Durham city manager ‘disappointed’ by council member’s USA Today op-ed on police
Thomas Bonfield, Durham’s city manager, was “surprised and disappointed” when he read an opinion article about police force by Mayor Pro Tempore Jillian Johnson a week ago in USA today. He responded with a memo on Thursday.
Johnson’s op-ed was based on a study by Local Progress and the Center for Popular Democracy, which evaluated 12 cities’ police department policies on working with federal immigration law enforcement, use of force, and independent oversight. In all three categories, Durham’s scores were mostly listed as “significant room for improvement.”
the article, which she co-wrote with Megan Green, an alderwoman in St. Louis, Missouri, reads:
“Durham, North Carolina, is one of the poorest performing cities in the country when it comes to (police) use of force, attaining the lowest possible scores in four out of the seven use-of-force categories evaluated in the Local Progress study.”
Johnson wrote that Durham police aren’t required to intervene in or respond to cases of excessive use-of-force. She said the police department accounts for 13% of the city’s budget.
In his response, Bonfield said those statements are incorrect and defame the Durham Police Department.
In his memo, Bonfield wrote that Johnson gave him and Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis a spreadsheet on Dec. 10 that listed the evaluations from the study. He said the police department reviewed the spreadsheet through the holidays and then sent Bonfield a document clarifying and correcting some of the investigation’s findings on Jan. 13.
Bonfield claims that on Jan. 14, Johnson told him she had assigned an intern to review the police department’s response.
“Thus my surprise when later that week the USA Today op-ed was forwarded to me by the City’s Public Affairs Office,” he wrote.
‘Create a safer environment’
Bonfield wrote that he and Davis are concerned about “the damage it may unnecessarily cause to the community relationships Chief Davis and the Durham Police Department have worked so hard to foster.”
In a text message on Friday, Johnson told The News & Observer: “The City Manager and I disagree. It’s my opinion that the analysis of Durham’s ‘Use of Force’ policy by the Center for Popular Democracy is largely accurate and that our policies should be improved.”
“Improving our policies would create a safer environment for all residents who use police services or interact with officers in Durham,” Johnson wrote. “I look forward to more conversations with the City Manager about these concerns and how we can create a safer city of all of our residents. “
The city manager’s memo also includes the Durham PD’s response to the evaluations of its policies on use-of-force and enforcement of federal immigration laws. In multiple instances, the department says, the evaluation misunderstands policies, such as requiring that an incident of use-of-force be reported to a supervisor.
Although the study says Durham does not require it, the police say an incident of excessive force must be reported and district or duty supervisors must be notified. The Durham Police Department’s general manual can be found here.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Durham city manager ‘disappointed’ by council member’s USA Today op-ed on police."
