Item A: Annual Meeting with Police Commission

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This is a status report of Police Commission activities from July 2010 through June 2011. Please contact past Chair Tamara Miller at 541-686-7198, or staff with any questions. The Police Commission’s FY 2011 Work Plan was approved by the City Council on July 21, 2010. The items contained in the work plan are intended to address the Commission’s goals which are called out in the Commission bylaws and the enabling ordinance, and listed below: The Commission should 1. Increase communications between police and the community, leading to a greater understanding of the preferred policing alternatives for the city. 2. Identify police policy and resource issues related to preferred policing alternative 3. Decrease misunderstandings regarding the nature of adopted police policies, practices and approaches. 4. Provide input on police policies that reflect community values. 5. Assist the City Council in balancing community priorities and resources by advising it on police resource issues. The work plan was designed to address these issues, and did so through the following items: Review of Police Policies and Recommended Modifications During FY 2011, the Commission reviewed several police policies and issues, soliciting community input and making recommendations that reflected that feedback. Downtown Public Safety Zone Ordinance (DPSZ) As directed in Ordinance #20419, the Police Commission sponsored a special public forum in September 2010 regarding the DPSZ. The two-hour forum was attended by approximately 50 community members. The Commission recommended to City Council that the DPSZ ordinance should be adopted and noted three outstanding issues that should be addressed prior to adopting the ordinance: 1) adding some sexual offenses and tying related State statutes to the Eugene Code; 2) consider options to mitigate the concerns related to due process; 3) consider greater support and funding to social service agencies to aid in the overall criminal justice system. Council subsequently adopted the ordinance and addressed items 1 and 2 in the new ordinance. Systematic Review of Police Policies As the Police Department updates its policy manual, the Police Commission reviewed numerous policies, soliciting community input, developing recommendations and advising the Police Chief on proposed changes that reflect the community values, and input received. Much of the preliminary work of this policy review was conducted by the following two committees: Policy Screening & Review Committee (PSRC) The PSRC is designed as a multi-year effort to assist the department in updating the police policy manual, utilizing the Lexipol structure as the framework for a comprehensive review. Through public meetings and outreach to interested stakeholders, the PSRC is able to provide the community’s perspective on important police policies. In FY 2011, the following policies were reviewed, and comments provided to the Chief of Police: Policy Manual Use of EPD Logo Attempts to Locate Community Service Officers Release of Public Records