(Washington, DC) The executive director of the District of Columbia’s Office of Police Complaints (OPC), Philip K. Eure, participated recently in a symposium on the police use of force along with law enforcement officials and others working in the police accountability field. Eure is the immediate past president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE).
The daylong symposium, which took place on May 4, 2011, in Alexandria, VA, was sponsored jointly by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office of the US Department of Justice and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
Eure and the 30-plus other participants were tasked with examining various issues surrounding use of force. The group prioritized and addressed the most critical use of force concerns. The information is to be included in a final report that will allow COPS and IACP to explore future policy, program and funding decisions on force issues.
“Our agency welcomes the opportunity to dialogue with our partners in law enforcement and police oversight on a range of issues,” said Eure. “Citizen review agencies such as OPC, because they interact closely with police departments and members of the community, bring valuable perspectives to the table on the use of force and other police practices.”
Among its other responsibilities, OPC has the authority to investigate and resolve unnecessary or excessive force complaints filed by the public against officers of the Metropolitan Police Department.
COPS is the office of the U.S. Department of Justice that advances the practice of community policing in America’s state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.
As the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives in the world, IACP works to foster cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among recognized professional police leaders and organizations throughout the world.
For more information about OPC, visit www.policecomplaints.dc.gov. To learn more about COPS and IACP, visit www.cops.usdoj.gov and www.theiacp.org, respectively.