City Council Work Session

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Cedar Falls Council Chambers June 22, 2020 The City Council held a special work session at City Hall via teleconference at 5:00 p.m. on June 22, 2020, with the following persons in attendance: Mayor Robert M. Green, Frank Darrah, Susan deBuhr, Simon Harding, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller, Dave Sires, and Nick Taiber. Staff members attended from all City Departments. Amie Rivers from the Waterloo Courier attended, as well as members of the community. Mayor Green introduced the first item on the agenda, Response to Resistance (Use of Force) Presentation. Mayor Green said on June 8th he sent a request to Public Safety Director Jeff Olson on the Public Safety Departments policies on the use of force. Mr. Olson reviewed department policy with regards to use of force. He said they use what is reasonably necessary in response to resistance. He reviewed a study which states, the need for good policies in place towards de-escalation and use of force, which includes good training; whether at the academy or while on staff with annual training sessions. He stated the City of Cedar Falls requires 60 credit hours or a bachelor degree for hiring and this too has an effect on the use of force and ability to deescalate situations. He stated the Police manual is +300 pages long which include rules and regulations about responding to various calls. He said officers are required to submit a report when they use force on a call for service. Mr. Olson also stated other officers are to report when they see a violation to a policy. He explained officers are trained to deescalate the situation prior to use of force; using the minimal amount of force while appropriate towards the offender and understanding why the person may be defiant. Mr. Olson stated it is an ongoing process to review the Police manual and policies. Marty Beckner, Public Safety Supervisor – Lt. stated officers are trained to use other techniques, rather than a choke hold. He stated the State has banned the use of choke holds, with two exceptions. Mr. Olson stated there are few complaints submitted to the department due to the use of technology such as body cameras and Tasers. He said the body camera footage has helped clear officers in cases. Mayor Green opened it up to item two on the agenda, Use of Force discussion and consensus building by City Council. Discussion took place over dealing with complaints, tracking trends to mitigate, bias testing, and annual reviews of officers. Mr. Beckner stated officers do have bias testing during their initial hiring process and have been looking for new additional options if it proves cost effective. Mr. Olson stated the officers understand they must report on others who might violate a policy and understand this is the environment they work in; officers are able to react to the complaints reported so they feel comfortable reporting the violations. Mr. Olson stated they work with the Human Rights Commission as part of a county wide team. Mayor Green stated this presentation did review the eight items he requested to be covered. There being no further discussion, Mayor Green adjourned the meeting at 6:24 p.m. Minutes by Lisa Roeding, Controller/City Treasurer