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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-03-2023 CPRB Community ForumAGENDA COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2023 — 5:30 P.M. IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY — MEETING ROOM A 123 S. Linn St. You can watch the meeting online at any of the following websites: htti)s://citychanne[4.com/live htts)s://www.voutube.com/usericitychannel4flive In order to encourage greater input from the public, the Commission intends to offer the opportunity to participate in the meeting remotely. However, this meeting is an in -person meeting. In the event of technological problems, the meeting will continue in -person, so those wishing to ensure their ability to participate should attend the meeting in -person. If you wish instead to participate remotely, you may attempt to do so by joining the meeting via Zoom by going to the link below to visit the Zoom meeting's registration page and submit the required information. Once the registration is complete, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. Link: httos:/1us06web.zoom.uslwebinarirecisterlWN 2OJ8SY6TIie9ovhC3FSEA Meeting ID: 872 0750 6136 AGENDA ITEM NO. 1 CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL ITEM NO. 2 WELCOME & INTRODUCTION OF BOARD ITEM NO. 3 CONSIDER MOTION TO ACCEPT CORRESPONDENCE AND/OR DOCUMENTS ITEM NO. 4 COMMUNICATING WITH THE CPRB — WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO ITEM NO. 5 PUBLIC DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD ITEM NO. 6 ADJOURNMENT Lfyou will need disability -related accommodations to participate in this program/event, please contact Tammy Neumann at 319-356-5043, tneumann@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. vc`©ba- 3 i FORUM 5:30 PAW Iowa City Public Library ( Meeting Room A 123 S. Linn Street and via Zoom Visit bitAy1CPRBForum10-3 or scan the QR code to register: The Community Police Review Board (CPRB) invites you to share your views on the Iowa City Police Department's policies, practices and procedures. Questions or comments can be addressed in person at the Community Forum. If you are unable to attend in person, submit items you would like addressed during the forum to CPRB@iowa-city.org or mail to CPRB at City of Iowa City, 410 E. Washington Street, 52240 by Monday, September 25. All correspondence is public. The board will attempt to address all correspondence received. CITYUIOWA CITY UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE General News Release Community invited to attend Community Police Review Board forum The Community Police Review Board {CPRB} will host a Community Forum to hear views on Iowa City Police Department policies, practices and procedures. The community is invited to submit questions and comments that will be used during the event. The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 3, 2023, inside Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St. and via Zoom. Visit bit.lv/CPRBForuml0-3 to register. If you are unable to attend in person, submit items you would like addressed during the forum to CPRB,Oiowa-citv.oro or mail to CPRB at City of Iowa City, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, Iowa 52240 by Monday, September 25. Be sure to include your full name and address as all submissions are public. The board will try to address all questions and comments it receives via email, mail and in person. The forum will also be recorded and later shown on City Channel 4. You can view programming and the schedule at www,citychannel4.com. General News Release —second notice Community Police Review Board Forum The Community Police Review Board (CPRB) will host a Community Forum to hear views on Iowa City Police Department policies, practices and procedures. The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 3, 2023 inside Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn Street, Iowa City and Zoom. Visit bit.ly/CPRBFcruml0-3 to register. Topics will include Communicating with the CPRB — Who we are and what we do. Additional information about the Community Police Review Board is available at hftps://www.icqov.org/city -government/boards/commun ity-police-review-board-cprb 5TVM COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM OCTOBER 3, 2023 5:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jerri MacConnell called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Ricky Downing, Jessica Hobart, Jam MacConnell, Saul Mekies, Amanda Remington, Orville Townsend, MEMBERS ABSENT: Melissa Jensen STAFF PRESENT: Legal Counsel Patrick Ford and Staff Tammy Neumann OTHERS PRESENT: Police Chief Dustin Liston WELCOME & INTRODUCTION OF BOARD: Each member introduced themselves and shared how long they have been on the board. Ford, CPRB Legal Counsel, introduced himself as well. All welcomed the public to the meeting. CONSIDER MOTION TO ACCEPT CORRESPONDENCE AND/OR DOCUMENTS No correspondence received. COMMUNICATING WITH THE CPRB — WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO MacConnell and Remington shared an overview of the responsibilities and powers of the Community Police Review. PUBLIC DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD The Board welcomed public comment at this time. The following individuals appeared before CPRB: Donna Hirst Dorothy Schnoebelen Warren Paris Billie Townsend ADJOURNMENT Moved by Downing, seconded