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Eug n P lic C mmi si n <br /> 2005 ANNUAL REPORT <br /> <br />I. Introduction <br /> <br />This staff report is submitted to the Eugene City Council to document the activities of the Police <br />Commission during Fiscal Year (FY) 2005. The annual report describes how the commission has <br />worked to meet the expectations of the City Council, as delineated in its work plan, and has responded <br />to issues of community concern. <br /> <br />Last year's work plan was devoted almost exclusively to the Internal Affairs and Civilian Oversight <br />Review project, a particularly time-intensive effort which has culminated in its own report for Council <br />review. To avoid redundant information, this annual report details the other commission tasks <br />accomplished this past year, describes adjustments made to the work plan over the course of the year, <br />and cross-references the report on police oversight model recommendations. <br /> <br />The charge of the Police Commission, described in City Ordinance 20136, can be distilled into three <br />main components: <br /> 1) improve communication between the police and the community, thereby decreasing <br /> misunderstandings about policies and practices and helping to build consensus around <br /> preferred policing alternatives for the city; <br /> 2) identify policy and resource issues related to preferred policing alternatives, and to assist the <br /> City Council in balancing police resources with community priorities; and <br /> 3) provide input on police policies and procedures that reflects community values. <br /> <br />While the Internal Affairs and Civilian Oversight project has elements that encompass all three areas, <br />other work plan tasks were more specifically focused on policy review and/or resource priority <br />decisions. These are described in the following section. <br /> <br />II. Accomplishments <br /> <br />A. Improving Communication and Understanding of Police Practices <br /> <br />One of the most important functions of the Police Commission is to provide a forum for open <br />discussion on a range of policing issues in a public meeting setting. This year's meeting schedule, <br />coupled with a significant public outreach effort, provided numerous opportunities for community <br />involvement in the commission's work. In FY05, the commission and its committees held forty-six <br />public meetings, not including the work planning session with City Council. These are described more <br />fully below. <br /> <br />In addition to its monthly meetings, the commission scheduled five additional full commission <br />meetings related to police oversight. These included an overview of the current EPD Internal Affairs <br />policies and procedures, a presentation on the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC) report on <br />national models of civilian oversight, the 2004 internal affairs audit report from Howell Lankford, and <br />two special meetings to finalize the police oversight model for City Council consideration. <br /> <br /> <br />