NCJ Number
231574
Date Published
June 2010
Length
64 pages
Annotation
This study, by the Cambridge Review Committee, identified lessons learned from the 2009 incident involving an 11-year veteran of the Cambridge Police Department responding to a break-in in progress and a prominent Harvard Professor and presents recommendations targeting the prevention of similar incidents in the future.
Abstract
On July 16, 2009, Sergeant James Crowley responded to a 911 call about a possible break-in in progress at the home of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a prominent African-American scholar, in Cambridge, MA. However, Professor Gates was home and showed the officer proper identification. However, where the situation should have de-escalated at that point in a peaceful resolution, the opposite occurred. The incident serves as a textbook example of how a police officer and a member of the community can clash if they do not share a sense of responsibility about cooperating toward the common goal of a positive encounter. Because the Cambridge Police Commissioner believed there were lessons to be learned from this incident, the Cambridge Review Committee was established to examine the lesson learned to assist other police agencies across the Nation. The Committee's interviews and research resulted in the identification of a number of relevant issues that included: (1) the significance of differing perspectives, (2) balancing "legitimacy" and "procedural justice" with tactical and safety considerations, (3) de-escalation of conflicts, (4) officer discretion, (5) disorderly conduct laws, (6) community comment, and (7) recruitment and training. Recommendations presented by the Committee include: (1) de-escalation of conflicts; (2) discretion; (3) community involvement; (4) working with university police departments; (5) helping citizens to understand policing; (6) recruiting and training; (7) sharing information about high-profile incidents; (8) research and best practices; and (9) community forums. Appendixes A-E