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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-21-2020 Community ForumCOMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM SEPTEMBER 21, 202015:30 PM ELECTRONIC ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to h"s://zoom.us/webinar/rcgister/WN vuuRaN5KRr2XvhMGs9EUvw via the internet to visit the Zoom meeting's registration page and submit the required information. Once approved, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. A meeting password may also be included in the email. Enter the password when prompted. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you may call in by telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799. When prompted, enter the meeting or webinar ID. The ID number for this meeting is: 952 8410 9770 Once connected, you may dial *9 to "raise your hand," letting the meeting host know you would like to speak. Providing comments in person is not an option. AGENDA ITEM NO. 1 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL ITEM NO. 3 CONSIDER MOTION TO ACCEPT CORRESPONDENCE AND/OR DOCUMENTS ITEM NO. 4 PUBLIC DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD ITEM NO. 5 ADJOURNMENT Electronic Zoom Meeting The forum is being held via Zoom due to WHERE concerns presented by COVID-19 You can participate and comment during the forum by going to the Zoom meeting registration link: g ID: 952 8410 9770 18 �_i C COMMUNITY FORUM The Community Police Review Board will be holding a Community Forum for the purpose of hearing views on the policies, practices and procedures of the Iowa City Police Department. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS: Send your questions or comments you'd like addressed at the forum to the following by Thursday, September 10, 2020: Please include full name and address. (All correspondence is public) CPRB Or e-mail to: City of Iowa City CPRB@Iowa-city.org 410 E Washington St, 62240 Q SHARE Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. dmmmwm�°°, IOWA CITY Date: 08/20/2020 Contact: Chris Olney, Administrative Secretary Phone: 319-356-5043 Community invited to attend Community Police Review Board forum The Community Police Review Board (CPRB) will host its annual Community Forum to hear views on Iowa City Police Department policies, practices and procedures. The community is invited to submit questions and comments that will be used during the event. The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., Monday, September 21, 2020. An electronic Zoom meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate and comment during the forum by going to the Zoom meeting registration link: https:ltzoom.uslwebinarlregister/WN vuuRaN5KRr2XvhMGs9EUvw Meeting ID: 952 8410 9770 Send your questions or comments you'd like addressed at the forum by Thursday, September 10, 2020, Email to: CPRBOiowa-citv.org or Mail to: CPRB at City Hall, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, Iowa 52240. Be sure to include your full name and address as all submissions are public. The board will try to address all questions and comments it receives. The forum will also be recorded and later shown on City Channel 4. You can view programming and the schedule at www.citychannel4.com. Chris glney From: City of Iowa City<CityoflowaCity@public.govdelivery.com> Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 4:33 PM To: Chris Olney Subject: Reminder: Public invited to attend Community Police Review Board forum © SHRRE Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. 800000�°•°f IaWA CITY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 09/14/2020 Contact: Chris Olney, Administrative Secretary Phone:319-356-5043 Public invited to Community Police Review Board forum The Community Police Review Board will host its annual Community Forum to hear views on Iowa City Police Department policies, practices and procedures. The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., Monday, September 21, 2020, using Zoom meeting platform. An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. To participate, registration information is available at https://www, iccov.om/city-government/boardsJcomm unity-police-review-board-oorb _I t L r **" Questions? Contact Us CITY OF 101VA CITY UMSCOCITY Lit Lit LR.ARM STAY CONNECTED: 1JII ti I tl Program Schedule Monday, September 28 05:00 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum 04:00 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Wednesday, September 30 01:30 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Thursday, October 01 12:00 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Friday, October 02 09:00 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Saturday, October 03 09:00 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Monday, October 05 10:30 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Wednesday, October 07 10:00 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Thursday, October 08 05:30 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Friday, October 09 10:00 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board CommunityForum Sunday, October 11 06:30 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Monday, October 12 05:32 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum 04:32 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Wednesday, October 14 02:02 PM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Thursday, October 15 12:32 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Friday, October 16 09:32 PM — 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Saturday, October 17 09:32 AM -- 2020 Community Police Review Board Community Forum City of Iowa City Cable TV Office 410 E. Washington St Iowa City, IA 52240 319.356.5046 Final/Approved COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM September 21, 2020, 5:30 P.M, Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting was held because a meeting in person was impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of board members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. CALL TO ORDER: Vice -Chair Orville Townsend called the meeting to order At 5:36 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Jerri MacConnell, Latisha McDaniel, Amanda Nichols, David Selmer MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Legal Counsel Patrick Ford and Staff Chris Olney, Kellie Fruehling. OTHERS PRESENT: Interim Police Chief Denise Brotherton, City Council Member Janice Weiner CONSIDER MOTION TO ACCEPT CORRESPONDENCE AND/OR DOCUMENTS Townsend read the correspondence received into the record. Motion by Nichols, seconded by Selmer to accept correspondence and or /documents. Motion carried, 5/0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION Townsend noted City Council has requested a report and recommendations from the CPRB regarding changes to the CPRB Ordinance that enhance its ability to provide effective civilian oversight to the Iowa City Police Department and that the Board welcomes any suggestions or comments from the public. The following individuals appeared before the CPRB: David Drustrup Angie Jordan Aaron Page Tammy Nyden Leslie Carpenter Temple Hiatt Meredith Chen Sabri Sky Amel Ali Caroline Dieterle Eric Harris Anna Blaedel Margaret Fuller Rich Mathias ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:53 P.M. COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2019-2020 eetin Date 917Mi9 101lN19 11112f19 12tl4t14 1714120 2111f2a 3❑0120 5l12i20 6/9126 7114f20 8fI8f7A 918720 9@1120 NAME FORUM Sam X X OtE O O O O Conaway Monique X X X X X X X X X Galpin _ Jerri MacConnell _ -' -- -- O X X X X Latisha X X X X 61E X X O X X X McDaniel O!E X Amanda Nichols — X X: X X David Selmer X X X X X X X X X X O/E X X Orville X X X OtE X X X X X X X Townsend X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting = Not a Member Chris Olney From: AJ <fivecaloriebanjo@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 6:42 AM To: Community Police Review Board; South District Neighborhood Association Subject: Re: Police Union and contracts RISK To Whom it may Concern: Question/discussion for 9/21 meeting: We are curious to learn and understand more about the ICPD's Union contracts and how negotiations for things within those contracts can limit actions a police chief or others in charge can engage negative/unacceptable behaviors of officers/staff. Respectfully, Angie & Jason Jordan Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone Chris, From: Denise Brotherton Sent: Monday, September 21, 2020 2:59 PM To: Chris Olney Cc: Kellie Fruehling Subject: FW: Police Union and contracts The ICPD Union contract and negotiations do not limit the actions of the police chief or others in charge to address negative/unacceptable behaviors of officers and staff. As stated in Article II in the contract between the City of Iowa City and The Police Labor Relations Organization of Iowa City, management rights include the power and authority to suspend or discharge officers for proper cause and to determine and implement methods, means, assignments in personnel by which its operations are to be conducted and to develop and enforce rules of work and safety standards. All union contracts are approved in open session by Council and are available on our website 24/7. 