Editor, Profiling is a topic of much concern to this community. A complaint that a person’s race is used more so than anything else to dictate the actions of and treatment by law enforcement officers is never acceptable. One person treated this way is one too many.
The Liberty County Branch of the NAACP 2011-2012 executive committee was made aware of a panel’s decision from reading the Coastal Courier on Sunday, Jan. 23.  Based on the published information, the panel concluded no stops by the Hinesville police department were based on race, but based on law violations. The panel also suggested training in situational crisis management, professionalism and diversity.  The Liberty County Branch of the NAACP would like to applaud the panel for echoing and supporting the same requested actions the branch proposed at its 2010 press conference in Liberty County. We would have wanted more actions taken, but we’ll take the small step toward change for the good of all. 
We will continue to monitor, educate and have an open dialogue with officials while seeking guidance from other entities to assist in correcting all wrongs. We appreciate, support and pray for the law enforcement officers who protect our society and deal with the ones who insist on disregarding our laws. The community and the branch expect and encourage our city law enforcement departments to enforce the laws and refrain from behavior that may resemble that of the lawbreakers officers interact with while carrying out their duties.  
The Liberty County Branch of the NAACP will continue to educate the residents about their rights, the statute of limitations, legal options of the courts, civil rights laws, conspiracy case law on officers prosecuted due to their actions outside the guides of their duties (SOP), federal jurisdictions, procedure to request information under the Georgia Open Records Law and proper documentation. The branch will encourage public awareness of alleged racially motivated incidents to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We will advise citizens on the importance of learning an officer’s identification at the scene of an incident.
The people of Liberty County still have a voice, power and influence, and we hope change will come to bring in new officials and supervisors of our government workers. We hope they will address and change the perception (real or imagined) of any racially motivated police actions. From what was published, the NAACP considers the investigation incomplete and void of many actions. We believe the citizens making the complaint should have been interviewed. We will await a copy of the report and documentation to further review and comment about the panel’s conclusion. 
We have to continue to work as a community to be a fair and just for all citizens. The Liberty NAACP would like to collaborate with officials and organizations to better our community. We hope to be invited to any panel, committee or workshop where we can offer contributions that will help to educate and formulate ways for our community to achieve positive advancement.  
 
— D. Newbould,
president, Liberty County Branch of the NAACP