Citizens’ Engagement Advisory and Review Commission (CEARC)

City of Hampton, VA Meeting Minutes Citizens’ Engagement Advisory and Review Commission Attendance: Alice Callahan, Charlene Johnson, Corey Palmer, Councilwoman, Chris Snead, Crystal Carrington, Debbie Hudgins, Jim Williams, Leroy Foster Jr., Michele E. Benson, Michelle Riddick Hamilton, Rev. Simeon Green III, Shannon D. Freeman (Vice Chair), Shawn O’Keefe (Chair), Sanket Acharya (CEARC Community Liaison), Steven D. Bond (ACM), Absent: Dr. Ahmed Noor, Ryan Taylor, Will Moffett Staff: Latiesha Handie (Executive Director) _______________________________________________________________ Date: January 15, 2019 Time: 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm Venue: Ruppert-Sargent Building, Veterans Conference Room, 1Franklin Street Hampton, VA __________________________________________________________________ Call to Order: CEARC Chairperson Shawn O’Keefe called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm Roll Call: Latiesha Handie, CUC Executive Director Action Items Item 1: Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes 9-29-18 Annual Retreat  Commissioner Rev. Simeon Green III made a motion to approve the minutes; motion seconded by Commissioner Shannon Freeman. Minutes approved by vote of commissioners.  The meeting minutes were approved, with no corrections.  Meeting agendas and approved meeting minutes are now available online at www.hampton.gov/unity. New Business Item 1: Introductions & Welcome new CEARC Commissioner  Chairperson, Shawn O’Keefe, welcomed Commissioner, Charlene Johnson, who was recently appointed on December 12, 2018, by City Council and opened the floor for introductions.  Charlene Johnson introduced herself and shared her familiarity with existing commissioners. Item 2: Officer Term Expiration 1   Latiesha Handie, CUC Executive Director, announced that the terms for Chair and Vice Chair would expire in February 2019 based on the appointment process of an annual election. Latiesha stated her plans to hold elections during the next meeting.  Councilwoman Chris Snead inquired about the process of current officer’s ability to complete consecutive terms.  Latiesha Handie referred to the Bylaws and found that the document did not specify processes of election and terms of Officers.  Shawn O'Keefe asked Assistant City Manager, Steven D. Bond about processes carried out by similar boards that could potentially be adopted by CEARC. Mr. Bond stated that he would follow-up by providing information on election and term guidelines for the Commission to consider before the next meeting.  Latiesha Handie stated that once she receives the recommended language, she will email the commission for review and consideration. Item 3: Training Roadmap Review  Shawn O'Keefe explained that with only two sessions left in the training roadmap developed in July of 2018, the commission should begin to think about training opportunities for the upcoming roadmap. Training Session  During this portion of the meeting, the commission received facilitated training on Media Relations to understand the parameters of information sharing and to discuss how they envision working with other agencies to fulfill the commission's role.  Training facilitated by Hampton Police Members Chief, Terry Sult, Captain Wideman, and Marketing and Outreach, Communication Strategist, Robin McCormick provided the following insight.  CEARC received guidance from a public information perspective on media relation processes in the event of activation.  Chief Sult stated that upon appointment each commissioner should sign a nondisclosure agreement that protects topics or information disclosed in a formal briefing.  Should the City Manager and Council choose to activate CEARC when a controversial event occurs, all verified information will be disbursed through the police public information officers and the marketing and outreach department. Any undisclosed information will be details that could jeopardize the outcome of the case or any particular prosecution. PD does not release anything that is of investigative value unless under the exception provided from the Chief.  Typically when events occur, information from the public spreads on social media platforms first which sometimes frames the narrative. However, such entities are not obligated to ensure the accuracy of the content.  Therefore, information from the police may appear delayed because all data must be verified and factual. The police department evaluates all aspects of the situation and shares what is known as information evolves.  The police department will share with the public: o What they know o What they are doing; o What you can do  During police debriefs if there is information CEARC can share with people it will be introduced as a document. 2   Shawn O'Keefe requested details on how and when to share information with the public in the event of an activation. I.e., to the daily press, wavy TV 10, and social media.  Chief Sult recommended that prior to speaking with media CEARC consult with the city’s public information groups. Questions should be redirected to the police department or marketing and outreach. However, in the event to which the commission is asked to engage the public on a media platform, it should be coordinated through marketing and outreach or the police public information officers to ensure the representative is well informed and prepared to answer questions in ways that align with the city’s messaging. Such coordination will reduce the potential appearance of speculation from an official position which could result in liabilities for the city.  Mando Communications Strategist, Robin McCormick, stated that media outlets would typically probe CEARC as the first point of contact before receiving information developed by the police department. In such instances, the role of CEARC is not to talk about the facts but to communicate the process to create calm in the community.  Assistant City Manager, Steven D. Bond reinforced Robin McCormick’s comment by stating, one of the main purposes of the Commission is to create distance and time necessary for city officials to fully evaluate and investigate incidents to determine facts regardless of whose side it favors. Secondly, this group should not share facts because as information evolves the last report received could quickly become obsolete and harm the credibility of the commission amongst your realm of influences.  However, if the commission is at activation offices involved will be in constant communication to share the process and time tables.  After much discussion, Chief Sult suggested a follow-up conversation to determine the parameters and processes of sharing information. Such examples were: o To perform mock interviews with Robin McCormick and the PIO’s o Revisit the non-disclosure policy o Robin McCormick suggested to identify who and if one person should be appointed as the commission speaker or if everyone is designated to speak on their behalf. She reiterated that the Commission does not speak on behalf of the city. Mr. Bond stated that speakers if any are identified, should be based on what the event is and what community it touches to determine who the appropriate speaker is at that time and should be fluid enough to elect speakers that can and feel comfortable representing the commission based on the situation. o Chief Sult invited the commission to participate in simulated training once the new police training site is fully operational.  As a wrap-up Latiesha Handie stated that she would follow-up on the suggested next steps of engagement and thanked the participating guest for their attendance.  Assistant City Manager, Steven D. Bond also thanked Latiesha for her service and commitment to the commission and expressed his confidence in the work she produces for the department. Announcements  Assistant City Manager, Steven D. Bond invited the commission to attend the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. and Hampton Hero's Memorial ceremony at the Hampton Roads Convention Center on January 21, 2019, at 1 pm  Commissioner, Rev. Dr. Simeon Green III announced that also on Monday, January 21 st at 10 am the Minister Coalition of Hampton would have an MLK Day service at First Baptist Church of Hampton on King Street. The keynote speaker is Commonwealth Attorney, Anton Bell. 3   Vice Chair, Shannon Freeman, shared that the National Association of Negros Business and Professional Women's Club would be hosting their Annual MLK Tribute Dinner at the Crown Plaza on January 20, 2019. Tickets on sale for $40.00. 1. Call meetings: In the event that a crisis or other significant incident occurs a special call meeting will be scheduled by the City Manager or the CUC Executive Director. Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 6:30p-8:30p, Ruppert L. Sargent Building, 1 Franklin Street, Hampton, VA Meeting adjourned at 8:02 pm 4