10i1'ACi0aptaln s ntee 139-01thOrtOn Commander Field Operations Division FBINA I vL1ti - ;. OWN M11913W6440 kWM City ftlice Department ICPD Mission: To work in partnership with the community, enhance trust protect with courage and compassion, and empower victims of crime through excellence in service. November 10, 2020 Iowa City -City Council City of Iowa City 410 Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 RE: Community Police Review Board Annual Community Forum The Iowa City Community Police Review Board (CPRB) held the annual Community Forum on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 5:30 pm. Due to the Covid Virus the program was held virtually via Zoom. Board members participating in the forum were Vice Chair Orville Townsend, Jerri MacConnell, Latisha McDaniel, Amanda Nichols, and David Selmer. Staff participants were Legal Council Patrick Ford, Staff- Chis Olney and Kellie Fruehling The Vice Chair opened the forum to the public and the following individuals participated: David Drustup, Leslie Carpenter, Amel Ali, Margaret Fuller, Angie Jordan, Sabri Sky, Anna Blaedel Aaron Page, Meredith Chen, Eric Harris, Tammy Nyden, Temple Hiatt, Caroline Dieterle, Rich Mathias. The following topics were discussed: • Remove funding from the police and have trained professionals respond to calls in the community • Having trained mental health professionals accompany police to mental health calls • Make the Community Police Review Board's availability better known to the public • Inquiry about the type and level of information that is provided to the CPRB from the Police Department • Schedule CPRB meetings more regularly for public engagement • A member of "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America" inquired and commented on services available to victims and observers of gun violence. • Inquiry about the tear gas incident in June and the City Council's hiring of and independent firm to investigate it. • Discussion of the escalation of violence that we're seeing in this country. Final Topic The Vice Chair shared information related to the Community Police Review Board's functions and the services available. The Vice Chair thanked everyone for participation and mentioned that the program would be available on TV Channel 4. The forum was adjourned at 6:53 pm Orville H. Townsend, SR., Vice Chair (Transcriptions are available at ICgov.org) Page t Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Community Police Review Board (CPRB) Annual Public Forum — September 15, 2020 Zoom Meeting Platform Members Present: Jerri MacConnell, Latisha McDaniel, Amanda Nichols, David Selmer, Orville Townsend Sr. (Vice -Chair) Staff Present: Legal Counsel Patrick Ford. Staff Chris Olney, Kellie Fruehling Others Present: Interim Police Chief Denise Brotherton Roll Call: Townsend: Good evening and welcome to the, uh, our City Community Police Review Board forum. Uh, first order of business is roll call. Uh, will you please indicate with present if you're here. (mumbled) MacConnell. MacConnell: Here. Townsend: Daniels. McDaniel: Present. Townsend: Nichols. Nichols: Present. Townsend: (mumbled) Selmer: Selmers here. Townsend: Selmer and Townsend, here. Uh, next, item two, introduction of board members. So, uh, David, would you start up? Introduction of Board Members: Selmer: Sure. Now, I don't know what the forum is going to be. Are we doing like more of a background or just introducing ourselves? Townsend: Introd... introduction of yourself, just how long you've been on the board, you know, uh, any other, uh, activities you're involved in, I guess. Selmer: Sure! Um, I'm David Selmer. I've been on the board now, this is my third year, and, um, I come from a ... a law background originally. Um, I did civil rights practice and I, uh, defended police officers in Chicago, Illinois, for a while and then I, um, ended up litigating civil rights cases on behalf of, uh, plaintiffs against police officers in Chicago for a while. Um, I now own This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 2 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription my own business here in Iowa City. I've lived here with my family for, uh, I'd say going on almost 10 years now, um, somewhere around there and, uh, and —am ... am proud of this community and ... and proud to serve it in this role. Townsend: Okay, thank you. Okay. MacConnell, would you like to share something with us? MccConnell: Um, sure. I'm Jerri McConnell. I've only been on the board a few months. Um, I was a psychiatric social life ... social worker in my real life before I retired. Townsend: Thank you. (mumbled) McDaniel: Hi, my name is Lathisa. Uh, I've been on the board for about two years. Urn ... um, I also serve on the board for the Iowa City (garbled) and also (garbled) the ACLU Chapter, um, in Iowa City. I've been in Iowa City for about, um, about eight years, and I'm originally from the south, so, urn, Texas. Louisiana. Townsend: Thank you. Okay, Nichols. Nichols: Hi, I'm Mandy Nichols. I've lived in Iowa City for over 20 years. I worked at the University Hospitals and Clinics, and I'm the Director of Corridor Community Action Network. I've only been on the board since July. Townsend: Okay, thank you. And I'm Orville Townsend and I'm starting on my second term and, uh, (mumbled) I'm a member of the Black Voices Project and I'm also on the, uh, with the ... our University of Iowa Black Alumni Association. So thank you for sharing your introductions again. (mumbled) three. We need to, uh, a motion to ... consider motion to accept, uh, correspondence and the documents. Uh, I need a motion. Nichols: Motion. Townsend: Okay. Motion. Uh, and a second? Selmer: Second. Townsend: Okay. Motion and second. Okay we...we only received one .... one, um ... one correspondence, and I ... if I can find it here I'll .... I'll share it .... share that with you. And that was from .... I .... some reason don't have it with me here. (mumbled) It was the correspondence from Angie and Jason, and their... question was to do with, uh, whether or not the managers in the police department were hampered by, uh, union contracts. And, uh, based upon a response that I received, I'll share that with you. The response is, uh, the ICPD union contract and negotiations do not limit the actions of police chief (garbled) to address negative/unacceptable behaviors of officers and staff. As stated in Article 2 in the contract between the ... our city —and the police union relations organization of our city, management rights include the power and authority to suspend or discharge officers who for ...for proper cause, and to determine and implement methods, means, assignments in personnel, by which its operations are to be conducted, and to develop and enforce rules of work and safety standards. So that's, uh, you know, the response from the City to, uh, Jason and Angie's, uh, response, uh, request. Uh, next This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page s Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription one, a business. Selmer: Orville, was that gonna be typed up and, um, submitted with our documents, do you know? Townsend: Uh, that was, uh, I think basically, uh, Chris can basically have that in the next packet. Selmer: Okay. So the written response will be available to the public, right? Townsend: Uh, yes. Chris, uh, am I correct in assumin' that it can be made available to the public? Olney: Yes, I will put it with the draft minutes of the forum. Orville, you still need a vote. You've... you've had a motion and a second, so we need to vote. Townsend: Uh, now we, uh, have the motion. Now can I get a motion to accept the, uh, correspondence? Olney: Orville, you already have the motion. You just need to ask all those in favor or opposed. Townsend: All those in favor of receiving correspondence, let it be known by saying aye. Against? The ayes have it and motion carries. Public Discussion: Townsend: Uh, I have some things I need to share with you first, and, uh, beginnin' with City Council has requested a report and recommendations from the CPRB regarding changes to the CPRB ordinance, that enhances its ability to (garbled) effective civilian oversight to the Iowa City Police Department. The board welcomes any suggestions or comments from the public, and before we start public comments, I'd just like to share with you, uh, if you are participating on Zoom from your computer, uh (mumbled) that you use the raise hand button and you will be called upon to speak. If you have called in by phone, you can press *9 to raise your hand. Comments will be limited to three to five minutes depending on number received. Also, will you please state your first and last name before you began to speak. Okay. Thank you. Iowa City: It looks like our ...our first speaker is David Drustrup. Townsend: Okay, David! Drustrup: Uh, can you hear me okay, Mr. Townsend? Townsend: Yes. Drustrup: All right, thank you so much for having me. My name's David Drustrup. Um, just wanna, uh, thank you all for havin' this, uh, for taking the community input. Um, think it's a ... a really important aspect of, ub, of all this work is allowing the community to be the ones who ... who decide how we are policed. Um, so City officials often like to use the phrasing `systemic racism,' um, but... but often what we hear are solutions that are only reformist and actually non -systemic. So the great Dr. Angela Davis recently pointed out in an interview that reforms This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 4 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription are the things that got us to this point. And so why do so many well-meaning liberal people simply ask for more reform, and she points out that most of these people, um, lack historical consciousness, as she calls it. So Dr. Davis and other scholars point out that reforms are actually (garbled) that we've always tried to do things like additional police trainings. We've tried diversifying