About the cause
January 24, 2024 Vivian was pulled over for what should have been a standard speeding ticket.
What resulted in less than 1:30 was a police officer opening her car door, ripping her from the car, throwing her to the ground, cuffing her and taking her into custody.
Only after she was in custody was she informed of why she had been stopped.
#JusticeForVivian is focused on bringing awareness to the fact that there is a major need for better training and oversight of police in order to provide JUSTICE FOR ALL
BE HEARD! Below are the email addresses of the South Whitley Town Council. Make your concerns known!
Or simply click the button below to start an email to all 3 of them!
THE MISSION
Better Training
The state of Indiana requires only 600 hours of training before considering a police officer qualified to enter the community, armed with; a deadly weapon, badge, and squad car.
We call upon the state of Indiana to:
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Increase the required minimum hours of training for police; especially in areas of basic civil rights, and situation de-escalation
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Enforce a training probation period in which officers must be evaluated on:
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Conduct during interactions using body cam footage
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Consistent use of Body Cam
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Pull-over/arrest statistics compared to peers
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Continuous Education of all officers, including additional hours of de-ecalation and social services training each year
Other occupations that require 600 hours of education are: massage therapist (600hr), police dispatcher (600hr), esthetician (skin technician), personal trainer (500hr), nail technician (450hr), and dietary technician (500hr).
Better Policies
It is the responsibility of each police department to ensure every officer meets the highest standards of training and conduct.
This means when hiring an officer with ANY level of experience; it is the responsibility of the Captain/Marshall/Sheriff to ensure the officer is fully trained on department policies & procedures, civil rights, and all state/federal laws.
We call upon the state of Indiana to increase requirements for police departments to adopt and enforce yearly reviews of ALL police officers, including:
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Conduct during interactions; using random body cam footage of interactions
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Consistent use of Body Cameras ALWAYS
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Pull-over/arrest statistics compared to peers
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Complaint history - any history of complaints will addressed and additional training requirements may be imposed
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Any failure of an officer to meet policies, procedures, and violation of civil rights is unacceptable and warrants immediate disciplinary action. This is the bare minimum expected in any other occupation.
Better Leadership
It is the responsibility of city/town/county/state government leaders to ensure that police departments protect and serve their communities to the BEST of their ability. If any law enforcement officer, or department, is not protecting and serving their community it is the job of the elected leaders to hold law enforcement accountable for any and all misconduct!
It is the sworn duty of these elected individuals to act in the best interest of the members of the communities that elected them, setting aside their own personal biases.
Any elected leader who does not meet their sworn duty to protect and represent the community that elected them, should step down or be removed from their elected office.
We call upon elected leaders to uphold the safety of our communities by demanding better from our law enforcement. To give our law enforcement better support and tools, to enable them to execute their duties to the best of their abilities.
Better Communities
As law enforcement, you uphold the law at the end of gun; be it a traffic stop or violent crime.
We call upon Law Enforcement everywhere to commit to execute their sworn duty at a higher level:
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First and foremost; respecting civil rights in all situations
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Seeking to de-escalate by all possible means
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Taking extra care and compassion when dealing with youth to explain and educate them about the laws, policies, and procedures
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Engaging the communities they serve to foster good relationships that will build trust and give way to better outcomes
It is critical that members of communities everywhere demand higher standards for Law Enforcement.
Let's make Law Enforcement the honored and respected profession it once was!
Vivian is a high school senior whose family has lived in the community of South Whitley since her birth. She attends church in Columbia City Indiana where she has served in youth leadership roles, and attending VBS in South Whitley.
She is proud to have a family who is actively involved in serving the community, including a grandfather who is a former State Trooper.
She is currently looking at paralegal and pre-law programs.