by Mekies, to adjourn at 6:06 p.m. COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2022-2023 (Meetine Date) TERM pNWI3 OL14123 03114t2J 09/HM 04120/n OSN9/23 6/13123 7111123 818123 9/12R 10M3 10110123 1114)23 12=123 NAME EXPmES Forum Forum Ricky OW26 O/E X X X X O/E X X X X x x X X Downing Jessica 6130/26 — — — — -- -- — — — X X X X X Ha6azt mni.. 6/30/25 x O/E x X X x x x x x O/E x x x Jeasen Jerrt 630/27 x X X X X X X X O/E X X x x X M.eCo..d! Saw Makle W30125 x X X X X X X X O/E X X X X X Amanda 6l30 O/E X X X X X X X X X X O/E X X Remiugtan 0r 91e N3p124 O/E X X X X X X X X X X X X X Towsvend Stuart WW X X X X X WE O Vewer Veg[e KEY: X = Present O =Absent DIE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting — = Not a Member COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD A Board of the City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 (319)356-5041 November 6, 2023 Iowa City -City Council City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Re: Community Police Review Board Community Forum of October 3, 2023 The Iowa City Community Police Review Board (CPRB) held the second Community Forum on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. The forum was held both in person and virtually via Zoom. Board members participating in the forum were Chair- Jeri MacConnell, Jessica Bristow, Ricky Downing, Saul Mekies, Amanda Remington, and Orville Townsend. Others participating included City staff Tammy Neumann and Police Chief Dustin Liston, Legal Counsel Patrick Ford. Vice -Chair Melissa Jensen was absent. Chairperson MacConnell explained the purpose and procedures of the Board. Those procedures were also available in a pamphlet for distribution to the public. Following the rollcall, the public was invited to participate. One person asked about police immunity. Responses from Board members explained that this subject is not within the purview of the Board. However, it was also clarified that the Board can and does comment on police conduct. An area of concern from one person was the "military grade vehicle" available to the Iowa City Police Department (cost of the vehicle and training involved). The Police Chief explained that the vehicle was donated and does not belong to Iowa City, but to the County. It has been used by ICPD on average once a year over the last 8 years, and only for high -risk operations; the vehicle does not carry arms. A civilian version would cost about $250,000 to $300,000 and may not warrant the expense given the rare use of the vehicle. Concerns about staffing issues, including mental health support, were brought up by a member of the public. The police chief explained that the City is making progress on that issue with 16 hours per day with a mental health liaison available. He added that mental health support is "a good value-added" to the police force and is "a good part of our team." Regarding police staffing, the police chief indicated that we are now authorized 85 officers, although we are now at 78, due to the long process of training (e.g., 8-month long academy in Des Moines). Although the City has hired some officers with experience, those still need a four - month long training period. We're making progress in staffing, but the police chief cautioned that we need to provide police officers with time off and avoid over -work in the interest of everyone. He referred to a 2020 City Manager preliminary plan which covers the history of the Board, compares staffing to other similarly situated cities, and provides informative statistics. Concerns by the public were expressed about the wide range of services provided by the police (e.g., cat trapped in a tree) and other "unrelated" tasks. The police chief explained that the dispatch service is operated by Johnson County, and not the police department. The dispatcher assesses the calls and needs and dispatches to the appropriate area accordingly (e.g., police, fire, ambulance, etc.) Often, he explained, the police department is the "default" response. However, he noted, incremental progress is being made and cited the "988" number as an example. It will take some time for the public, staff, and dispatchers to adjust. Regarding whether the police department should have its own dispatch service: The police chief noted that the department did have its own service in 1997. However, Iowa City, and indeed most cities our size, opted for the current system because of its advantages. Several disparate agencies need to be contacted including other police officers in the area, working together. He cited this very day's example that necessitated the involvement of the University, Coralville, and North Liberty, essentially, a county -wide response. Another member of the public praised the response of the police officers responding to a call for help for a 101-year-old woman at her home as an example of the many instances of police assistance to the public; these services often go unnoticed. The chief of police expressed his appreciation of the Board's work which, he said, is not confined merely to addressing complaints, noting the Board's ability to weigh-in on policy and provide a voice for the community. The Community Forum adjourned at 6:06 p.m. Saul Mekies, Board Member Community Police Review Board COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM OCTOBER 3, 2023 Members Present: Ricky Downing, Jessica Hobart, Jerri MacConnell, Saul