Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSJRE First Quarter 201804-26-18 CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: April 25, 2018 To: Geoff Fruin, City Manager From: Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator & Equity Director Re: Social Justice and Racial Equity First Quarter Update for 2018 Attached please find the first quarter Social Justice and Racial Equity Update for 2018. Included as a part of this update is the Police Department's first quarter report on community outreach, community presentations, cultural competency trainings, public education efforts on rights, and community partnerships. IP9 Social Justice & Racial Equity First Quarter Update (January-March 2018) CITY OF IOWA CITY UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE CITY OF lOW~ rqv SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUIT Y Accountability January 24, the Police Department participated in the Government Alliance on Race & Equity's monthly meeting on Criminal Justice. February 17, the Human Rights Office provided assistance to the LGBTQ Youth Summit sponsored by United Action for Youth. At the all-day event LGBTQIA +Youth were treated to food, programs and activities . February 26, staff in the Human Rights Office participated in the Government Alliance on Race & Equity's Membership Network meeting. March 1, the Housing Authority, Fire Department, Library and Parks and Recreation began the introductory process to the Equity Impact Review Toolkit. March 1, Human Resources updated the label on the voluntary EEO field from "gender" to "sex" in the City's online employment application. This data field label has also been changed in the Munis employee demographic screens. This allows for "gender" not to be defined as binary and makes it inclusive of non- binary expression. I"J TV OF IOWA CITV SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Conversations January 12-15, staff of Parks and Recreation , Communications, Police, and Human Rights attended several community events in recogn ition of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. Day. February 2, representatives from the City Manager's Office, Human Rights Office and Police Department attended the Johnson County Interfaith Cluster Peace and Safety Campaign. It was hosted by the Center for Worker Justice. The program discussed racially biased incidents that occurred in Iowa City a few weeks prior. February 23, the Police Department hosted Coffee with a Cop at The Encounter Cafe. Coffee with a Cop is an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know police in a relaxed setting over a cup of coffee. February 27, staff of Neighborhood and Development Services and the Human Rights Office attended the 2018 Winter Mixer sponsored by the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition . This is an event designed to build support for affordable housing . It was held at Big Grove Brewery. 2 March 30 -31 , the City sponsored, via the Social Justice Racial Equity Grant for fiscal year 2017, The Brighter Future Focused Summit. The program was presented by the Sankofa Outreach Connection and was designed to address the needs and potential of women of color and girls of color. CITY OF IOWA CITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RAC I AL EQUITY Justice January 17, the City added gender identity to the voluntary demographic section of the board and commission application. This was done due to the State's gender balance requ irement which defines gender as binary. January 18, the Police Department received a $450K grant for domestic violence responses . The department is one of six law enforcement agencies selected to serve as a demonstration site as part of a national initiative to address gender bias in response to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Funding for the grant will be available through September 2019. February 20, the definition of gender identity in the Human Rights Ordinance was amended to make it inclusive of non-binary expression. C IT Y OF IOWA C ITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & RACIAL EQUITY Outreach February 7, the City Manager's Roundtable was held at Mercer Park Aquatic Center. Representatives from Black Voices, the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Resurrection Assembly of God Church, the Community Police Review Board, and the Teamsters attended. Topics discussed included neighborhood grants, the Community Survey, and bias based incidents. February 12, the Human Rights Office mailed out a memo on English-Only Rules in the Workplace to over 100 area businesses. February 16, staff from several departments attended the 2018 Henri Harper Community Soul Food Dinner Celebrating Black History Month. This annual event was at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. February 22, the City Council held a Listening Post at Kirkwood Community College. Listening Posts provides opportunities for the community to engage with City leaders on topics that are important to them in an informal setting. February 26, the Police Department's Chief and Neighborhood Response Officer met with participants in the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. The program was arranged through the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC). The discussion centered around the challenges faced 3 by the department in fostering trust between officers and members of immigrant and refugee communities and measures taken to address those barriers. March 1, the Human Rights Office mailed out a memo on Religious Discrimination: What You Need to Know to over 400 area landlords. March 9, the Finance Department started an assistance fund that allows for donations to help others in keeping their water on. Donations can be made with a one-time payment or on a recurring monthly basis, and may be tax deductible. 4 POLICE TO: FROM : RE : DATE: Stefanie Bowers Captain Bill Campbell DIF Reporting for ICPD -15t Quarter 2018 AprillS, 2018 The Iowa City Police Department's DIF reporting for the first quarter of 2018 is below. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Documentation of participation in any event, attended or presented, by a Department member to a community member or organization. 38 officers attended 299 events in the first quarter of 2018 for a total of 349 hours of involvement. Events included: • Neighborhood foot patrols and officers getting out of their patrol vehicles to engage the community and build relationships through non-enforcement interactions • MLK Day event-Grantwood Elementary School • Soul Food Dinner -Robert A. Lee Rec Center • ALICE active shooter response training sessions • IC Animal Services -Brown Bag Lunch event • Coffee with a Cop-Encounter Cafe • Use of southside substation by officers to complete paperwork and other tasks at this facility, being more visible and making themselves more available to the community in that area. The substation is also utilized for activities and meetings with local youth. • Cop on Top-Dunkin' Donuts in Coralville • Cub Scouts/Girl Scouts Tour -ICPD • WET Shelter Open House DIF Reporting for I CPO -1st Quarter 2018 • Two officers served lunch at the free lunch program • Foot patrol, business checks, house watches, school visits and extra patrol based on specific requests from a citizen and/or business COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS: Documentation of any participation in a community presentation by a Department member. 