WINSLOW, Ariz. - Nearly one year after the Winslow Police Department asked for a review of its policies and practices, the results showed there was room for improvement, but things were headed in the right direction.
The idea came in the wake of the Easter Sunday, officer-involved shooting of Loreal Tsingine. What started as a call for shoplifting turned into a woman with scissors and then Officer Austin Shipley firing five times, killing Tsingine.
“In light of everything that occurred, we felt that we should examine ourselves a little more closely,” said Winslow City Manager, Steve Pauken.
The City Manager said Winslow hired an independent agency, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to take that closer look.
Overall, the results weren’t bad. The report identified "training of new recruits" as a "pressing need." The review found new hires needed a smoother transition from the academy into the field. Detailed recommendations were made to ensure the necessary hiring, accountability, use of force and leadership could be in place.
Winslow P.D. got credit for already implementing changes since the March 27, 2016 shooting. More officers were out of their cars and on the streets. People in Winslow could shop or have coffee with a cop and police would soon be patrolling on bikes.
Pauken said the community needed to know its police force was there to help everyone.
“Without regard to whether they’re Native American or Hispanic American or white American or whatever they are,” Pauken said.
Mary Alice Hayes with the Legal Redress Committee of the NAACP of Winslow said the problem didn’t start with the officers.
“It starts from the top and then we’ll have a good police department,” Hayes said.
Hayes said the organization tried to get city leaders out to its events like an MLK march and black history month celebration, but they didn’t show up.
“They’re not really interested in trying to get together with us and communicate and see how we can make the community a better community,” Hayes said.
The NAACP said it has been especially ready for one of the suggestions in the review—a formal chief’s advisory committee.
“Made up of a cross section of the citizens that’s representative of the population here and when there’s an issue with something that might be racist or a cop saved somebody’s life, they can be attaboys or bad boys. It can go either way,” Pete Henderson, Media Chair with the NAACP said.
The community was invited to meet and greet the candidates for police chief of Winslow on Tuesday, April 18, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Winslow Chamber of Commerce.
The complete PERF review can be seen by clicking here.