In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly established the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board for the purpose of advising the Office of Policy and Management with respect to the adoption and standardized methods and guidelines pursuant to Connecticut General Statute 54-1m. The advisory board has been meeting since May 2012 on a monthly basis to oversee the requirements of the Alvin W. Penn law. All meetings are open to the public.
CTRP3 advisory board members represent different interest groups but work collaboratively on challenging issues. In this VIDEO they talk about the history and goals of the board.
“The work that we’re doing is so important,” says advisory board member Gail Hardy, who represents the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. “As people of color, we have our own takeaways from what racial profiling is, how it affects people in our community and people in our families.”
“It’s really about making people aware of the law,” says Eyvonne Parker-Bair, Division Chief of the Department of Motor Vehicles. “We let them know that if they feel something has happened unjustly to them, there are things that they can do to address those concerns.”
Parker-Bair knew and worked with Senator Alvin Penn for whom the law is named. “I remember when he lobbied for this legislation,” she says. “And so I’m most proud of the fact that he would be proud of the work that’s being done here.”
West Hartford Chief of Police Vernon Riddick says the board doesn’t always agree but works to come to consensus. “We do agree on one thing,” he says, “that there should be no racial disparities. And whatever we can do collectively to achieve that goal, we shall and must do. We want to be problem solvers. ”
“We’re made up of a myriad of different professions, from law enforcement to advocacy groups,” explains Tanya Hughes, Executive Director of CHRO, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. ” We have really robust, honest, passionate discussion. And we find that we have more in common than we don’t have in common, and that we are able to come to consensus. And when we’re not, we respectfully put it aside for further discussion. I think that has been really instrumental in the success of the work that we’re doing is that we really respect the work that each of us brings to the table.”
Rashad Glass, who represents the Office of the Chief Public Defender, notes it’s interesting to work collaboratively with forces that usually work in an adversarial capacity. “We all represent different interests in our day-to-day jobs outside of this. We each come from different perspectives,” says Glass. “I think when everybody’s willing to listen to each side, we can come to a common ground and reach better results.”
Bill Dyson, board chairman, says he’s most proud of the fact that everyone works together. “People, regardless to what they do professionally and in what line of work, they’ve been engaged,” he explains. “What we’re able to do now is because we’ve been able to establish some trust… That’s the spirit in which the group has learned to operate and it has made a difference… We’ve all had eyes open. We can do it. We can trust each other. We can work together. We can get some things done. And that’s, that’s good. That’s good.”
Watch the VIDEO about the history and goals of the CTRP3 advisory board.