Mekies, Amanda Remington, Orville Townsend Members Absent: Melissa Jensen Staff Present: Chief Dustin Liston, Tammy Neumann Others Present: Pat Ford, Legal Counsel MacConnell: I would like to call the meeting of the Community Police Review Board, Community Forum to order on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:30 P.M. I need to remind the audience that this is a public forum which is public record and being recorded for rebroadcast on City Channel 4. Could we have the roll call? (Roll Call) We're going to now introduce ourselves to you. I'm Jerri MacConnell. I'm the Chair for this past year. Downing: Hi, my name is Rick Downing and I've been on the board for this is going on my second year now and it's very interesting and I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's quite an eye-opening experience how the city government works. Remington: Mandi Remington and I've been on the board for three years. Mekies: Saul Mekies, three years. Townsend: Orville Townsend and I'm in my second term. Hobart: I'm Jessica Hobart, I've been here for about a month. MacConnell: I would like to consider a motion to accept correspondence and or documents. Mekies: So moved. Townsend: Second MacConnell: None were submitted. We're going to give a brief summary of the CPRB. You can always follow along on the chart on the back, but mainly our Community Police Review Board, hereafter, referred to as CPRB, consists of seven members appointed by the City Council. We have our own legal counsel. We were the first police review board in the state of Iowa. We review reports prepared after investigation of complaints about alleged police misconduct. I'm sorry. It then issues its own written reports that contain detailed findings of fact and conclusions that explain why and the extent to which complaints should be sustained or not sustained. We maintain a central registry of complaints against sworn police officers and prepares annual reports to the City Council on the disposition of these complaints. We review police policies, procedures, and practices, and may recommend modifications to them. The board should hold at least one community forum each year for the purpose of hearing views on policies, practices, and procedures of the Iowa City Police Department. We have only limited civil administration review powers. We have no power of authority over criminal matters or police discipline. All complaints to the board must be filed with the City Clerk within 180 days of the alleged misconduct. Any person with personal knowledge of the alleged police misconduct may file a CPRB complaint with the board. In order to have personal knowledge, one has to have been directly involved or witnessed. Any observation on social media, television, or other media outlets, does not have the requisite personal knowledge needed to file a report. We receive a completed complaint form, forward a copy to the police chief for an internal affairs investigation. Copy will also be sent to the Equity Director. A supervisor or investigator from the police department will contact the complainant as part of the investigation. If the complaint is about the chief, the city manager will conduct the investigation. The Chief completes the investigation within 90 days and issues a detailed written report that concludes with a finding that the complaint is sustained or not sustained. Copies of the Chiefs report are then sent to the Board, the police officers, and the City Manager. Complainants have 21 days to respond to the Police Chiefs report, and the Police Chief shall have 10 days to respond to the complainant's response. The CPRB reviews the Chiefs report, and then we watch police body cams and car cams. Remington: So that's if we choose to do our own internal investigation, when we review a report from the Chief, we have a few different options for where we go from there. If we do our own investigation, that is when we can access cameras. We have 90 days to do that investigation, and after the end of those 90 days, we write a written report that states whether or not we believe that the complaint should be sustained or not sustained and why. Then we send that report to the Chief, and we can also request an extension from city council if there is a specific reason that we cannot have it done in 90 days. That does not happen very often, but it is something that has happened on certain occasions. Once that report is submitted, it does become public, and that is one of the main things that the CPRB is able to do, is to bring things to public light. Those are found on the City website, and then also sent to the complainant, the police officers, City Manager, Equity Director, and City Council directly. If we disagree with the Chiefs decision, we can recommend that he reverse his findings if it's determined that they're supported by substantial evidence that his findings were unreasonable, arbitrary, or capricious, or that they're contrary to police department policy practice, federal, state, or local law. Again, that is just a recommendation. Other than the public reports, everything else that we're able to do is make recommendations. MacConnell: Well, now I'll go to the one I skipped this one over for, the consider a motion to accept correspondence and or documents and none were received. Now, I'd like to introduce Chief Liston to all of you and we'll have public discussion with the Community Police