police force. We've tried to making changes to the police technology. But these are all reforms that have failed at achieving meaningful change. She reiterates reforms are what led us to this place today. So if we wanna address systemic racism, we must have a systemic solution. So that means changing the underlying function of police, and anything less is non- systemic, and the reason the police have always operated as a racist and classist institution is not because there are individual police officers who are bad people, although this certainly can be true. It's ... it's because the institution has been tasked not to provide protection and safety, but to simply keep order, and when the officers are granted the individual discretion on how to keep that order, um, the order that they believe is most important (mumbled) inevitably harm those who have less social power. And so that means in Iowa City the immigrant and refugee community. It means BIPOC folks. It means LGBTQ and financially insecure people. Meanwhile, people who are white or financially secure, who ... or who might be part of well -respected organizations or groups in Iowa City, they all have social power and they very often push back against policing changes cause they know that the police and the current social system largely protect them. So instead of repeating another round of reforms, we must invest in the people who have been unloved by power in Iowa City. So this means increasing their power by increasing their access to services and finances that allow them to be safe and don't even need to interact with the police in the first place. So this means mental health, housing, food, and more. In the meantime, we must remove funding from the police and instead have trained professionals respond to calls in the community. So, for example, for mental health calls, we need mental health professionals responding, not police. Police are trained in punishment and only have about one week's worth of training every single year. Compared to mental health professionals who have entire years of training every year. So the community meeting the ... the City Council hosted last week, um, showed how little funding these organizations receive and how much better they could be... how much better they could serve our community, if they had the right funding. There was extremely broad support at that meeting for the idea of mental health professionals handling mental health calls. So we know the community wants this. It's just a matter of whether our leaders have the political will to give up some of whatever connection or power they have with the police department. And these rapid response teams can be modeled off of other cities such as Eugene, Oregon, where they handle calls for mental health, homelessness, substance use, domestic abuse, interpersonal conflict, and so much more. The really thinly funded department in Eugene, saves the Eugene government over $5 million a year by their own government's estimates, in, uh, diverging away emergency room visits and... and allowing police to do things that they're actually trained to do. Also Councilor Thomas on City Councilos introduced the idea of limiting or eliminating road traffic stops by police, which has resulted to Iowa being one of the worst states in the country in disproportionate minority contact. So Councilor Thomas's proposed instituting more traffic cameras at busy or dangerous intersections. I think we should seriously consider support for Councilor Thomas's proposal, insofar as that technology is not used to disproportionate... disproportionately affect communities of color or BIPOC individuals. Thank you all so much. Townsend: Thank you, David. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 5 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Iowa City: I currently do not have anyone else with their hand raised. Oh, here we go. Aaron Page. Page: Mute now. All right, everyone can hear me? Hi. Um, yeah., I'm just ... I'm trying to ... I'm sort of new to the system and just trying to like look at, um, how the CPRB operates and what the record is in the last couple of years, and one of the things I guess I didn't totally understand was these layers, levels of review, um, and I know there's a level that specifies interviewing or meeting with the complainant. Um, I guess I wasn't sure, you know, uh, I look ... I looked at a lot of different reports and complaints over the last years, and I didn't see any evidence of...of that level of review being specified. And I was wondering, I mean, does that mean that the CPRB does not meet or has not in the last couple of years met with any complainants to hear their side of the story, or (mumbled) I guess I'm just wondering if there's a piece of this that I'm missing, if there's some sort of other ...if it's typical to meet with complainants on a more informal basis or if not having that level review doesn't, you know, means something else or something, I don't know if that's, um, understandable. But I guess I was -to the degree it suggested that the CPRB wasn't meeting with complainants. It was something that I was sort of struck by. I guess I'm not sure if I'm able to ask questions in this forum. But ... but this was just something that I was, um, looking at. So I'll ... I'll put that out there. I could, I suppose I could also bring this question in a different forum, if that's more appropriate. Thanks. Selmer: Orville, do you wanna take that one first or you want me to... Townsend: (garbled) I'll just start off by saying that, you know, the, uh, you know, the board, we basically (garbled). We ... we eventually have access to the information, and we take a look at and process all of the information that's available to us. Most of the time, you know, we have enough information to feel comfortable making a decision to do what we need to do. But if we ever get to the point where we don't, we do have, uh, the capacity to request to meet with the individual. So that's something that the board can ... can do. Selmer: Yeah, I'll just piggyback on that (mumbled) I think raised some good points. That...thafs a first step that Pat always reminds us during our meetings is we have to set the level of review and we take it seriously. Um, I think, number one, every complaint that comes through already has a narrative, um, that explains their side, as you ... as you put it, the complainant side. Um, and then we wouldn't be looking at things until after, um, the police has already responded and kind of flushed out some of that. And ... and most recently, ever since I've been on here anyway, uh, there's been police video body camera and car camera that we've been able to watch, um, in almost every single... every one that I can remember, um, that really helps kind of...witness, be a ... a direct witness to repeat events, um, so that when we do set that level of review, I think I've been very comfortable, um, so far, after having reviewed all evidence to not need a further interview to ... to understand what happened, understand the ... the claims by the complainant. Um, to the best of my recollection right now, um, that we have not asked for that, and that would be for that reason, but it is a possibility if we wanted to ... to bring them in and ... and, uh, to do other things, such as hire an investigator, if we needed to, um, within that same ordinance allowance. Iowa City: Uh, next we have Leslie Carpenter. Carpenter: Hi there. Can you hear me? 'Ibis represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page b Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Townsend: Yes. Carpenter: Okay, great. This is Leslie Carpenter. I am an advocate for people who have serious brain disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar, etc. Um, I'm highly active in our community with NAMI Johnson County, as well. Um, I just wanted to, um, agree with the idea of having trained mental health professionals, um, accompany police on mental health calls. I think that's highly appropriate, um, but 1 do want to point out that the only reason that the police get involved in the first place is because all other systems in the mental health treatment system have failed, and they are allowed to say no. Police are not allowed to say no. And unfortunately, that's what's caused many of the crises that we see today that do tend to adversely affect people of color more than white people. Um, so I think part of the solution is having mental health professionals accompany police. Unfortunately, I think we're going to find a shortage of those types of professionals being available, as we're already ranked pretty low on the totem pole for the number of mental health professionals in our state in the first place. Um, I'd be happy to have a more extensive conversation at some other point in time, um, but just wanted to make the point that yes, it would be better to have mental health professionals or social workers agree, um, and assist police with these calls, and to help to de-escalate them further. Um, but we do need to face the reality that we still need to work on a state and federal level to fix the overall system. Thank you. Selmer: Very good points. I ... I think that's a very profound point and, uh, also Mr. Drustrup's points. And I just wanna add to those things my own impression is. The police also are, a lot of times, responding to these issues with mental health, um, where there needs to be some type of, um, policing, so to speak, uh, to ... to protect safety and, uh, and to sometimes the ... there's violence and the threat of violence that accompanies a lot of these, um, complaints, where sending just a mental health worker that might not be trained in police tactics is not enough. (both talking) ...very complex issue. Townsend: Yeah, I just like there that, you know, when it comes to mental health, that's a very sensitive area because —the number one goal has to be for the police officer to basically get control of the setting so that it becomes a safe environment for an individual who's in a crises. And basically his or her thinking is such that its not advantageous to him. So, you know, this is a plus - negative. The plus is that the person in a crisis now has someone there that wants to help them. The negative is the person that's there tryin' to help them are police. Basically are trying to get control of the situation to assure that the person is not gonna hurt his or herself. And I guess a lot of times with (mumbled) on this can really be misinterpreted. But, you know, it's, uh, I...I think our standing basically has done a good job in terms of advocating for, you know, mental health, but we do have a ways to go. I agree. Iowa City: Okay, uh, next speaker is Meredith Chen. Chen: Hello. Can you hear me? Townsend: Yes. Chen: Hi there. So I'm also following up on David Drustrup's point on mental health and response. