SMART Projects

  • Reinvigorating Police Oversight at Eastern Michigan University Expand dropdown

    Together with Eastern Michigan’s Office of the President, the Eastern Michigan University Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Public Safety Oversight Committee (PSOC), SMART is working to re-invigorate and reassess the practice of police oversight on campus. The shared vision is to reform police oversight in a sustainable and equitable way that is guided by best-practice evidence, catered to the values of a public institution of higher education. As part of this effort, SMART is facilitating a year-long assessment of the Public Safety Oversight Committee, a process which involves multiple stakeholders. The assessment will result in both a short and long term action plan for how to reinvigorate PSOC in a way that aligns with the 21st century expectations, goals, and values of the community. This includes: researching appropriate training and how to implement it; aiding PSOC in understanding available models for oversight, especially as practiced in Higher Ed, so that PSOC may foster a community conversation for what may be appropriate here; producing a committee manual, guidelines and process sheet, as well as informational materials for public outreach; and helping facilitate broader outreach. 

    The funding for this project is provided in part by the “Community Policing Innovation Initiative” of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.


     Participants: Eastern Michigan University’s Public Safety Oversight Committee (PSOC), Department of Public Safety (DPS); and Office of the President.

     

  • Police Traffic Stop Data for Use in Civilian Oversight Expand dropdown

     SMART is working with Ann Arbor’s Police Department (AAPD) and the Ann Arbor Independent Community Police Oversight Commission (ICPOC) to collaboratively assess the processes by which traffic stop data is collected, analyzed, and reported. A key goal in this collaboration is to develop long-standing practices through which police data can be made useful to the larger project of civilian oversight and input into the nature of public safety in Ann Arbor. As part of this effort, SMART will be conducting an analysis of several years of AAPD traffic stop data in order to identify potential disparities in policing citations, use of resources, and outcomes. SMART will also be organizing several educational opportunities and resources--including a semester-long workshop open to community members--that will facilitate a broader understanding of such data, its uses, and its shortcomings.

    The funding for this project is provided in part by the “Community Policing Innovation Initiative” of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.


     Participants: Ann Arbor’s Police Department (AAPD) & Independent Community Police Oversight Commission (ICPOC)

  • Understanding the Black Experience of Policing in East Dearborn Expand dropdown
     

    SMART is working with members of the East Dearborn Downtown Development Association to document the experiences of Black residents of the larger Dearborn/Detroit metropolitan region with the Dearborn Police Department.  These oral history narratives are being collected as part of a broader truth and reconciliation project geared towards opening up a community-led conversation that will explore alternative visions for public safety in East Dearborn. 

    The funding for this project is provided in part by the “Community Policing Innovation Initiative” of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.


     Participants: East Dearborn Downtown Development Association