Review Board now. Townsend: Jerri, before we move on, I would just like to say that our Board is very fortunate to have a chief that's involved. Our police chief basically sits in on all of our meetings. This is not something he has to do, but I think it just shows that the interest and the cooperation that we have in the City. Remington: I do want to clarify that's the public portion of the meeting. When we do our internal investigation, the Police Chief does leave along with the public so that our investigation is not affected or influenced by his presence. MacConnell: If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please step up to the podium, sign in, and state your first and last name for the public record. Anyone on Zoom that would like to speak, please raise your hand. Remington: This is also an opportunity to ask questions that we're actually able to answer when we have formal meetings, we always have public commentary time, but we're not permitted to respond at those times. During these public forums, we are allowed to respond. Mekies: It doesn't have to be a question; you may just make some comment. Downing: Usually somebody has a question for the chief, sorry. Yes. You have to come up to this. Neumann: Step up to it. Yes, sorry, and then sign in. Sign in where? Public: This question is largely informed by what I've read and not information I have about Iowa City. But I'm interested in whether or not the Review Board has dealt with issues related to police immunity and whether or not that's a concern in this community. Remington: We don't have anything to do with criminal matters, so when we are investigating a complaint against an officer, that is about a policy violation, not a crime. So, anything having to do with immunity would go through a court. Townsend: Also, I think it's important that we keep in mind that the boundaries that we function within --the review board --our responsibility is to look at the information and come to a decision as to whether or not the officer did anything inappropriate. In cases where we feel an officer did do something inappropriate, we don't deal with that, but in our final report, we make recommendations to acknowledge this in the report and make recommendations to the chief. Neumann: We do have a few people online, but I don't see any hands raised. Public: I have another question. Downing: Sure. As many as you want. Public: Iowa City has had a large military grade vehicle, and I think in the last two or three years it was replaced by another model. I'm not sure why it needed to be replaced. This is a policy question and not an incident question, but the Board may have opinions. I'm concerned about the cost of maintaining the equipment and the cost of training people to run the equipment when our community may not need that piece of equipment. Remington: I share a lot of concerns about that vehicle, but it is actually not an Iowa City vehicle, it is a County Sheriff vehicle. Townsend: I think also there's been a lot of comments and concerns about that vehicle. I guess as long as things are quiet and there's no problem, you don't have any appreciation for that. Fortunately, here in Iowa City, we have an excellent lifestyle. We don't have a lot of the issues that big cities have, but if you remember back when we had the riots and things like that, that nobody thought about that. But I think there was some concern that citizens may be injured and things like that and you have to have a certain amount of control. I think that vehicle is something that we can probably not be happy about it, but if we really need it, then we appreciate it. MacConnell: Especially since there have been more police killings recently, one not too far from here. Liston: You want me to answer that, weigh in? That's a good question and it's a hot topic. It certainly has been since I have been here. Mandi is right. It's a county vehicle that was donated, so it didn't cost anything, but certainly, there is some maintenance costs. Iowa City has used it, in the eight years we've had it, that the County has had it, we've used it about eight times. We average about one time a year and we use that on- since I've been here, we've only used it on high -risk warrant operations. We try to do this technique where we call surround and call out so we don't have to go in after someone who's wanted, we can use the protection of that vehicle, call them to us, so that's how we use it. But certainly, when we use it, that's what I'm talking about for probably the next month because I know the community has some serious concerns about that, which I get. There had been talk for some while about getting a civilian version because that is military grade, doesn't have weapons or anything, but it did come from its military surplus. Getting a civilian version, but those things are exceedingly expensive. In my opinion, given the infrequency of its use, I don't know that it would be worth the expenditure on $250,000 or $300,000 for a civilian version of that. I think the people who are unhappy with the MWRAP would be unhappy with the civilian version of it too. So, I don't think that would solve any problems. But I'm certainly cognizant, my agency is cognizant, of the heartburn that the community has over that. We try to avoid using it. We only use it when we absolutely need it. Fortunately, I don't want to say it out loud because I feel like I'm jinxing