The Duke University Police Department's Minority Relations Committee kicked off its year yesterday over pizza, cookies and soft drinks. The three-year-old committee, which is the only DUPD group aimed specifically at students, spent much of the afternoon learning about the police department and minority related issues.
"[Our goal is] to build positive relationships between minority communities and the Duke Police Department," said DUPD's Maj. Robert Dean.
The committee, composed primarily of students from various cultural organizations, was formed as a medium through which students could express their concerns about Campus Police's handling of various race-related issues.
"You'll find out that we're human and make mistakes also-but those mistakes are not to be taken lightly," Dean said. "We'd like to [build a positive relationship] before we have a crisis to deal with."
The meeting provided background for committee members on how DUPD attempts to prevent actions that could cause racial tension.
"[In police officer training] we're really trying to get to what causes people to have different perceptions of one another," said DUPD Lt. Sara-Jane Raines. "We try to make officers more reflective of their own behavior."
Dean encouraged the members to report unusual behavior or suspected unprofessional conduct by the police department.
"I know there's a stigma about going to the police department," said Dean. "You guys are like ambassadors... to the police department."
During the meeting, officers also made a presentation about hate crimes. Raines discussed the various aspects of federal and North Carolina law regarding such acts. Raines also discussed hate groups and how they spread their message.
"Fortunately, we don't have that many hate crimes on campus," said Raines. "Occasionally we have some harassing phone calls.... I don't think that we've had more than four [instances of hate crimes] in a calendar year."
Dean has encouraged interaction between the students and DUPD so that undergraduates would have a better idea of the department's workings.
"I feel as though this committee is not well-known to the campus," said junior Ken Nichols. "If more groups knew about it, there would be better participation."
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