Agenda Text
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Calling upon this Council to create a Police Commission and a Community Police Review Agency.
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Official Text
WHEREAS, Police violence against Black and Brown Americans is a product of systemic racism including structural failings in the way law enforcement agencies are organized; and
WHEREAS, Even before the recent killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor by police officers, two-thirds of Americans believed that Black people are treated less fairly by the police than white people; and
WHEREAS, Only 23% of Americans believe that police “provide fair and accurate information to the public all or most of the time” and only 37% believe police “do a good job protecting people from crime all or most of the time”; and
WHEREAS, Whether people are satisfied with policing depends heavily on whether they’re satisfied with police oversight; and
WHEREAS, Chief David Fallon has stated, “having reports of police misconduct investigated by a fellow union member can create the appearance of a conflict of interest. Even when investigations are conducted correctly and without bias, it's understandable that the public might not trust the process,”; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Curtatone has stated, “we need to bring new voices and perspectives into the oversight and rank and file of the police department,”; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Attard, former President of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement has stated, “as oversight of law enforcement becomes an integral part of government in the United States, the benefits of oversight are being acknowledged. Those in policing are recognizing that allowing independent oversight and community access to this information leads to increased confidence in the process and the law enforcement”; and
WHEREAS, Captain Pamela Seyffert of the Sacramento, California Police Department has stated, “although civilian review can be controversial, there are enough positives presented by the successful m...
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