on a regular, even daily, basisto determ<strong>in</strong>e whe<strong>the</strong>r ethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g is tak<strong>in</strong>g place and to assess <strong>the</strong> effectiveness ofofficers’ actions. The follow<strong>in</strong>g case study of Fuenlabrada demonstrates <strong>the</strong> effects ofsupervision based on data ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g.SPAINUs<strong>in</strong>g Stop Data <strong>in</strong> Supervision and ManagementIn Fuenlabrada, Spa<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> municipal police achieved both a dramatic reduction ofdisproportionality and an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> positive outcomes of stops and searches bymak<strong>in</strong>g systemic use of stop forms to monitor <strong>in</strong>dividual patrol officers and analyzeoperations and personnel deployment. 191 (Please see Appendix A for <strong>the</strong> Fuenlabradastop form.) The data enabled <strong>the</strong>m to factor disproportionate ethnic impacts <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong>ir strategic decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g and reduce unfair polic<strong>in</strong>g while enhanc<strong>in</strong>g efficiency.Sequentially numbered forms allowed every stop to be traced to an <strong>in</strong>dividual officer.The forms recorded <strong>the</strong> reasons for <strong>the</strong> stop and <strong>the</strong> type of stop, as well as data on<strong>the</strong> person stopped and on <strong>the</strong> outcome of <strong>the</strong> stop. The data on <strong>the</strong> type of stopand reason for it allowed senior officers to supervise <strong>in</strong>dividual officers’ use of stopsmore closely and required that officers be as specific as possible about <strong>the</strong> reasonsREDUCING ETHNIC PROFILING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 109

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