8 officers participated in 47 community presentations in the first quarter of 2018, totaling 123 hours of involvement. Presentations included the following topics/groups: • Defensive Tactics -Leadership Academy • ALICE Violent Intruder Training • Chief Matherly hosted a CIVIC international visitors group on refugee and immigration issues • Basic Self Defense Class-various locations • Chief Matherly spoke at the MLK Day serves at Bethel AME and New Creations Churches • Iowa City Area Landlord Association Meeting • Citizen Police Academy • Chief Matherly testified in a sub-committee hearing about proposed sanctuary city legislation at the Iowa State Capitol • Captain Kelsay participated in a radio interview on KRUI's "Homeland to Heartland" with Mayor Throgmorton discussing immigration issues and public safety CULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING: Documentation of any training received by a Department member involving cultural competency. Cultural competency training refers to training directed at the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds. 13 officers attended 104 hours of training during the first quarter of 2018. This included: • Leadership for Equality and Inclusion workshop-University of Iowa • Crisis Intervention Trainings (CIT) DIF Reporting for ICPD -1st Quarter 2018 2 PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORTS ON RIGHTS: Documentation of any participation at an event, attended or presented by a Department member, to a community member or organization where the focus is education on an individual's rights. 2 officers conducted 3 training sessions during this quarter which lasted 12 hours. • Chief Matherly spoke about hate crimes at the Johnson County Interfaith Cluster Town Hall meeting • MLK Day event at West High School • Chief Matherly participated on a know your rights panel with the county attorney, a defense attorney and ACLU at University of Iowa Student Legal Services COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: Documentation of any partnership between the Department and another community organization. The Department worked with community partners that led to attendance in at least 35 events by 17 officers who spent more than 112 hours engaging with community members. Below are some highlights and noteworthy outcomes from those partnerships. • Citizens Police Academy-all law enforcement agencies in Johnson County present a 14- week program for participating community members that covers a vast number of policing topics. Officers from the Department both facilitate the Academy and present on many topics. • The Downtown Liaison continues to represent the Iowa City Police Department and participate in the Data-Driven Justice Initiative. This is a coalition of city, county, and state governments who have committed to using data-driven strategies to divert low- level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system and change approaches to pre-trial incarceration. • The Downtown Liaison partners with the Johnson County Local Homeless Coordinating Board (LHCB), the Frequent User Systems Engagement (FUSE) sub-committee and the winter Low-Barrier Shelter sub-committee. • The FUSE sub-committee has developed a "housing first" initiative which will provide housing to chronically homeless individuals with a goal of reducing their use of emergency services. The 24-unit project will break ground on AprilS, 2018. DIF Reporting for ICPD-1st Quarter 2018 3 • The winter Low-Barrier Shelter sub-committee successfully operated their Winter Extreme Temperature Shelter (WET Shelter) for the fourth consecutive year. This alternate housing provided shelter for individuals who might have been intoxicated or were otherwise ineligible to receive housing at the Emergency Housing Shelter, therefore reducing the use of other emergency services and providing "housing first" during the winter months. • RAGBRAI Planning-The Department has begun preparing for the arrival of RAGBRAI in July 2018. In conjunction with many other local, state and private partners, the Police Department is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors to our community. Major areas of focus have been traffic planning, campground placement and the safety of all in attendance. • The ICPD continues to collaborate with the Iowa City Bike Library to repurpose abandoned bicycles impounded by the Department. Instead of being auctioned or recycled as scrap metal, the Iowa City Bike Library refurbishes some of the bicycles which are then lent out through their organization. The remaining bicycles are collected by Working Bikes. Working Bikes is a non-profit that rescues discarded bicycles and gives them new life by redistributing them in global communities. The Downtown Liaison worked with staff and the City Manager to amend City Code and worked towards repurposing unclaimed bicycles by turning them over with disadvantaged youth and adults. • "B.U.L.B.S!" Program (Building Unity Linking Businesses for Safety) is a partnership with local repair shops that helps those who cannot afford to replace burnt out lights on their vehicles by replacing them for free. Iowa City Police Officers who pull over a driver with a non-functioning headlight, taillight, brake light, turn signal, or license plate light can offer a voucher to drivers to have the burnt-out bulb replaced at no charge at one of the participating shops listed below. While officers can still issue citations for equipment violations, the goal of B.U.L.B.S! is to give an option to officers to assist a driver experiencing financial or personal hardship a means to avoid costly fines, repairs and the inconvenience and frustration of being stopped due to a burnt-out light. (https :// content.govd el ivery. com/ a ccou nts/IAI OW A/b u II eti ns/ 1bc9246) • "Free Wheels" completed its first year in 2017. This program provided children with bicycles as well as safety and maintenance training, an introduction to the City trails and safety equipment. Great feedback has been received regarding this program and it will be continued throughout 2.018. • Additional activities, meetings and events took place within the following community partnerships: NAACP, FBI, US Attorney's Office, Johnson County Attorney's Office, Johnson County Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee, City Manager's Diversity Roundtable, Iowa City Downtown District, Iowa City Community School District, University of Iowa Off Campus Advisory Board, Special Olympics of Iowa, Safety Village, DIF Reporting for ICPD -1st Quarter 2018 4 Polar Plunge, Elder Abuse Task Force, Johnson County Human Trafficking Coalition, United Way Social Services Work Group, 4 Oakes Youth Shelter, Johnson County Drug Task Force, Sexual Assault Investigation Team, The Dream Center, Broadway Neighborhood Center and Domestic Violence Intervention Program. The Department continues to provide extra patrol at citizens requests and foot patrols where criminal activity or safety concerns had been identified. DIF Reporting for ICPD -1st Quarter 2018 5