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Pagel Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Um, also taking into mind (mumbled) Carpenter's response. I am actually a former resident of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and somewhat familiar with the Eugene CAHOOTS program. Um, my sister having been able to use it at one point. Um, just, I think ... my reflection here is that emergency medical response used to be conducted by the police, as well, um, including traumatic injuries. Until a group, one of the, um, earliest groups was the Freedom House Ambulance Service, which was built up in Pittsburgh by a group of black folk, which were otherwise not being treated, um, and they encountered a lot of roadblocks and... limitations. However, they really were the pioneers of -that program, which was also just assumed to be under police control. Um, so I would ... I don't have very articulate statements here, I'm sorry (laughs) to say, but I would encourage looking into it. As a ... as a... brainstorming thinker, I think there's a way that we would make it work (garbled) taking that additional burden off the police might be for everyone's better interest. Thank you. Nichols: I also kind of want to respond to that whole topic of conversation and what you said, Orville, about, um, you know, the police's goal in those situations to be to keep people safe, um, but in order for a situation that is unsafe due to a mental health incident to become safe, the person who is experiencing that mental health situation has to feel safe. And... unfortunately, when they ...are dealing with a crisis, having ... being approached by usually multiple armed individuals, does not tend to make that person feel safe; and therefore, they don't tend to ... they tend to have a big barrier to creating a safe situation that doesn't cause additional trauma. Townsend: Good point. Iowa City: Okay, we have a Amel Ali. Um, and then Eric Harris, and then we'll circle back to Aaron, Aaron Page. I apologize if I cut you off before you were done. Ali: ... hear me? Selmer: We can. Ali: Okay, perfect. Um, hi, my name is Amel Ali. Um, I have lived in Iowa City for probably almost 21 years now. I'm an immigrant from Sudan, um, and I really love this community and ... I care about it a lot and it sucks because I did not ever know that there was a Community Police Review Board. Um, it would have been, you know, in situations that I was in in the past, it would have been helpful to know that there was this type of board that I could come to, um, if I felt like a situation was handled improperly. Um, and so I wanted to maybe like make a suggestion and see if there was any way that you could kind of make it more known that you guys are available as a resource. Um, whether it be, you know, taking like the cards that you get from police officers and writing something on the back like hey, if you have any issues, uh, please reach out to us and tell us about your experience, or something along those lines, just because I think it would be, um, helpful for people to know about this because I definitely... didn't hear about this at all until a couple of months ago. Nichols: Think that having basic CPRB contact information printed on the back of officer I.D. business cards is a great idea. McDaniel: Yeah, I would agree with that, and also just trying to make more, um, availability, as far as This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page s Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription this information, um, either through online or, um, I think we've talked about maybe having more than one forum a year, um, to kind of just, I mean, just having one a year seems like it's ... it kinda leaves people's mind and people forget about that we're actually here. Um, and just having it ma ... maybe more than once a year will kind of -and start building that kind of, um, connection and communication with the community more will help with, um, you know, with people, um, discovering the board. Iowa City: Eric Harris is next. Harris: Okay. Yes, my name is Eric Harris. Um, I live in the South District neighborhood. I'm also on the Leadership Council of the South District Neighborhood Association, and I'm also a employee of the Shelter House. So I want to comment on the comments I heard about, should there be mental health, um, mental health people that should accompany the police when they have cause of, you know, people havin' disruptive behavior, or of people havin', ya know, some type of (mumbled) like some type of mental issue, like whether it be induced by alcohol or drugs, and bein' that I work at the Shelter House, I'm right there on the front lines, um, in that salve area. There is,, um, a drug treatment center, um, that's gonna be the Access Center soon in that area, and bein' that I see things happening on the front line, sometimes when the ... when the like law enforcement shows up to deal with people who are havin' issues, sometimes what I think and what I see is that they're confused on what to do. Um, they don't want to scare a person but they wanna help the person, which I can't say that I see him do a good job at it, but at times they don't have any response because they're not sure of what to do with the person who's havin' an episode or experiencing anything or being disruptive, and some of those times .... like, excuse me, like some of those times those people, um, don't need to go to jail. They, you know, that needs some help and bein' that, you know, I'm on the front, I felt that it was my right to, you know, at least try to make, you know, like just make people aware of that, you know. So I do agree with the need for ..some mental health people to come out with law enforcement. Thank you. Townsend: Thank you. Yeah, I'd just like the, you know, kind of -kind of thinking in responding to that. Uh, I think we have a national movement now where there's a lot of forcing, uh, in terms of eliminating our police departments and, you know, obviously I personally wouldn't want to see this happen, but I kinda get the feeling that down the road what ... what may ha....hopefully what will happen is that we're gonna have some changes (mumbled) you know, not necessarily eliminatin' police departments but, you know, initiating some changes that basically it's going to make our departments more efficient in terms of how do we provide not only needed services to citizens, but also effective, and that means that, you know, we're gonna have to change the way we do things, and I ... I think it's gonna be interesting to see, you know, what our police force is gonna look like in the next five years. Selmer: And carrying that forward to the courts as well. I had the pleasure of working in Iowa City, um, with ... the drug courts, and I found them to be incredibly effective and a good means towards the straight up penalty -type of enforcement and ... and handling the issues where you can actually work with people to help them get to the right personnel, and if we can start that in a more proactive sense, right from the incident, uh, it's great. I think one of our concerns that Orville and I addressed before too is, you know, I think it's been (garbled) commented on is .... is just, we have a difficult time drawing that line of how do you hand off the situation This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 9 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription where people are needing safety, and ... and that help of the police and yet also needing the safety and help of somebody with, um, more mental health training, like where does that ... where's that line get drawn, and I think it's a great conversation that we all need to have and we just have to be very cognizant of all of the complexities. Iowa City: We're gonna have Aaron Page, and then we'll have Margaret Fuller. Page: Yeah. Hi. Um, I mean I guess this is sort of in an emotive follow up on ... on, you know, with the benefit of the information I received to my question. Uh, so, you know, I mean I guess that the ... that the board is not actually talking to complainants and, you know, to some extent it's to ... to address that, to express some dismay about that, because I think, um, that would be very concerning for me. I mean, I think ... I am an attorney, so part of me is looking at this just as a fact-finding issue. I mean the idea that the board