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communities, collaborating with other interested organizations, deliberating in open and <br />participatory sub-committees, and attending multiple additional meetings in order to have a <br />recommendation to council by the end of July. <br /> <br />Just as a preliminary model for Police Oversight began to emerge the City Manager sent the <br />Police Commission a letter outlining his preferred model of Oversight. This raises a number of <br />troubling questions and issues. <br /> <br />Why did Dennis tell the community that he was vested in the process that he initiated, and then <br />pre-emptively describe strategies for oversight and investigation that he has authority to <br />implement any time he wants? <br /> <br />Dennis has the authority and power to implement any changes to the department structure or <br />hierarchy that he desires. That is why it seems, at least inappropriate, and at worst, disingenuous <br />to ask for an extensive and costly process with far reaching public involvement and then trump <br />the outcome. The Police Commission received feedback on oversight mechanisms from other <br />entities including; the Police Union and Communities United for Better Policing, but those <br />entities were appropriately contributing to the discussion they don't have the ultimate authority <br />to implement their own preference. <br /> <br />It appeared the City Manager was delineating in his letter, implicitly but not explicitly, that <br />he will not support any Police Oversight mechanism that he does not control. It sounded like he <br />was warning the Commission that if they make a recommendation that does not give him total <br />control, he will not support it. Politics aside, this seems an unprofessional way to manage an <br />ongoing public planning and advisory process. <br /> <br /> 14 <br /> <br /> <br />