CC Minutes - 03/09/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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· focus groups · personal interviews · phone interviews · document review · City Council and Police Commission meetings · media and other news releases · toll-free telephone line for citizens to express their views about the department and offer recommendations Dr. Fisher Stewart stated there were 57 recommendations (must do) and 12 advisories (reminders) listed in the report. She said these components were in three broad categories: Police/Community Relations, Governance, and Police Management Procedures and Practices. She noted that ICMA was responsible for the former two categories; PERF was responsible for the latter. Dr. Fisher Stewart referred to previous recommendations that were the outcome of a 1997 study of the EPD and its practices and were listed on pages 9 and 10 of the report. She pointed out that almost all of these recommendations continue to be valid today. Dr. Fisher Stewart questioned if the current report would have been necessary if those recommendations had been implemented earlier. Dr. Fisher Stewart referred to the over-arching recommendation that was listed on page 16 of the report: The review team strongly recommends that the City of Eugene contract this efibrt to someone from outside the City whose so&job is to oversee this transformation process. Dr. Fisher Stewart strongly emphasized the fact that the team did not receive input from a critical mass of the people of Eugene as it formed its conclusions and noted it was vital as the process moves forward that input from the "grass roots" of the community be tapped. Dr. Fisher Stewart pointed to the Mayor's one- on-one meetings and the Police Commission and the Human Rights Commission forums as formats which were adept in bringing people into the process. She stressed that there needs to be a concerted effort to provide an opportunity for community members to be heard and responded to, and to ensure that facts were put out to the community-at-large. Dr. Fisher Stewart pointed out that much of the information received from the community were perceptions. Dr. Fisher Stewart stated that the City needed to determine community expectations for community policing and fully implement that model. She conceded that community policing was difficult and must be tailored to Eugene. Dr. Fisher Stewart also stressed that transparency must be achieved within the community policing model. Dr. Fisher Stewart stated that the report recommended an external review board be implemented and that it not become another bureaucratic layer. She said that with the implementation of such a board, resources must be available to process complaints on a timely basis so as not to create additional problems and ineffectiveness. Dr. Fisher Stewart said that the complaint process should also be less threatening than it currently was, and she referred to the following statement which appears on page 21, Recommendation No. 5 of the report: The department routinely checks the police records of the people with whom we have contact, including people who file complaints. Ifa police officer has contact with you and is aware o fa warrant, he/she is legally compelled to arrest you. However, we do not want this to prevent you from MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 9, 2005 Page 3 Work Session