News & Press Releases

The Brookline Police Department is pleased to announce that it was one of three recipients worldwide to receive the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s (IACPs) 2007 Civil Rights Award.  Chief Daniel C. O’Leary was presented with this distinguished award at the IACP’s annual conference in New Orleans in October.   The IACP is the world’s oldest membership organization of police executives with over 20K members in 89 different countries. The Brookline Police Department was recognized for its’ multifaceted approach to racial profiling prevention over the last ten years.

Law enforcement leaders recognize the ethical and legal imperatives to which they and their officers must adhere to ensure that civil rights of all individuals residing, working, or visiting their jurisdiction are protected. Despite media coverage that often focuses on negative police-citizen encounters, law enforcement officers are, in fact, the most visible and largest contingent of the nation’s guardians of civil rights. Everyday, countless officers promote and protect civil rights through a variety of actions. These actions include investigation of hate crime; efforts to protect vulnerable groups; attempts to educate the community about issues of tolerance and to encourage collaboration; and programs to enhance the cultural awareness and diversity both within the law enforcement agency and the wider community.

The Civil Rights Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes the outstanding efforts of law enforcement agencies and individual law enforcement personnel in protecting and promoting civil and human rights. The prestigious IACP Civil Rights Awards are presented each year at the IACP Banquet which marks conclusion of IACP’s Annual Conference.

Brookline Police Department Program Overview:

Agency:             Brookline Police Department (Brookline, MA, USA)
Program:           Racial Profiling Prevention Strategies
Description:      Over the last ten years, the Brookline Police Department has developed, implemented, and institutionalized a multifaceted racial profiling prevention strategy. This comprehensive approach addressed the areas of policy review and development; hiring and recruitment, training, addressing citizen complaints, data collection, and community outreach. This effort incorporated proactive data collection, the use of an early intervention system to track officer performance, and improvement in hiring and recruitment processes. Through these coordinated efforts, today’s Brookline Police Department has taken a proactive rather than reactive approach to racial profiling. In addition, it is now more reflective if the community is serves and better prepared to respond to the broad ranging cultural and language diversity that exists in that community.

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