Thread by @shayshinecastle

It's Tuesday in #Boulder. You know what that means.... CITY COUNCIL NIGHT!

Maybe that was an oversell. Let's try again: It's city council night in #Boulder.

Tonight is a study session, which is usually pretty snooze-fest. BUT the topics are interesting: Taxes and policing — specifically, a "re-imagining" of Boulder Police Dept. boulderbeat.news/2021/02/08/bou…

Councilman Yates is leading tonight's meeting.

I could pick a gif for that but I won't.

Many announcements.

First up: The police master plan update, as mentioned earlier. Here's the staff presentation. www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Police_Ma…

Chief Herold: We want to create a police dept that is "effective and ethical"

Wendy Schwartz, project manager: When we were early in planning, we thought this was likely not a routine master plan update. That matters when designing our process.

Updating the master plan will take 2 years and include 5 public engagement windows and 7 check-ins with city council.

Council first deciding if they agree with the whole "re-imagining of policing" concept (vs. a routine master plan update)

Brockett: "Absolutely. Thank you for taking this approach. ... This is a great opportunity."

No one else has anything to say, so I guess they're all cool with it.

“Given the importance of issues raised internally and externally, the department is approaching this plan as an opportunity to work with the community not just to update the plan, but to re-imagine the Police Department, setting a course for the future of policing in Boulder.”

That's per staff notes to council

What might that mean, exactly? Like, what do they want to re-imagine?

These things:

"Role of police in community issues like homelessness and behavioral health;
Racial equity;
Community relationships and trust;
Actual and/or perceived changes in crime rates in the city;
Determining the right level of police presence in the community;

Recruiting and retaining the right staff; and
Ensuring police officers have the right tools and equipment to do their jobs."

The first public engagement window opens soon — late March/early April — and wraps in June.

It's called Values, Hopes and Concerns

Public will be invited to “share their thoughts about safety as a core value of the Police Department, and define what safety means to them. … Participants will also be asked to rank current areas of work for the department ...

... , as well as the emphasis they wish to place on emerging issues, and describe what they see as the ideal police department.”

"We want to really retain an equity focus throughout this process," Schwartz says. "We know that's really important." The new racial equity tool will be used, and the city's equity program manager is among staff working on this.

The updated master plan is scheduled for adoption in February 2023.

Swetlik: The Human Relations Commission isn't mentioned as being involved in this process. Are they?

Schwartz: "I'm making a note to make sure to figure out how that can be appropriately incorporated."

Swetlik again: This is a very long process. This council is only in charge of a little bit of it; we will have an entirely new council in November. How do you see this work proceeding with new elected officials?

Schwartz: We'll have to orient new council members. The project team will provide as much support and information as possible.

Friend asks for how the racial equity instrument will be used. "That's still conceptually difficult for me to wrap my mind around." And "what data will be utilized?"

Aimee Kane, equity program manager, fielding that one: "There is a little confusion with the terminology. We're not actually talking about the racial equity instrument as the sole tool" in the master plan update process.

Kane: "What we're developing ... is a departmental assessment, so each individual dept can really evaluate where they are as a dept in understanding where the instrument can be applied in policies, programs and decisions."

Police dept was one of the first to agree to pilot that, Kane says.

Maggie Lacwasan, Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion Program Assistant: It's really about dept making sure they're using best practices in hiring, internal decision making, etc.

Friend: Are we also going into this with an eye on data and equity of people who are policed? Not just internal to the dept?
Kane: "Absolutely." References traffic stop data, which in the past has revealed discrepancies.

As you can see back in 2014: dailycamera.com/2014/12/06/bou…

And 2016: dailycamera.com/2016/02/23/con…

And 2019: dailycamera.com/2019/04/30/dat…

Engagement manager Sarah Huntley: The first public engagement window is all about "open-ended questions" and "listening" to community members. Decisions will come later.

"The tough, most challenging conversations will be around strategies" and priorities, Huntley says.

Yates: When we first saw this timeline, I think we all thought the same thing "Whoa, that's a really, really long time. (But) as (staff) walked us through it, it made a lot of sense."

Marina LaGrave, who is one of the resident members of the master plan process subcommittee, says listening to the community will be really "key"

Huntley: We want to recognize that policing is in a state of transformation, and that national and local scrutiny is going to be higher than it's ever been.

It's the infamous Decision Making Wheel.

Actual footage of Boulder residents going through the process to affect change.

"With each of these decision-making categories" — inform, consult, involve, collaborate — "you're making promises to the community" about what the city is committing to, Huntley says.

Huntley: "There are not very many ppl in our community who have a clear understanding of what our police dept. does in our community today."

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!