myself, but we haven't used it in quite some time. But those are concerns that I'm well aware of and I think many people in the community share those, so I understand that. MacConnell: Thank you. We have nobody from Zoom. Neumann: Nobody's raised their hands. We have three people on, and nobody's raised their hand. MacConnell: Okay. Mekies: Well, if I may add, if you don't have any more question, after we adjourn, if you feel more comfortable talking to us individually, we'll be around for a few minutes. MacConnell: Oh, Dorothy. Public: I'm just here by accident. A friend let me know it was going on. I have a family member who's on the police force here and I am just concerned about the lack of staff and how do we find them and what are the barriers. There's somebody running for a position, I can't even think of what it is. We get to vote October 10. Who has the idea that a piece of the money that goes to the police department should go to pay for people who ride along, who have mental health professions, who are professionally licensed, who could take care of the mental health things that come along. I doubt that that would work out because how would you know if it's a safe place to go for a person who is not an officer, who doesn't have arms. But I wish that there were some ways that the public could get behind the police in a more useful way, and that the monies could be used to hire. As a social worker in my profession, I would not want to go to many of the calls that the police get. I don't know how; you know ahead of time what you're going to run into. I just want to say I appreciate the police department and everything that they do. I wish we could give them more support, and I am very appreciative of your work and how you've done things here. Thank you. MacConnell: Thank you. Hobart: I can speak to at least like the mental health piece. As a fellow social worker, I can tell you that there are mental health liaisons starting to work with police departments. So, Coralville has one, North Liberty has one. There are various departments with social workers who are being hired. I actually talked to them about that for an extent of time, so they are being hired. I understand not everyone feels safe as like a social worker, a mental health worker doing those types of work. But there are some of us who are definitely willing to do so. But I think the Chief should probably speak on the staffing other than that. But yes, there are a lot of mental health agencies supplying those liaisons around our area as well. Townsend: I think there's been, over the years, concern about funding. Some people feel that the police budget shouldn't be as much as there's. But I think we need to be realistic in terms of what the objective and goal of our police force is. I think it's not an area where we can have the luxury of cutting back or, you know, not giving what's needed. Because we're talking about people that are doing a job where they can lose their lives. If someone reacts in a negative way. I think the first thing we want to do is we want to keep on making sure that we're giving our police officers what they need to be able to do their job and return home after in the evening. Liston: Every agency, law enforcement or otherwise, is having staffing issues, and that includes mental health services. The Iowa City Police Department has had one mental health liaison who is an employee of community that my agency helps fund. We've had him for a year and a half now, and they're still struggling to get a second one. They have just hired a second one, I'm happy to say that we'll be working with us, so we won't have 24/7 coverage, in my opinion. I don't know that we need that quite yet, but that's a long-term City Council goal and we're headed that direction. Now we'll have about 16 hours of coverage a day with a mental health liaison, which is great. To your point about not feeling safe. I get that. That's why our model is the co -responder. They usually respond with an officer after the scene is safe. I think the hope, the idea is that might reduce calls for service. I haven't seen that yet, but it certainly is a big value added. They offer services that we cannot offer. I think our officers are well trained. The entire county, law enforcement, whether it's North Liberty, us, County, are all crisis intervention trained. But we're not mental health professionals, so we team with community, with Mobile Crisis. They respond to a lot of our calls and certainly the people that we have in house. They're good part of our team and I really think it's just value added. They can do things that we can't do, specifically follow up. Like an officer is going call to call to call and they're not able to check in with someone to make sure they're getting the help they need. That's what the mental health liaison does. We're appreciative of that. As far as our staffing goes, we are authorized 85 officers. As we sit today, we are at 78. We have three conditional offers out to people who are not certified, which means they would have to go to the police academy in Des Moines, and then they would have to come back for our field training program. Those two pieces are eight months alone before they can really be contributing members of the department. The turnaround time is a long time. The academy that I'm speaking of begins in January. Realistically those three people, we have a new list that