is sitting down with on the one hand a police report that's been fully researched by an institution, urn, and then on the other hand, you know, a pdf...like a form, oftentimes probably a handwritten form, right, of...of just a couple of...an initial impression by the complainant and having to make a decision on that. That doesn't seem remotely fair, and it seems like there's gonna be a lot of complications and a lot of other nuances that would be left out, and that you'd wanna pick up by actually talking to the person who went through this. Um, and I understand that there's body cam video in some cases, or maybe all cases, but even body cam video, of course, can be contextualized or explained, or, you know, I just don't understand why that decision wouldn't be made without the benefit of hearing from ... the complainant and certainly my exposure to other citizen, you know, other boards like this in other cities, uh, receiving... receiving and interviewing the complainant is just ... it seemed to be the bedrock function. And it's also part of, I guess the last thing I'd say is it's part of the mediating function, I think, between, you know, the ... the injured individual, who considers himself injured and the... and the police, and I guess I'd encourage the board to think about, you know, what this process looks like from a complainant standpoint, in the sense that they feel, you know, they genuinely feel they've been injured. I think we all know that. You know, these aren't fraudulent reports, that, you know, they fill something out and they send it in. And then they get back, without even being contacted, they get back a, you know, some sort of a notice that their complaint isn't being sustained and they weren't even allowed to explain their side of the story to anybody. I just wonder if that actually inflicts even more, you know, injury on the pere... you know, on the perceived fairness of the situation. Um, so that ... I find that really surprising and sort of a difficult fact, uh, but also... anyway, and I'll just ... I'll end it ... I'll end it with that ... with that comment. Thank you. MacConnell: Definitely see that point of view. Iowa City: Okay, we'll have Margaret Fuller, and then Angie Jordan. Fuller: Hi. This is Margaret. Um, I have a couple questions. Uh, one question I had is sort of a basic one. I've never attended, uh, this committee presentation before and I'm wondering as far as, you know, kind of some people are talking about more radical transformation of the police department beyond simple reforms. So I was wondering what role this committee has in something moving forward like that. Do you have any, um, any influence in that direction, or do you deal with cases on a case -by -case basis? That's my first question. Do you guys want to address that before I ask my second question? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page to Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Nichols: We have the authority to make recommendations to the city council for policy changes (mumbled) Fuller: Okay, so you communicate directly with the ... with the Council. Townsend: (mumbled) ...on a case by case basis, you know, as ... as complaints are filed, then, you know, part of the process is after the police chief (mumbled) use it and makes a decision. Then it comes to the board. We take a look at it and review it, and we make a decision, and then we send a written report to the City Council with our findings. Fuller: Okay, great. And then my second question is about, sort of the level of information that's provided to you from the police department. So you were talking about a case -by -case basis, but do you also get information about the frequency of certain routes being traveled, the locations of different numbers of arrests in different areas, like are different neighborhoods being over policed? Do you have that sort of higher level data, um, you know, like the ... the race of different people who are, you know, force is being used disproportionately. Could that information be accessed by your committee? Townsend: I would say basically we ... we do it on a case -by -case basis. And we do have access to all of the information that's pertinent to that case, uh, the officer's, um, cam ... body cameras, the squad car, you know, camera, uh, basically we have access to that. And if we feel we need more, then we can request that. (several talking) Selmer: She's asking more about. Yeah, go ahead, Amanda. Nichols: Um, I think she's asking a broader question about more about being able to see trends like some of the kind of, um, detailed recommendations that were made for some of our ..our changes regarding quarterly reports and things like that. On ... (mumbled) Selmer: So yeah we do get quarterly report (both talking) but yeah. Do you wanna answer it then, Amanda, about the quarterly reports and things? Nichols: I guess I'm ... I'm not quite sure yet since I've only been on the board for a couple of months how much information... precisely we get in that. I know that there were some recommendations made to ... start to get more information in quarterly reports, but I'm not sure what we get now. McDaniel: Yeah, I don't actually remember how much information we get in the quarterly reports, which means that it's probably very little information that's in the quarterly reports, if I don't remember it. So (laughs) yeah, but if, um, the, uh, if, like David or Orville who's been on there. I mean I've only been on there for two years, but I don't ... I honestly do not remember it having a lot of information. But maybe someone else can remember. Townsend: I think we get quite a bit of information, but unfortunately I don't think we get the information that the ... that the young lady was, you know, talkin' about. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page z i Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription McDaniel: Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Selmer: So we do get, um, several pieces of information. Um, we get, um, things including the number of complaints that were filed, um, to the police and the complaints that we reviewed, um, the times that the chief sustained them, the times that we sustained them. Um, we get some other information regarding arrest. Uh... I ... I ... we get all of those things. We've also got, as far as the Police Review Board goes, a ... an opportunity, a charge so to speak, from City Council to recommend, um, things that we might want as board members to try and enhance our oversight of the police department, and we are in the process of developing that report. It was just given to us a couple, um, months ago, and we're getting some more information and feedback from other members as well. The, uh, one of the proposals that we are all, um, addressing... enhances some of that information closer to what you've, um, kind of touched upon, Mrs. Fuller, um, about the...the number of arrests in different areas, the, um, demographics of those arrests or stops, um, where excessive force may have been used, um, more weapons are drawn, those kind of, um, issues. Something that we are right now debating amongst ourselves about, um, perhaps what we might want to ask the City Council to have provided to us so that we can en... enhance our oversight with those ... with that greater amount of additional information. The quarterly reports, um, so that it's not a memory test here for the Latisha or anybody else are available as public record, as well. So, um, you're welcome to go and ... and see what we are given, um, and to kind of look for some of the trends, so to speak, and ... and those type of things as well. Um, it should be available on the ... on the website. Fuller: Yeah, it seems to me like that information is, uh, almost even more important than individual case information, um, at least as important, I think, for the board to be able to review the police department behavior overall, instead of on a microcosm. Townsend: I think it's important that we remember that we are ... an advisory board, but luckily with what's been going on and the charge we recently got from the City Council, we ... we're going to be able to, you know, talk to past board members, uh, collect information, uh, what we're talkin' about, and this forum is going to be important, you know, we'll be gettin' good information from it. So we're gonna be submittin' a report with recommendations to the City Council that hopefully will strengthen, you know, our board's presence, but also staying within those boundaries of being an advisory board. Fuller: Thank you so much. Iowa City: Okay, um, we'll go to Angie Jordan, uh, followed by Tammy Nyden. Jordan: Hello. Can you hear me? Townsend: Yes, can hear you. Jordan: Awesome. Thank you guys so much for having this. Um, I've got a few different things, so I'm just gonna kind of put one out there and see what happens. Um, one, I just wanna really agree with mostly everything that's being said by folks. Uh, another thing too is I'm a huge supporter of you guys meeting, uh, more regularly for public engagement. Um, I'm excited that our Iowa City Police Department is going to be coming to our South District Neighborhood Association `this represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 12 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription meetings regularly to give us updated, current neighborhood information that we request. Um, 1 think we need more of that in all neighborhoods, personally, um, but especially in the ones that, in my opinion, are underrepresented and underserved sometimes, and over served and all the things. Um, something