Dallas PD creates Constitutional Policing Unit; to focus on transparency and accountability
Dallas, Texas – The Dallas Police Department recently announced that they created a new Constitutional Policing Unit in what appears to be a move towards another police reform. The job of this team is to make sure that the concepts of constitutional rights are at the center of everything the Dallas police do. The unit, which is made up of three sworn officers and five civilian staff members, will focus on training, transparency, and accountability in the police force.
One interesting thing about the unit is that it has a criminal justice expert from Tarleton State University who will help the team by giving them legal advices. The unit’s daily tasks have not been made public, but its major goals are clear: improving training methods and supporting efforts to reform the police.
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In a meeting with the Dallas City Council’s Public Safety Committee in December, Chief Eddie Garcia underlined that one of the new unit’s most important tasks would be to teach cops how to be “active bystanders.” The goal of this new way of training officers is to give them the tools they need to step in when they see misconduct among their coworkers or supervisors. The unit will also have its own website later this year, which will provide more information about how it works and what its goals are.
As Chief Garcia led the department through a number of reforms, the Constitutional Policing Unit is one of them. One other important thing that was done was the formation of a Tactical Training Group. This group brings together the department’s most experienced officers to teach the special units best practices. The department’s dedication to reform is also shown by the fact that all street-level officers now have body cameras and complaints of misconduct are handled more quickly.
Even with all of these efforts, not everyone is convinced the strategy is working. Changa Higgins, activist and member of the Community Police Oversight Board, has doubts. He thinks that the new unit could get around the current oversight systems. Instead, he wants a stronger oversight board that can make real changes.
Still, many people in the neighborhood have been very supportive of the initiative. Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis has given the program high marks and pointed out that many of the changes that were talked about are already happening.
The unit is an encouraging step toward bringing law enforcement and the people it serves closer together. Its goal is to create an atmosphere of trust, responsibility, and respect for constitutional rights.