we just certified. We're hopeful to get a couple more to go to the academy on that one. They won't be contributing to the Iowa City Police Department fully until about this time next year. That's how long it takes us to get it turned around. One of the things we have been doing lately is hiring certified officers, meaning they've already been to the academy, they're a police officer somewhere else. They don't have to go to the academy. That takes four months out of that process. They still go through our field training program because we want to show them how we expect people to be police officers in Iowa City. We've changed some things. The Union and the City agreed to change some things in the contract that gives me the authority to hire them at a level commiserate with their experience. That has helped, and we just changed that. We haven't really seen how that's going to help, but it certainly will. I don't want to steal other certified officers from other agencies because they have the same staffing issues we do. But Iowa City has a lot to offer for this area other than Cedar Rapids, it's one of the bigger agencies, so there's opportunity. The community attracts. The community is my best recruiter, the University and the community, but also the size of our agency. People feel like they have opportunity to do different jobs as opposed to maybe some other agencies. Some people want to be in a small agency, some people to my former agency was 1,200 officers. We've got 85, so it's all about scale and scope. But I think we're doing a good job on recruiting. When those three new ones start, thaf11 put us at 81, which will probably be the high-water mark. Some people will say, well, if you've been working with this many officers, why can't you keep it at that level? It is extremely, if you have a family member in law enforcement, we have minimum staffing that we have to maintain, and people get forced to work. When we're hiring new officers, I want them to feel like they can enjoy some time with their family instead of working every single day off. It's just not safe to have officers working a certain amount, x amount of hours. That's why we feel our staffing is where it is. One of the things I would like to turn you on to in December of 2020, the City Manager published a preliminary plan for restructure. In that has a good history of the Community Police Review Board, how it started, and a lot of the statistics. But it also takes a deep dive into our staffing and compares our staffing to other similarly situated cities. It'll give you some interesting information on how our staffing is and how it compares to other college towns or university towns. Downing: Excuse me, do you have like volunteer staff too? That would go to like football games, high school football games, or basketball games. Not taking a police officer. I know Johnson County has sheriffs that are I don't know reserve. Liston: They have reserves. The City does not have that, the sheriff does. That's another problem with our staff and the school district. The University has expectations that we, provide, and sometimes we just can't do it. Especially over the last couple of years, we're starting to get out of that a little bit to where we are able to do that. But in addition, that's what they call a contract. The district would pay us back but now we don't have volunteers. We can't have a volunteer do it because there's some legalities with that. Public: Kind of related. Some of this is historic. I don't know what extent current, but there's got to be a large range of tasks that require police assistance. A classic example is calling the police to get your cat down who's stuck up high in the tree. How do you manage calls for things that don't require police versus things that do. Liston: Another great question, and that is one of the things that was part of the preliminary plan is diverting calls that don't require police officers. I will tell you there's no one who wants to go to non -police call worse than a police officer. But there's a couple of limiting factors. One of them is, the Iowa City Police Department does not run our dispatch. That's run by Johnson County. Another thing is calls don't always come in as they actually are. You've got someone who may be in some sort of panic situation or crisis and they're trying to tell you what's going on. You've got some person on the other side of the line trying to make heads or tails of that, and then deciding what it is and who needs to go. I think we've gotten to a point in our society where the default answer is us, because they don't want to assume the liability. Like we sent someone else, you can name whichever organization, and someone got hurt. That's what we're working through. One of the things we're doing right now with Community is trying to do diversion. Certainly 988 I think is going to help with that. But in the long run, I think it's a paradigm shift. There are some people I know that have never called the police in their entire life, and then there are other people I know that that is the first option. I know there are community groups in our community that are currently working on that. It's going to take some time, but that's a great question. That's one of the things we struggle with. I think the first answer is figure out a way, retraining, that's why they changed the national number, the suicide hotline, to 988 because