that I was ... just wanna make sure it gets put out there is ... neighborhood engagement, um, having a social worker, a mental health worker. I hope this becomes part of the policing team. I also hope that there are neighborhood liaisons, uh, folks that are from the neighborhood, residents that have stepped up into leadership positions that can be called upon. We have our own little task force in the South District that goes out and, um, checks in on folks. Uh, we wanna be utilized. The neighbors and the residents from these communities, we ... I'm saying it, I'm one of `em. We want to be utilized. So how do we get integrated into, uh, kind of reforming the police. I would also ... and I know I'm going on and on, but I'm just gonna spit it all out. Um, is there a possibility for residents, uh, to be part of hiring and training processes? Is the CPRB ... are you guys already able to make recommendations on that, and (laughs) are you all involved in making recommendations for union contracts that are being renewed? So it's a lot of stuff there. I don't know what you guys wanna chew on, but thanks for this opportunity. Selmer: Amanda, do you wanna take (mumbled) Um, I think there was a couple questions in there, and I think there were some good points. Um, some things the board right now has capacity to ... to do and some things we don't. Um, hiring and training, we're not involved in ... in that. At this time we are, again, one of our proposals, um, that we are considering as a board is recommending to the City Council is that we might be more involved in the discipline, uh, side of it, to hear what discipline might happen, and tied to discipline would be training and additional training, um, for officers if misconduct was found. Um, we do, uh, get briefed on what the officers coming out of the academy and things that are ... are trained on and ... and those (mumbled) um, but, uh, we don't really have any direct oversight of that. Um, as far as union contract, we have nothing to do with that. Um, and we have not reviewed that. Um, it's not really within our capacity. I think one thing that we might want to clarify, um, is that ... my understanding, and again this is just limited my understanding of what the CPRB was meant to do, especially when we first came on. Um, the term was basically to review complaints that were made directly on a case -by -case basis, uh, about police misconduct and look at that individual case, more than anything, and determine whether or not we ... agreed with the police, um, recommendation that there was misconduct or not misconduct. And... and where we disagreed, or where we agreed, we'd file a report to kind of just alert, um, the City Council about it. That was ... that was our primary function. We also looked at policy, um, and reviewed policy and to make some certain changes, or recommendations for changes, again just recommendations. That was it. And, um, we were one of the only ..we were the only in Iowa, we were one of the only, um, even doing that as a Community Police Review Board, and, um, this new wave of, you know, what else should we be doing is, as a community and as civilians, and, um, trying to overs... oversight and give oversight to the police is ... is fantastic. It's great. But, the board is ... is metamorphosizing right now, from what we were (laughs) from a long time ago. So your kind of suggestions I think are fantastic, and we need to just, um, (mumbled) like where we are, where we were and how quickly we can change, and how many ...how many hats a five -person team here can actually wear at one time. And if we can delegate some of that, I'd be all for it. Townsend: And as I mentioned earlier, we are an advisory board. Uh, I don't think we want to get into discipline or, you know, trying to tell, you know, the police chief what he should he or she This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page rs Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription should do, but at the same time, I think it's important that we take advantage of the opportunity that's been presented to us to do everything we can to make sure that we're not a token board. That we're just not here to have a name to make it look like we're doin' somethin'. I think it's important that, you know, we as a ... as a board have something to offer and I'm hoping that we can get to the point where we have some not necessarily powers, but, you know, to make sure that we are makin' a difference. Selmer: (mumbled) answer most of your questions, Miss Jordan? Jordan: Thank you. Selmer: Thank you for what you do. Iowa City: Um, we'll have Tammy Nyden, and then she'll be followed by..00ps and she just disappeared. Uh... there she is. Should be followed by Temple Hiatt. Nyden: Can you hear me? Townsend: (garbled) Nyden: Okay, thank you. Um, L..I want to thank you for holding this and, um, reiterate some of the things people have already said, but add a few things. When it comes to mental health, the police involvement is usually going to escalate as opposed to deescalate situations, and one thing to think about is doing an audit of how many calls are wellness checks and mental health related, and considering that ratio, and then consider moving that funding into creating a new agency that focuses on mental health and the training that is specifically mental health and de- escalation and not in control. I'm concerned because sometimes the police end up being called in and even in hospitals for symptoms that are related to mental health illness, because we don't currently have the kind of mental health training that we need for very violent cases, and we need to rethink that as an earlier speaker said, about having a different kind of training and a different kind of agency, and as, um, Leslie Carpenter pointed out, that's going to mean thinking about, um, workforce, and so we have to think about that as a long-term goal. I wanted to add one other piece that wasn't mentioned and that is we have to think about the role of racism and mental health (garbled) and how if you are from a group that has been disproportionately punished in a community, seeing somebody in uniform and with weapons, um, is going to raise your anxiety, um, in a way that is rational, and um, going to exacerbate, um, a mental health response and so we need to consider that. Thank you. Townsend: (both talking) McDaniel: I would also like, yeah, I would also like to also add that, um, that we're also going to be dealing with medical racism. So even if we are ... even if police or, um, social workers are dealing with someone who has been identified as having a mental health issue, sometimes us as people of color are also not believed to actually have mental illness (laughs) so, um, we're also (laughs) So we have to actually also deal with not only the fact that, you know, we have police that are not, um, prepared to deal with people who are, uh, who are having episodes or mental... mental issues, but also the fact that sometimes people don't even believe that people of color This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 14 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription actually have mental issues and that our. ..our, um, aggressions or are, um, some of the episodes we're going through are n... are relate to something else, usually either drug or alcohol or just, you know, just, um, aggression in general and not actually... we're not dealing with any kind of a mental episode. So that's something we also need to think about. Townsend: (garbled) I think a lot of people (mumbled) but mental health population is the last law to them (mumbled) would even imagine, and it's probably one of the more difficult populations to address. I mean, you've got a perfectly normal actin' person who's that way because they're taking a medication. They may start taking medication, but you never know when an onset of mental illness episode is going to happen. So, I mean, I personally feel that if we ever get to the point that we're gonna adequately address it, we're gonna have to go to some form of a team, where you've got law enforcement and you've got mental health, uh, professional, you know, on duty together so that when a person has a episode, then you're gonna be sending people out who really have the expertise and knowledge to do what's needed. MacConnell: I would like to see the, um, mental health professionals and harm reduction professionals, um, on that team be the ones to make that call. Make that decision as to whether or not they felt that they needed to have the police present (garbled) in that location at that moment. McDaniel: Yeah,1 agree. I think it's ... we should try to remove as much interaction with the police and people who are dealing with those kinds of episodes as possible. Um, you know, unless, you know, this myth, the mental health provider or, you know, you said harm reduction, they feel that they are walking into a situation that could be potentially dangerous and then... that... but that would be a decision that they would have to make. MacConnell: And I think that a lot of times that those, um, situations are ... are like an emergency by the time the call is made, and there's not always time to utilize everybody ..at that specific moment, and I think that's something that has to be taken into consideration. Selmer: But if the emergency call was placed to (mumbled) request, which is trained professionals in the mental health agency first, if you had that instead of a 9-1-1, you had an 8-1-1 and mental health professional showed up, it might deescalate the situation, so... Townsend: (garbled) usually when they call me, the one constant factor is panic, the parents (garbled) neighbors, but ... and the person who's havin' the episode is very unpredictable. So, you know, I, you know, I agree, we ... we really need to take a look at having a ... an approach that's going to adequately address the needs of our mental health population. MacConnell: And another issue is the... at the emergency mental health team that you're told can be called will not respond unless the person in crisis is the one to call them. And I think that's just... that's something that I have found out that was pretty troubling, that narrows your choices. Nichols: This would be, I mean, if we ... if we were to ... as a community, you know, obviously not just... CPRB doesn't have the power to do this on our own. But if those were changes that we were to be able to make, it wouldn't have to follow all of the same regulations and guidelines as what exists now. