External review of State College Police Department moves forward with council approval

A review of State College Police Department policies and practices is moving forward with the approval of a plan and consulting firm to lead the review.

State College Borough Council unanimously approved a proposal submitted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the appointment of a project team to head the department review at its Monday night meeting.

Council approved $50,000 at its Aug. 19 meeting to hire consultants to perform an external review of the SCPD, but the total cost of the proposal is $60,000, according to borough Manager Tom Fountaine. The allocation is part of a $200,000 investment into mental health, racial equity and policing in the wake of the fatal police shooting of 29-year-old State College resident Osaze Osagie on March 20.

The project “will involve a comprehensive and independent assessment of State College Police Department’s critical policies, practices and procedures and provide actionable recommendations in areas in which improvement is identified by the three consultants,” Fountaine said.

IACP is a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia calling itself the “world’s leading association of law enforcement executives.” Staff includes about 130 former police executives and practitioners, social scientists, technology specialists, management analysts and trainers who have “21st century” policing capacities, according to the organization’s description.

IACP’s proposal identifies a six-month timeline for the three consultants and two IACP professional support staff to complete their work. All consultants are “experienced law enforcement professionals,” said Fountaine. They include Dr. Jessie Lee, former executive director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Sue Riseling, former longtime chief of police at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Mark Lomax, retired major with the Pennsylvania State Police.

“This (proposal) also goes along with the pledge that we made some months ago to continue to take a look at how we look at race, how we look at mental health and the intersection of those ... and also conduct an assessment to provide training and develop a racial equity plan,” said Council President Evan Myers.

In a proposal shared with council, the IACP laid out its timeline. First, the project leader will consult with State College police officials and request both historical and new data from the department. Then, the project team will begin collecting data through department records, interviews with employees, an organizational culture survey, a community feedback survey, observations like ride-alongs and communications monitoring.

Department records will include response data like crime statistics, criminal investigations and calls for service; Geographic Information System layer files like physical environment and administrative boundaries; agency reference documents like policies and procedures, regulations, organization charts, staff rosters, annual reports and assessments; and administrative records on training, internal affairs, complaints, leave, schedules and staff demographics.

Next, the IACP team will evaluate the data in comparison to the department’s prior work, against professional standards and in relation to “contemporary challenges” facing police departments around the country. After that, the team will prepare “practical, prioritized” recommendations to “upgrade the effectiveness and productivity” of the SCPD and maintain public and officer safety. As part of the recommendations, the team will also identify current practices that work well and any that need modification. They will incorporate all findings and recommendations into a comprehensive report.

The IACP will present a draft report to the borough, but retains the right to accept or reject commentary and recommendations from reviewers. After reviewing the report internally, the IACP will release a final draft report that the borough can comment on through a memorandum. Any memorandum comments will be attached and responded to by the IACP in the final report.

As part of the project, the IACP will also assist in implementing the report recommendations, which typically include productivity improvement and cost reduction strategies, organization and staffing pattern recommendations, organizational culture analysis, special issues and practice analysis and new programs, practices and technology. Implementation assistance will last up to six months after the final report is delivered.

Throughout the six month process, the IACP will provide updates to the borough about its preliminary findings and will gather information to tailor the report to the borough’s needs. Months one and two will include the initial data request and on-site kickoff meeting, while month three will focus on onsite data collection and interviews.

Throughout months two through four, IACP will focus on processing data and drafting preliminary findings, and review those findings while editing the draft report during months four and five. During month five, IACP will forward the draft report to the borough for review, and in month six it will issue the final report and recommendations. The whole process should wrap up in mid-spring 2020.

The entire IACP proposal is available for review at statecollegepa.us under the Oct. 14 State College Borough Council agenda packet.

This story was originally published October 15, 2019 at 4:03 PM.