everyone knows 911. Now, a lot of the calls we go to, the people are better equipped to handle is 988, and some of them don't require someone to show up. They just need someone to talk to, or they need someone who can guide them to the correct resources. So that's a fantastic question, and if I had the answer to that, if we could figure that out, that would solve a lot of problems. I think it's going to be an incremental thing that we just keep working overtime, and I think as new generations come up, they learn that hey, the police aren't the people who- I fix people's water pipes and I can't even fix my own water pipes. We've done all sorts of things before. When in doubt, we're the ones who end up getting called and it's going to take time. Townsend: I have a question for you. You indicated that the dispatch is run by Johnson County. Would it be advantageous if the police department handled the dispatch themselves? Liston: They used to. When I did my internship here in '97, they still even refer to that section of our building as dispatch because they used to. In the long run, financially, and the size of our community, most agencies do it the way we do it now, they handle dispatch for all the different agencies because with this size of community, we're constantly working hand in hand with the University, with Coralville, with North Liberty. In fact, just before I came here, there was a call where there were officers from every agency involved on that. When you have separate dispatch operations for each of those, the intercommunication gets pretty tough. There are some challenges with I get one vote when we're talking about making changes to communications, but I have a pretty good relationship with the rest of the agency heads, so we can usually work through that. I don't want to make it sound like an excuse; I'm blaming it on the communication center because I'm not. It's not their fault. It's something we can work through as a community. Remington: I just wanted to add on that the Johnson County Emergency Management did, I believe, just within the last year, undergo some training for triaging calls to 988 or mobile crisis instead of the police department. Public: I just wanted to mention that the tip line is a welcome item. Recently in the tower ramp shooting, the individuals involved ran by me and my chihuahua as we were in the alley by it. I see by the newspaper that apparently my call to the tip line helped out getting those located. I appreciate the tip line. Liston: Well, we appreciate you calling it. MacConnell: We have a vicious Chihuahua. All right. Is there anything else anyone would like to say? Liston: I'll say one more thing. This is the thing I mentioned at the last forum, and I think it's important because these people up here volunteer a lot of their time to sit and sift through videos and it's a thankless job, and I appreciate what each and every one of you do. I think it can be frustrating because we've had people in past forums say, well, what is your authority? You really don't have any authority, so why do you do this? Their real authority is their access and the ability for them to weigh in on policy. I know it can be frustrating when a lot of people think it's just about complaints. That is certainly part of it. But I think the real power is being able to look at our policies and, not to pat myself on the back, but talk to me and share their opinions with me. I appreciate what you guys do. I watch those videos so I know how tedious that can be, and you guys are doing it on your own time. Thank you for volunteering to do this. I think it lends credibility and it gives the community a voice in what we're doing instead of just me making all the decisions. Again, I just wanted to thank you all for that. MacConnell: Thank you, Chief. Remington: Thank you. I'm going to give one of the most recent examples I can think of, I think we discussed it at the last forum of a policy change, was when we noted that the Iowa City Police Review Board, or even to directly to the department, people had 90 days previously to file a complaint with us, whereas with other city agencies it was 180 days. That was one of the recommendations that we made within the last couple of years to make that 180 days instead of 90 that was approved, and that can make a big difference to somebody who's been through something traumatic. It can take time to sort through and be ready to put that all on paper. Public: I just have a comment. My husband's been on the Police Review Board now for, this is his second term, and there are a lot of things that I didn't realize the police did, like a police and fire department. We have a 101-year-old that lives with us, and she fell while we were on vacation staying with friends. Our friend called the fire department because they knew someone, and they have something called Lift. Didn't need the 911 call. They came over, helped to get her back in bed, and she was fine. But there are a lot of things that you do that aren't just go get the bad guy, and I think the public needs to know more about those kinds of things that you do that certainly doesn't happen in a big city. Kudos to the police department and the fire department of Johnson County, Iowa City. MacConnell: Thank you. I will entertain a motion to adjourn. Townsend: So moved. Downing: Second, MacConnell: All those in favor? Aye. The meeting has been adjourned. Thank you.