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page ]s Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription MacConnell: Right. Iowa City: If...if Tammy is finished, we'll move to Temple Hiatt. Hiatt: Can you hear me? Hello? (garbled response) Okay, thank you. Um, this is my first time, um, attending the ... the board, um, meeting and I appreciate the opportunity for the citizens input. Um, I'm a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and we do a lot of work, um, with survivors and making sure that ... that their voices are heard. Um, my...my question about the ... the recommendations that you make, um, to the ... to the police, do they ever involve reparations, um, for, uh.... or support services for those that have been banned by gun violence, and this could be, um, you know, any... anyone. This could be obviously a victim that suffered gun violence. It could be a ... a witness to gun violence, and of course, you know, people who are potentially suspects, um, that have been harmed by gun violence (phone ringing in background) McDaniel: I think that was one of the recommendations, one of the things we are, uh, looking into as far as amending the ordinance as far as providing some kind of...some kind of, um, some kind of, um, recommendations for, um, for restitution or reconciliation, when it comes to, uh, people who've had interactions with the police. I think we.A think we ... I think that's one of the ... one of the things we've discussed as far as, um, adding as a piece to our ...to our, um, ordinance. Selmer: Yeah, just to be clear too, up until now we have not had any capacity to discuss discipline or training or reparations. Um, it was merely a ... a recommendation on whether or not we agreed as a panel of five, um, community members with the police on sustaining or not sustaining alleged misconduct in a...in a report. That was it. It did not include any discipline. Hiatt: All right, I'm ... I'm not real familiar with, um, you know, what kinds of services the ... the police department or the City might provide. Um, so if you have any input on that or —or information, I would appreciate it. Townsend: I think that's an area that basically, you know, it's been ... it's been discussed, but, you know, you're talkin' about, uh, somethin' to do with finances, so that's... that's kind of a different neighborhood than we hang out in. MacConnell: Well, and also the state ... the state has the vicfim... uh... .reward financial appointments too. There is a fund for that through the state. Townsend: But I think, you know, questions like this ... would probably get better results that the person were to attend a City Council meeting and doin' public discussion basically shared knowledge and concerns. Hiatt: If you've been a victim or...or...or suffered, you know, harm, I ... I don't know that that would be something that someone would feel comfortable in doing. Um, but I think certainly that ... that that is ... that is something that, um, that I think should be in the ... in the, um, realm of responsibilities for this board. So thanks. That's good to hear that... that... that, uh, that's being considered. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forurn of September 15, 2020. Page 16 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Townsend: Okay, and thank you for your recommendation. Hiatt: You're welcome. Thank you. Iowa City: Okay, it looks like, um, and I'm sorry about the names. Sabri Sky. Sky: Hello, yes. Sabri. So, I didn't (mumbled) next, um, so I'm speaking as somebody who has, uh, been a survivor of police violence and, um, really difficult, uh... uh... police interactions. Um, and I will say that they've gotten better, I think, um, in town. But that's also somewhat because of my being able to ... to open up more, and I just want to reiterate, for one.... something that I ... I know that everybody here already knows, but I ... but I really wanna see it applied in detailed, uh, nuanced ways, um, I guess in polic... policing policy and training... and training part, that people are afraid of police. People are anxious and, uh, even say in the South District, um, at the community feedback sessions this summer. Um, people mentioned, uh, some of the speakers mentioned having community interactions, you know, in the neighborhood with police that were ... that were good and friendly. But there is for, uh, I think like Ta... Tammy (mumbled) said, for ...for rational reasons, people have anxiety when ... when police show up and the focus... so (mumbled) coming from that, the focus on a mental health ... a mental illness or a mental health problem incident or episode. While I appreciate that and I think we need to consider that, um, like Latisha is saying, uh (mumbled) um, and be sympathetic and empathetic and, you know, caring and medical in the response to that. There's also a problem in that because part of the medical response... medical, you know, physical interactive protocol response is police physically grabbing a person and restraining them. And the ... the jump from interactions, in my experience, and the experience of many other people that 1 have communicated and had support groups... discussion type discussions with about this, that that job is extremely quickly and all of the supposedly rationale or reason for that escalation is placed on the individual. While were not, you know, I understand logically the police are the people reacting because it's not just police. It's also EMTs... and I honestly have concerns about whatever social workers or mental health professionals might be in the alternate response team. They don't know anything about the person's background, but that is not necessarily a reason to act like they must, you know, the person in question must be the most dangerous person in the world. And my experience has been that's how they're treating you and it forces the situation to escalate into violence and the experience of it is dehumanizing violence. I'll just leave it at that right now. (laughs) Townsend: Well, I think, you know, basically there are certain things that I think it's important that citizens (mumbled) be aware of and that is, number one, if you ask the police officer for his or her name, they have an obligation to give it to you. Second thing to keep in mind is that all officers are wearing body cameras, so, you know, if...if...and if it's a deal where they've stopped you and... and there's a squad car, you can get the number of the squad car and ... and the time of day. I mean, there... there are a lot of things that can happen if -inappropriate access by police officers are reported, and I think that's... that's something we really need to focus on is, you know, reporting inappropriate behavior. Sky: So I want us to ... that's really important and encouraging and thank you. Um, like it —it took me five years to even think about going and asking for the report to find out the names of those officers or, you know, any of these other things because of the affect it has on people. Um, and This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page» Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription also my point is that what is considered appropriate is damaging. Townsend: Sky, I'd just like to share somethin' else with you. Here in our city, you know, we're lucky, we hit the jackpot, you know. We ... we've had a police chief that was just fantastic, that was very demanding of his staff, and as a result of that, you know, any inappropriate behaviors were dealt with. So, if you have concerns, I mean, you know, you can share that with the police force or you can file a claim with the, um, with our board. McDaniel: Go ahead, Amanda. Nichols: I was actually gonna refer to what you had said previously, so go (laughs) McDaniel: Yeah, I was just gonna, you know, just wanted to talk to what Sabri is talking about as far as, um, she ... she was not able to get to the point where she felt comfortable to actually make a complaint, and, um, I mean the only ...the only solution within the board that I can tell you is that if you don't feel comfortable or if you want someone to ... to assist you on your half, you can bring in a third -party person to assist you with the complaint process, if you feel that personally you are not in ... and ... and ... and you know, in the emotional capacity to handle it yourself. And also ... and I think we need to .... and I think we need to also be aware of what Sabri is saying, as far as, you know, um, her experience with, um, mental health professionals, with EMT, with social workers that sometimes they are also involved in some of the kind of police tactics that we do not want those people to have. So we're gonna have