Category: Police Accountability

Act 111 and the Fight for Police Accountability

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Case City of Philadelphia v. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5. is a huge opportunity for the Court to take a stand on police accountability.

 

At the center of it all is Act 111. Act 111 is a decades-old law that shapes how police contracts are negotiated, with big implications for transparency, public safety, and how our city spends its budget.

 

The Defender Association has teamed up with the ARC Justice Clinic and the ACLU of Pennsylvania to file an amicus brief in the case.

 

Download this easy-to-follow explainer from our partners at UPenn Law to learn why this case matters to every Philadelphian.

 

Read the Full Amicus Brief

 

Download the Act 111 Explainer

 

Driving Equality Law Highlighted on “Last Week Tonight”

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

“Last Week Tonight” Host John Oliver did a deep dive into the problem of pretextual police stops, holding up the “Driving Equality” Law as an example of positive changes to the practice. They even pulled a quote from analysis done by our Police Accountability Unit.

 

Watch the full segment below (video contains adult language):

 

 

Defender PAU on “Public Defenseless” Podcast

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

How Philly Public Defenders Uncovered Systemic Abuses in the Philly Police Department

Mike Mellon and Paula Sen from the Police Accountability Unit joined Hunter Parnell on the “Public Defenseless” podcast. The PAU team spoke about how their work helped to uncover a systemic pattern and practice of lies and illegal use of surveillance cameras. 

 

Click the “play” button below to listen.

 

The Truth about Police Stops: “Driving Equality Dashboard”

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

PHILADELPHIA–The Defender Association’s Police Accountability Unit (PAU) today announced the launch of its “Driving Equality Dashboard,” a free interactive website to help city residents, elected officials, organizations and the media better understand the “who, where and why” of police traffic stops and vehicle searches in Philadelphia.

 

Made possible through funding from a Microsoft and Urban Institute Catalyst Grant, the dashboard uses Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) data to allow users to track racial disparities in the PPD’s traffic enforcement, examine how traffic stops have changed over time, and learn the history and impact of the Driving Equality legislation passed by City Council and enacted in March 2022.

 

“Since City Council passed Driving Equality, there’s been some confusion about what the law actually says and does,” said the PAU’s Mike Mellon, “Our dashboard explains the law, and uses real-time data to show why it was needed.”

 

In addition to an overview of traffic stops by race, the dashboard lets users do a deeper dive, including learning the reasons police give for stops, exploring traffic stops by police district, and viewing how increases or decreases in stops in Philly neighborhoods correlates with the number of shootings over time.

 

PAU’s Paula Sen hopes citizens and justice system stakeholders will use the dashboard to clear up misperceptions about the Driving Equality law’s impact on public safety, particularly its impact on gun violence. “A lot of opponents of the law say that the police need to pull more people over and search more cars to address neighborhood shootings,” Sen said, “But when you look at the Police Department’s own data, you’ll see there’s little to no correlation between traffic stops and the number of gun crimes.”

 

Chief Defender Keisha Hudson says the Driving Equality Dashboard is an easy-to-use, interactive way for people to educate themselves about who–and why–people get pulled over in Philadelphia. “As public defenders, we know that we can’t simply accept what we’re told by law enforcement officials,” she said, “Our Police Accountability Unit has created an intuitive, comprehensive, and data-driven tool that offers information and transparency to anyone who wants the facts about police stops and the Driving Equality Law.”

 

Check out the Driving Equality Dashboard Here

 

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Video: PAU’s Mike Mellon on PhillyCAM

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

On October 2, the Defenders’ Police Accountability Unit Chief Mike Mellon spoke with Danielle Wilson on PhillyCAM about some of the issues related to policing and public safety in Philadelphia.

 

Learn More About the Police Accountability Unit

 

Watch the video below:

 

Keisha Hudson on Court’s Dismissal of Irizarry Shooting Case

Posted on by GJackson@philadefender.org

PHILADELPHIA—“Our (mostly Black and Brown) clients never get to present or argue a justification defense at a preliminary hearing. And they certainly do not get their cases dismissed based on a judge’s determination that there was a justification defense.

 

“Instead, our clients—all of whom are poor and almost exclusively Black and Brown people—have their cases held for trial, and they sit in jail for months awaiting their day in court. Going forward, certainly before this forum, Defender Association attorneys will be making the same arguments and demanding the same results.”

 

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Keisha Hudson on First Year of Driving Equality Law

Posted on by 2010admin

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Driving Equality has had a significant impact in cutting down racially-motivated pretextual stops, and no negative impact on public safety.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PHILADELPHIA–“The Defender Association of Philadelphia joins Councilmember Isaiah Thomas in celebration of the one year anniversary of the Driving Equality Law, and thanks him for his vision and leadership in making this law a reality in Philadelphia.

“I also want to highlight the Defender’s Police Accountability Unit for the outstanding work they’ve done to compile and analyze the data that guides the purpose of this law–reducing the number of unnecessary, negative encounters between police and community members. The data is clear: Driving Equality has had a significant impact in cutting down racially-motivated pretextual stops, while having no negative impact on public safety.

“To truly appreciate Driving Equality, we should look beyond what the law does, and celebrate the thoughtful, evidence-based and collaborative approach to its creation. Driving Equality didn’t just happen–it is the culmination of months of debate, discussion and collaboration between City leaders, the Defender Association, the police and the community. Driving Equality is being studied and replicated by other American cities because it’s a great example of a ‘good government’ law that takes a balanced, data-driven approach to public safety and racial justice.

“The Defender Association is proud to be recognized for our subject matter expertise in this area, and are thankful for the opportunity we’ve been given to work with Councilmember Thomas and his team on this now nationally recognized model legislation.

“We’re committed to working together with elected leaders, justice system and community stakeholders on future endeavors to increase trust and cooperation between Philadelphia residents and institutions.

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating one year of Driving Equality, and hope that this law is the first of many legislative initiatives aimed at making Philadelphia a more just and safe city.”

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Defender Association Selected for the Catalyst Grant Program

Posted on by 2010admin

The Defender Association’s Police Accountability Unit has been selected by Urban Institute & Microsoft for the 2022 Catalyst Grant!

The Defender Association is one of 30 local organizations across the country selected to participate in the Program. With Catalyst Grant funding, the PAU will publish a data dashboard that will empower community members to understand racial disparities in car stops across Philadelphia.

The dashboard, which will be automatically updated with the most current data available, will illustrate the intensity of police activity in neighborhoods across the city and show disparities in police stops by race, gender, and age.

It will help policymakers, legal practitioners, and community members understand patterns in car stops since Philly’s Driving Equality law was enacted, identify policing trends and systemic issues across the city, and challenge the effective legality of racial profiling in car stops.

Click here to learn more about the 2022 Catalyst Grant Program

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