Fund the justice commission

More than 40 years after the slayings of three young civil rights workers in Mississippi, authorities have charged a preacher and reputed Ku Klux Klan leader with murder. The young men, newly trained to register voters, were killed in Philadelphia, Miss., by a mob of local men and buried in an earthen dam.

For more than four decades, the town has struggled with the legacy of the killings. Many Mississippians hope that justice will finally be served in the slayings of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney. It's long overdue.

It's difficult to fathom a modern-day parallel to this case, which was dramatized in the motion picture "Mississippi Burning." But many racial and ethnic minorities perceive in 2005 that they still are unfairly singled out by law enforcement and in the judicial system. The Utah Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System was created to examine the existence and extent of real and perceived bias within the state's criminal justice system and develop recommendations on how to address injustices.

The strength of the commission has been its ability to collect and interpret data that may or may not suggest police or courts treat various racial and ethnic groups differently. There are a great many anecdotes about racial profiling and other negative experiences within the justice system. But there has been a great need for quantifiable evidence to identify systemic problems or pinpoint problem officers in police departments and the courts.

On a limited basis, that work is underway. But the commission, which is a continuation of the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Legal System, is in flux. The commission lost its program coordinator in July and presently has no paid staff.

Rep. Duane Bordeaux, D-Salt Lake, said he's opened a bill file and plans to ask the Legislature to continue the commission and remove it from the purview of the Utah court system. Lawmakers should support Bordeaux's bill because it will help ensure the important work of the commission continues — in particular its ongoing study on racial profiling — and give the commission a greater degree of independence.

Other noteworthy undertakings of the commission include diversity training for court staff, increased interpreter certification and training and efforts to work with police officers on communication skills and the ability to outreach to diverse communities.

Considering the many high-ticket wants and needs that will come before the Legislature, providing funds to continue the work of the commission would be minimal, and it would be money well spent as Utah's population becomes increasingly diverse.