Human Rights Commission Meeting

CITY OF NORMAN, OK HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING Municipal Building, Executive Conference Room 201 West Gray St., Norman, OK 73069 Monday, July 25, 2022 at 5:30 PM MINUTES The Human Rights Commission of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met in the Municipal Complex located at 201 West Gray St. on July 25, 2022, at 5:30 p.m., and notice and agenda of the meeting were duly posted 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. PRESENT Commission Chair Christina Owen Commissioner Jackie Farley Commissioner Chris Nanny Commissioner Ellen Kraft Commissioner Samuel Woodfork Commissioner Dr. Binbin Weng ABSENT Commissioner Michael Kihega Commissioner Aisha Ali STAFF PRESENT Cinthya Allen, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Anthony Purinton, Assistant City Attorney Major Brent Barbour, Police Community & Staff Services Bureau Sarah Encinias, Legal Admin Tech ROLL CALL A quorum was present. MINUTES 1. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE JUNE 27, 2022, REGULAR MEETING Motion was made by Commissioner Farley to approve the Minutes for the June 27, 2022, regular meeting and the motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Nanny. A vote was taken with the following results: all approved, and none opposed. The Minutes were approved by unanimous vote. AGENDA ITEMS 2. ELECTION FOR VICE-CHAIR The vacancy left by former Commissioner Marjaneh Seirafi-Pour also leaves the position of Vice-Chair vacant. After group discussion, motion was made by Commissioner Nanny HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, July 25, 2022 Page |1  to nominate Commissioner Kraft to serve as Vice-Chair. The motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Farley and a vote was taken with the following results: all approved, and none opposed. Commissioner Kraft was selected to serve as Vice-Chair by unanimous vote. 3. DISCUSSION REGARDING NPD COMMUNITY POLICING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Major Barbour provided a handout showing the organizational structure of the Police Department. This structure typically changes about every 6 years when community needs are reevaluated. Of three Bureaus, The Community Outreach Division is located under the Community & Staff Services Bureau. This Bureau is currently headed by Captain Clement but as she is retiring soon, Captain Hopcus has been identified as her replacement. The Bureau has a focus on Crime Analysis and contains three Sections: Problem Resolution Section, Community Services Section, and School Resource Section. Currently, the department is down by 23 officers and more are leaving than are joining so Sections are not fully staffed at this time. The Problem Resolution Section includes the PACE Unit (Pro-Active Crime Enforcement) which focuses on identifying core issues and primary causes of criminal activity. They also utilize DDATCS (Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety) as a non-enforcement component to identify where to focus activity for the greatest impact. The Community Services Section focuses on creating outreach opportunities to engage the public in group discussions and includes activities such as the Citizen’s Police Academy, National Night Out and NPD Community Safety Day. The School Resource Section encompasses the School Resource Officers whose primary duties are to enhance school safety and provide outreach through youth programs like Junior Police Academy and Safety Town. Major Barbour said they are always looking for ways to reach more people and they welcome suggestions and ideas. 4. DISCUSSION REGARDING MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX (MEI) Mr. Purinton said the Municipal Equality Index (MEI) is a program of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and partner, Equality Federation Institute, that provides a nationwide evaluation of municipal laws. It acts as a benchmarking tool that enables cities to evaluate their laws for local protections of the LGBTQ+ community. These protections, in turn, promote inclusivity and help drive economic growth. In 2021, and for the first time ever, the City of Norman received a Final Score of 100%. Norman was also the only city in Oklahoma to achieve this score. Commissioner Nanny asked for a copy of the scorecard and Ms. Allen said she would be sure to provide commissioners with a copy. Mr. Purinton said the City participates in this program annually and national scores can be viewed online at: https://www.hrc.org/resources/municipal-equality-index. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, July 25, 2022 Page |2 MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS Cinthya Allen reminded the Commission that the first meeting of the Norman Diversity Roundtable was held on July 9th in the County Commissioners meeting room with a total of 16 residents participating. Ms. Allen said attendees were highly motivated and eager to help and learn. They also volunteered to help with precinct work related to the upcoming municipal election. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:51 p.m. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, July 25, 2022 Page |3