WHY IT MATTERS

Across the country, we witnessed communities’ reactions to the murder of George Floyd and the countless other Black lives lost as a result of the continuing injustice and racial inequities in our criminal justice system. Perceived racial profiling and poor use of force have resulted in demands for change that include independent citizen oversight and community participation in the development of law enforcement policy.

WHAT WE’RE DOING

The League believes that no person should suffer legal discrimination and that the government should be responsive to the will of the people. We also believe a democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens. Looking to these League principles, the LWVNC formed a Law Enforcement Practices Working Group (“LEPWG”) to educate our members and the public on law enforcement practices, including hiring standards, training, and community oversight. As a result, delegates at the 2021 LWVNC Convention adopted, via concurrence, a position on law enforcement practices with an emphasis on building public trust and positive community relationships with their local law enforcement agencies.

FEATURED CONTENT 

• LWVNC Resources
• YouTube Recordings of 5 programs held August–December 2020
• LEPWG report to LWVNC Board
• Toolkit 
• Tips on Meeting with Law Enforcement Leadership 
• 5 Questions to Ask Your Police Chief and Sheriff
• Other Resources
• LWVUS Urgent Resolution on Racial Justice
• LWVUS Citizen Participation position (see pages 49-51)
  
  
• Other State League positions and studies:
  
  1. League of Women Voters of California
  2. League of Women Voters of San Francisco
  3. League of Women Voters – Pasadena Area
  4. League of Women Voters – Roseville Area (Minnesota)
  5. LWV of Metro St. Louis (MO) Policing Study Group – contact Policing [at] lwvstl.org (Mary Leopold )
  6. To find all studies on criminal justice and related topics, go to LWVUS’s repository of positions here. 
     
     
• NC Government resources
  
  1. Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC) - NC DOJ
  2. Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission (ncdoj.gov)
  3. Sheriffs Education & Training Standards (ncdoj.gov)
     
     
• NACOLE - National Association of Citizen Oversight of Law Enforcement
  
  
  
  

  GET INVOLVED
  LEPWG [at] LWVNC.org (CONTACT )