FOP launches effort to teach people the 'do's and don'ts' of interacting with police

The president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police outlined a host of steps Wednesday it is undertaking to improve community relations and public safety in the wake of the Aaron Bailey shooting.

Rick Snyder said the police officers union is launching a public education campaign so people better understand the "do's and don'ts" during encounters with police. Among the efforts:

The FOP will work with local leaders, national law enforcement instructors and civil rights advocates to develop educational videos, public service announcements and youth lesson plans on how to interact with police during traffic stops and investigations or at crime scenes. The aim, Snyder said, is that both officers and civilians stay safe. Snyder said the FOP is pledging up to $25,000 to launch such an initiative.

The FOP wants state lawmakers to introduce legislation that would require the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to incorporate such training on interacting with police.

The FOP is calling on educators to join the effort into developing lesson plans for high school students who are beginning drivers training.

And the union is asking faith leaders to use their pulpit to help explain the rights of civilians as well as their responsibilities during encounters with law enforcement officers.

The overall theme of these efforts, Snyder said, is " comply now, complain later."

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Aaron Bailey was fatally shot June 29 by two IMPD officers following a traffic stop, subsequent vehicle pursuit and minor crash into a tree. Officers Carlton J. Howard and Michal P. Dinnsen fired 11 rounds into Bailey's vehicle. The officers said Bailey refused commands to show his hands and reached toward the car's center console, where the officers believed he had a gun. No gun was found.

Satchuel Cole, vice president of social-justice organization DONT SLEEP and an advocate for the Bailey family, criticized the FOP's new effort. She said it places the responsibility on the individual rather than the officer to ensure a safe interaction.

"All of the onus to not be killed is now on the citizen," she said. "Understanding that after Aaron Bailey had hit that tree, there was 18 seconds between the call, between (when) he hit the tree and shots fired. So in those 18 seconds after he was dazed, confused, had just hit a tree, the onus is on Aaron to hopefully do exactly what the officers are thinking instead of the officers not firing first?

"It's frustrating because there's no way for the citizen to win in that scenario."

Others expressed criticism, as well.

The Rev. David W. Greene Sr., president of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, questioned why the community needs more education around safe traffic stops. The issue is already taught at Indiana Black Expo events and in his church, Greene said.

"We have done things in this area. We are strong advocates," Greene said. "You comply, then you complain later. We teach that."

He noted that IMPD Police Chief Bryan Roach and members of his command staff tried to fire both officers. So, Greene asked rhetorically, do they need to be educated about safe traffic stops, too?

Greene also suggested Snyder should have shared his proposals with local leaders to build buy-in.

"Why didn't he reach out to local people?" Greene asked. "Where's your local support for this?"

One person Snyder called is the Rev. Charles Harrison, president of the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition.

Harrison said he told Snyder that if the FOP intended to share concerns about community interactions, then the FOP should be ready to hear concerns from the community.

"Until we get to the point where people are willing to listen to each other, it's going to make it hard to have these hard conversations with each other," Harrison said. "If one side believes this, and one side believes that, and if they're entrenched in their positions, then we never make any progress."

The FOP's announcement Wednesday comes about two weeks after the Civilian Police Merit Board ruled that the officers did not violate department policy and could keep their jobs. In October a special prosecutor declined to press criminal charges, saying there was not enough evidence to suggest the officers were not in fear of their lives.

Snyder said the FOP also will help lead efforts to educate the public about their rights to due process and how to file complaints with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department anytime there is a concern of police misconduct.

"The rule of law must be followed by police and citizen alike," he said in a prepared statement.

Snyder said the FOP's efforts can help the city move forward from an incident that was a tragedy for everyone involved.

"Our goal is that this proposal" Snyder said, "puts something on the table for all of us to rally around and maybe help push the reset button so that we can get back to working together and focusing on what's important."

IndyStar reporter Holly V. Hays contributed to this article.

Call IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at (317) 444-6294. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @ryanmartin.