Introduction
In a mass demonstration of civilians, it is usually expected the protesting individuals may become rowdy and violent. This may lead to significant casualties due to cases of stampede brought about by disagreement. This is an anticipated reaction particularly in the case of political meetings. Citizens have been identified to hold strong opinions on the various political issues that are currently affecting the country. As a result, it is important that a Mass Arrest/Mass Casualty Subcommittee effectively prepare for a political event such as the Democratic-Republican National Convention (DRNC) that will be held in Miami, Florida. As a member of the subcommittee, it is important to identify the various corrections issues and provide recommendations as the DRNC event comes closer. Creating a plan of action will also enable the various departments involved to pool resources and ensure the event goes on smoothly with minimal hiccups.
Corrections Issues Identified from Previous Event
During the initial meetings of the Mass Arrest/Mass Casualty Subcommittee, it was presented that the upcoming DRNC event is quite similar to the Free Trade Area of Americas (FTAA) Conference that occurred in 2003. In fact according to reports from intelligence officers the number of arrest that could be made in this upcoming event could be more than double that of the FTAA Conference in 2003. In the latter there were nearly 10,000 protesters in total and it is expected that nearly 20,000 will come to Miami-Dade for this event. Though the 234 arrests made in the previous event were conducted without much incident there are numerous issues that should be highlighted and corrected to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated in the next event.
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One of the key issues in the previous event is the overloading of booking desk in the Dade County Jail. In the FTAA Conference, Thursday was the heaviest day of arrest resulting in an overload. Therefore, it is important to highlight the issue as on that is expected to grow due to the doubling of numbers in the upcoming event (FTAA, 2003). Along with this issue of overload, the prisoners in question had numerous complaints during the making of arrests. These include tight handcuffs and lack of drinking water. It is also important to mention the rare complaint of sexual battery that was raised against one of the officers making the arrest. This is despite the fact that the allegations were unfounded.
During the FTAA Conference, the most prevalent issue was prisoners complaining that their personal items had been misplaced by the Correctional officers at the Dade County Jail. After an investigation was carried out it was found that indeed the police officers had indeed misplaced personal belongings of the prisoners due to hasty arrests. The temporary detention facilities were seen as a major attribute to the high level of lost belongings (FTAA, 2003). It was also identified that the final day was quite cumbersome as nearly 200 protesters converged to express their unhappiness with the arrests made the previous day. This resulted in the discharging of three pepper ball rounds after seven protestors refused to disperse after an official order was made. The use of these “less lethal” munitions was used to ensure effective dispersal of protestors who did not comply with orders issued by the Corrections officer. The chemical agents are seen as an effective means of dispersing the crowds and ensuring the officers do not involve themselves in police brutality.
Recommendations for DRNC
The most pressing issue towards the upcoming DRNC event is the overloading of the booking desk. In light of the fact that the event is expected to have nearly double the number of protestors that attended the FTAA conference, it is important to focus on this issue. The MDPD is required to create multiple temporary detention facilities that will ease up the load at the county jail. Multiple officers will be stationed at these temporary detention facilities to swiftly book the arrested protestors (Reynardus, 2004). These officers will effectively participate in eliminating the issue of lost belongings. Depending on the area of arrests, the protestors will be held at the nearest temporary detention centers. The various officers will also be involved in gathering lost property on the streets and the detention centers as they will be released to the prisoners once they make bail. The officers will try to make the arrest without hast to avoid issues of tight handcuffs, lost belongings and the sexual battery allegations.
Additionally, the temporary detention centers will be equipped with drinking water for the protestors to avoid complains experienced in the previous FTAA Conference. The provision of essentials such as drinking water is identified as a necessity to avoid continued confrontation between the protestors and the Corrections officers (Vitale, 2005). The corrections officers are will also be armed with “less lethal” munitions in a bid to improve their ability to disperse protesting crowds. The corrections officers will use the chemical agents will be used as an issue of last resort. This is particularly when the crowds are deemed uncontrollable. The MDPD personnel are seen as capable of effectively achieving the objectives of the upcoming event. The officers will work closely with emergency medical officers who will be at the scene to provide care to protestors who are injured. In cases of large crowds it is possible that the protestors may suffer injuries from rowdy activities to cases of stampede when they are dispersed by the police.
References
FTAA (2003) After Action Review & Lessons Learned . The Miami Herald, Web.
Reynardus, J. E. (2004) The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Inquiry Report . Miami-Dade Police and Corrections & Rehabilitation Departments.
Vitale, A. S. (2005). From negotiated management to command and control: how the New York Police Department polices protests. Policing & Society , 15, 3: 283-304.
