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Gilbert Police Department plans greater effort on diversity outreach

Harassment incidents spur hire, task force

by Jim Walsh - Jul. 20, 2012 01:26 PM

The Republic | azcentral.com

Gilbert police are appointing a part-time diversity officer and the town plans to launch a diversity task force as the investigation continues into the harassment of a gay couple.

The need for better relations between the police and the town and the gay community became apparent during an unprecedented demonstration Saturday by supporters of Felix Bermea and Roy Messerschmidt, a gay couple harassed 18 times between March and July.

Although police say the unrest over their handling of the case was unnecessary and fueled by misinformation, and the town says diversity had been under discussion for months, there is an acknowledgment that Gilbert no longer is a sleepy farm town and needs to do more to promote tolerance.

Sgt. J.D. Marin of the Office of Professional Standards suggested to Chief Tim Dorn that he be allowed to serve as a part-time diversity officer to develop a better rapport with minorities, said Sgt. Bill Balafas, a police spokesman.

"It's a start, which is good,'' Balafas said. "It makes sense to open a dialogue with specific communities.''

In addition, Balafas, Dorn, Marin and Lt. John Lyle are among the officers planning to attend the diversity and inclusion training session on Aug. 9, sponsored by the Arizona Crime Prevention Association at the Mesa Police Academy.

"This is a teachable moment for them,'' said Jennifer Twitchell, assistant regional director of the Anti-Defamation League's Phoenix office.

Twitchell said she is convinced police are doing everything possible to solve the harassment case, but she recommends more outreach by police to minority communities.

Melissa Medvin, an ADL associate director, said the suspicion that children might be responsible for some of the incidents makes it important for Gilbert schools to re-double efforts to combat intolerance.

She said the town needs to revisit the efforts against intolerance that occurred in 1999 after the Devil Dogs White supremacist gang was revealed. The gang started with harassment and intimidation before it moved into drug dealing with the help of a convicted New York City hit man in the federal Witness Protection Program.

"They realized they need to kill the seeds of hate at the earliest level,'' Medvin said. "It's time to revisit those efforts. They need a check-in.''

Medvin said she plans to speak with the Gilbert schools about adopting the ADL's "No Place for Hate'' initiative, where everyone on a school campus signs a "resolution of respect,'' pledging to oppose intolerance and bullying.

She said the ADL Peer Training Program conducted by all Gilbert's high schools would count as one of three school activities that campuses would sponsor to promote tolerance.

Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, Bermea and an ADL representative met on Wednesday to discuss ways of combatting intolerance.

"I was very pleased with it. Again, I'm a little skeptical, but he seemed very genuine about what he was saying,'' Bermea said.

He said Lewis seemed "extremely surprised'' when Bermea described some of his dealings with Gilbert police officers.

Lewis and Bermea appeared to find common ground when they talked about baseball and their families. Lewis said he has an adopted child and also a foster child. Bermea and Messerschmidt took in four foster children and adopted them.

"Any family that is being harassed, that is not what Gilbert is about,'' Lewis said. "We need to solve the challenge of what is going on on that street or any street.''

Bermea believes some people are attempting to drive him out of the neighborhood because of his sexual orientation. Dorn acknowledges a pattern of harassment, but has said there is not enough evidence to prove the family is a victim of a hate crime.

"By no means are we as community or a police department ignoring this,'' Dorn said after about 50 people marched at Gilbert and Warner roads, carrying American flags, the gay-pride rainbow flag and a variety of signs.

"This is a community issue, not just a police issue,'' Dorn said. "The vast majority of this community is open to diversity and treat people respectfully.''

He said he has briefed all supervisors on the high priority of solving the harassment case, whether it is a hate crime or motivated by other factors.

A computer alert in the police dispatch system will tie all the cases together if officers respond to additional incidents at Bermea's home.

But Erica Keppler, of Human and Equal Rights Organizers, said Gilbert is hiding behind a legal definition. Keppler attended the protest and also spoke before the town's Human Relations, Culture and Arts Promotion Commission.

"I think the municipal government can acknowledge there are pockets of intolerance in the city,'' Keppler said. "They can take steps that this behavior is not tolerated.''

Dana Berchman, a town spokeswoman, said the town is still considering whether to hire a diversity manager, as recommended by the Human Relations commission.

The position was not included in the Gilbert budget.

Berchman said one of three new assistants to the town manager will study the diversity manager issue. The town wants to address the "core issues'' of tolerance and doesn't know if hiring one person would be the answer.

The ADL's Twitchell said a diversity manager can be helpful but is not a panacea, either. "It can't be someone with just a title. It has to be someone with a mission,'' she said.