to do some ... our own ... our own kind of, um, troubleshooting our own, not troubleshooting, but our only ...or kinda think about ways that we can incorporate these other resources into, uh, public health or public safety, without it being a ... another form of policing. Townsend: And if you prefer not to have to deal with a group of people, you can file a complaint with the Human Rights office, and that way you'll be dealin' with one person. Selmer: Thank you for sharing that experience with us (mumbled) Iowa City: Okay. Um, I don't see anyone else with their hand raised. Um, just a reminder if you're on Zoom you can use the raise hand. Um, and if you're on the phone, you can do *9. Uh, looks like we have Caroline Dieterle, who would like to speak. Think you just need to unmute, Caroline. Dieterle: (mumbled) all right now? Iowa City: Yes. Yep, you're up. Dieterle: Okay, I followed the news reports and what's been going on with the incident that happened this summer with the tear gas that was thrown, and apparently subsequently now (clears throat) it has been, uh, decided that the Iowa City police were some of the people who were involved with that, and, um, I do understand that the Council is ... is gone, has gone back to wanting to have an independent investigation. And so this question is kind of jumping the gun, so to speak, but if they find that, um, there is some fault in what was done, does this mean anything that the Police Review Board can do anything about? I mean, basically, I think a lot of people This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 18 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription are rather uncomfortable with having tear gas used on citizens. Selmer: We can't just discuss too much of the details of complaints, but we are going to be reviewing, um, after the independent investigator (mumbled) Police Review Board will be looking into... the conduct by the Iowa City police, whether they sustain it, um, through the City Council or not, we'll have the opportunity to set our own level of review, including our own independent investigator, um, and look into it. Dieterle: Well, that's very reassuring. I'm glad to hear that that's true, and I'm glad to hear that the board does have an independent investigator now, which I think years ago was not the case. Selmer: To be clear, we do not have one now. Um, we are suggesting that it is in our authority, potentially, after the City Council has its own independent investigator review it, as part of our level of review, after they make the report. (both talking) ...to have such an investigator, if we need it. Dieterle: I ... I thought that was part of the, um, initiative that was passed years ago, but I didn't know that the board had any money to do anything like hiring an investigator. Is that something that the Council would supply or do you have a budget now for that? Selmer: We do have the authority to request an independent investigator and utilize one. Dieterle: Okay. Townsend: But that ... that would not be, you know, often. It'd just be in those rare situation... rare situations where we ... we felt we needed, um, a ... a different level of information. Dieterle: The other question ... the other question I have is one that I asked years ago, and basically people laughed at me for asking it. But unfortunately, you know, things have ... the way things have gone subsequently, I think my question is less laughable. And that is if President Trump, you know, followed through on his threat to declare martial law ...prior to the election, um, what is the thinking that has gone into what the City and the police department here would do in response to that? Selmer: I think that's beyond our capacity for the ... Police Review Board right now. We haven't (mumbled) hypotheticals or those type of scenarios. Dieterle: Well the trouble is, is that if you don't think ahead, if the, uh, situation should arise, and nobody's even talked about it, um, you're thoroughly behind the eight ball. So I would suggest that you do, ub, talk about this as a possibility and what you would do in response. Townsend: Caroline, I don't think that, you know, this is somethin' that we ... we're gonna have to do somethin' real different, you know. I think it ... if that were to happen and basically as a result of that our police force were, you know, dealin' with public, and it came out in a way that it was negative, then we would still, you know, you would still be able to file... and we would follow the same process that we followed all along. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page ]s Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription Iowa City: Okay. Um...I do not see any more hands raised ... at this moment. Townsend: We, um... Iowa City: Oh, I stand corrected. Looks like we have Anna Blaedel. Blaedel: Yes, thank you. Can you hear me? Nichols: Yes. Blaedel: Excellent. My name is Anna Blaedel, um, thank you for this forum. Thank you for the work that you're doing. Um, and I just wanted to, um, to echo in response to the previous question raised, I believe the ... the person's name is Caroline, and wanted to raise my voice also to encourage this, uh, review board to be thinking about, um, the escalation of violence that we're seeing in this country. Um, I ... I don't think that we can just assume that things are going to stay as they are, or even that as they are is acceptable, um, for a status quo. And so I would, uh, encourage you all. 1 know that there is limited, uh, capacity and, uh, limited power, and that's part of what we're talking about, but I would like to echo that question and strongly encourage this group to be thinking about, um, how to prepare ourselves to be accountable to each other and to our communities. Thank you. Selmer: Thank you. Iowa City: And again, I don't have anyone waiting to speak to the board. Townsend: Okay. Uh, l'd like to basically, you know, share some information at this time. We've talked about the Police Review Board, so like to just give a little spiel that, you know, give specific information about the board. Uh, the CPRB reviews reports prepared after investigation of complaints about alleged police misconduct. It is issued it's own written report that contains detailed findings, the facts and conclusions that explain why and the extent to which complaints should be sustained or not sustained. The CPRB reviews powers, police policies, procedures, and practices and may recommend modification to them. The board shall hold at least one community forum each year for the purpose of hearing views on the policies, practices, and procedures of the Iowa City Police Department. Any person with personal knowledge of an alleged police misconduct may file a CPRB compliant with the board. So this kind of, you know, keeps you in fact with what we're really about. There are other things, but those are pretty... some of the basics. Also, we'd like to share with you that, um, this is a public forum which is public record and being recorded for rebroadcast on City Channel 4. So this will be rebroadcast on Channel 4 at a later time. Iowa City: Orville, I do have somebody that has their hand raised. Townsend: Okay. Iowa City: We want to let one more ... uh, looks... it's Rich Mathias. Mathias: Hello, everybody. Yes, you pronounced my last correctly. (mumbled) it as Mathias. Just This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020. Page 20 Community Police Review Board Community Forum Transcription. wanted to ask, um, during this meeting I heard one of the board members mention that, um (mumbled) some training after a disciplinary report. I was just wondering has anyone ever considered maybe doing the training before the disciplinary reports, um, maybe on sometbin' like racial profiling or somethin' like that. Um, somethin' like a...a prevention -type thing, instead of a disciplinary thing. Selmer: So if I understand your question right is whether or not we are overseeing the police and recommending that they're getting training on ... tactics for, urn, various things... before, uh, before there's a specific finding of misconduct where we recommend that certain officer goes back and gets trained on something. So more of an oversight of their whole training schedule. Is that right? Mathias: Yes, yeah. Yes, that's correct. Um, I'm just concerned, and I think it's totally appropriate for someone to get some training after they've been issued a disciplinary report, but I just thought maybe some prevention measures, maybe the board could recommend to ... to, um, the law enforcement of Iowa City. Selmer: Yeah, I think, uh, reviewing where the police officers get trained and how they get trained is absolutely something that we should be looking into, and, you know, we have limited capacity right now. We can only do so much, but I think, um, an oversight of what the training, um, that's offered to the officers and ... and whether or not we might inquire as to additional training and whether or not they're getting that as ... as part of our functions and what we've done in the past, to some degree. We can do more, I think, um, but I think there was a couple examples where we had with, um, most recently police body cameras, for example, and the training on that and we ... we had the officers come in and explain to us how they were trained, a new cadet and what, uh, what they're usin' the body camera and the ordinance was. Um, this is one example. So there is some of that going on. Mathias: Thank you. Iowa City: Okay,1 see no hands. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City CPRB Annual Public Forum of September 15, 2020.