PROFESSOR
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO WHO STUDIES THIS VERY
THING TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: IT HAS LONG BEEN
PROVEN THAT POLICE UNIONS HELP
OFFICERS INCREASE WAGES AND
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS. THE STUDY FROM THE 1980S SAYS
UNIONS HAVE INCREASED MUNICIPAL
WORKERS WAGES AT 5% ON AVERAGE.
THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT
SKEPTICS SAY LEAD TO A LACK OF
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MISCONDUCT.
>> A LOT OF US IN THIS FIELD
HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THIS WARNING
SIGNAL FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
>> Reporter: JOHN RAPPAPORT IS
AN ASSISTANT LAW PROFESSOR AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. HE STUDIES POLICE UNIONS AND
OFFICER MISCONDUCT.
OFFICER MISCONDUCT. HE SAID MOST POLICE CONTRACTS
INCLUDING MINNEAPOLIS INCLUDE
"EXTRAORDINARY PROTECTIONS".
"EXTRAORDINARY PROTECTIONS". >> THAT WILL BE WERE RULES LIKE
YOU CAN'T SPEAK TO THE OFFICER
UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER THE
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT. YOU HAVE TO SPEAK TO THE
OFFICER LAST.
OFFICER LAST. YOU INTERVIEW OTHER WITNESSES
FIRST AND IN SOME CASES YOU
HAVE TO GIVE THE OFFICER COPIES
OF ALL THE OTHER WITNESS
STATEMENTS AS WELL AS COPIES OF
ANY BODY CAM FOOTAGE OR DASH
CAM FOOTAGE.
CAM FOOTAGE. >> Reporter: HE WANTED TO
MEASURE IF UNIONS HAD AN EFFECT
ON POLICE MISCONDUCT SO HE
TURNED TO FLORIDA WHERE THE
SUPREME COURT ALLOWED SHERIFF'S
DEPUTIES IN ALL 67 COUNTIES TO
COLLECTIVELY BARGAIN IN 2003.
HE COMPARED THE SEVERE, VIOLENT
MISCONDUCT COMPLAINTS FOR EIGHT
YEARS BEFORE THAT AND EIGHT
YEARS AFTER UNIONIZATION.
>> WHEN OFFICERS IN FLORIDA
WHICH IS OUR RESEARCH SETTING,
WHEN OFFICERS GAINED THE RIGHT
TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY THE
RATE OF SERIOUS VIOLENT
MISCONDUCT INCIDENCES WENT UP
BY 40%.
BY 40%.
BY 40%. >> THAT MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT
BUT THESE TYPES OF INCIDENCES
DON'T HAPPEN OFTEN.
THE INCREASE WAS THE EQUIVALENT
OF ONE OFFICER BEING INVOLVED
IN ONE VIOLENT MISCONDUCT
INCIDENT EVERY FIVE YEARS PER
AGENCY.
AGENCY.
AGENCY. HOWEVER, HE SAID IT RAISED THE
AVERAGE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENTS.
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENTS. MEANWHILE IN THE SAME TIME SPAN
CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
MISCONDUCT STATS DIDN'T CHANGE.
THE DID YOU SEE THIS INCREASE
IN VIOLENT MISCONDUCT ACROSS
THE BOARD IN EVERY COUNTY?
>> WE ARE CONFIDENT THIS IS NOT
BEING DRIVEN BY ONE OR TWO OR
THREE SHERIFFS OFFICES THAT
THIS IS A GENERAL EFFECT.
WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF AN
INCREASE IN SHERIFFS OFFICES
THAT DID NOT ACTUALLY UNIONIZE.
WHAT WE SAY IN OUR STUDY IS WE
THINK THIS IS EVIDENCE OF WHAT
WE CALL A SHADOW EFFECT.
ONCE SHERIFFS DEPUTIES
GENERALLY IN THE STATE HAVE THE
RIGHT TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY,
EVEN IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO THEY
CAN NOW THREATEN TO BARGAIN
COLLECTIVELY.
COLLECTIVELY. I ASKED OUR EXPERT THIS
QUESTION, IS IT FAIR TO SAY
UNIONIZATION AND COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING IS A PROBLEM?
11% OF WORKERS ALONG TO A
UNION.
UNION.
UNION. PLUS POLICE HAVE AN INCREDIBLY
DANGEROUS AND UNIQUE JOB.
HE SAID CORRECT.
BARGAINING ITSELF MAY NOT BE
THE PROBLEM BUT IT IS SOME OF
THE PROTECTIONS THAT IS
AFFORDED TO THEM IN THE
BARGAINING PROCESS WHERE HE
SEES A PROBLEM WITH
ACCOUNTABILITY AND REACHING
ACCOUNTABILITY AND THAT IS
SOMETHING WE HAVE HEARD OTHER
POLICE CHIEFS IN THE TWIN
CITIES TALK ABOUT AS WELL.
>> WHAT IS IT THAT IS IN THE
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE UNION
CONTRACT THAT YOUR EXPERT
REFERS TO AS EXTRAORDINARY?
WHAT IS IN THAT?
>> Reporter: HE WASN'T JUST
TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT
MINNEAPOLIS AS BEING
EXTRAORDINARY BUT CONTRACTS HE
SEES IN POLICE UNIONS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY AND I ASKED HIM TO
TAKE A LOOK AT MINNEAPOLIS AND
HE SAID YEAH, THERE ARE CERTAIN
THINGS IN THEIR LIKE IF AN
OFFICER IS ACCUSED OF MISCONDUCT
AND HAS TO BE INTERVIEWED BY
INVESTIGATORS IT SAYS IN THE
UNION CONTRACT THAT THERE MUST
BE TWO DAYS, 48 HOURS BEFORE AN
INVESTIGATING OFFICER CAN EVEN
ASK THEM FOR THEIR STORY.
THERE ARE ALSO THINGS IN THE
ARBITRATION PROCESS ABOUT HOW
THE ARBITRATOR IS SELECTED THAT
HE SAYS SOMETIMES THEY SEE
PROBLEMS WITH FINDING AN
IMPARTIAL ARBITRATOR.
IMPARTIAL ARBITRATOR. ALSO ANY MISCONDUCT COMPLAINTS
THAT DO NOT RESULT IN DISCIPLINE
, THEY ARE ERASED FROM THE
OFFICERS FILE ACCORDING TO THE
CONTRACT.
CONTRACT.
CONTRACT. IN THE CASE OF X OFFICER
CHAUVIN, HE HAD 17 COMPLAINTS
BUT THEY ARE NOT PUBLIC.
>> WE ARE NOT SURE OF WHAT THE
NATURE OF THOSE COMPLAINTS ARE
BECAUSE WE DO KNOW THERE WERE