Police Community Engagement Board

minutes Meeting Title 9/20/2021 6:37 Meeting called by Katy Miller Type of meeting PCEB Facilitator Katy Miller Note taker Erin Klippi Timekeeper Erin Klippi Board Participants Dr. Scott Groesch (S.G.) Katy Miller (K.M.) Mayor Gerry Welch (G.W.) Chief Dale Curtis (D.C.) Rev. Eric Hayes (E.H.) Kevin Sombart (K.S.) Agenda Item 3 Review and Approval of July and August 2021 Minutes Discussion Conclusions Motion by Rev. Eric Hayes Second by Dr. Scott Groesch Approved - All Action Items Person Deadline Responsible Send to City Erin Klippi 9/28/2021 Agenda Item 4 Discussion of August Meeting Discussion Discussion was had regarding the resignation of Board Chair Cindy Neu, following the August 2021 Board Meeting. Conversation included, but was not limited to the following. minutes E.H. – Acknowledged that the Board was not necessarily what he thought it would be when he agreed to serve as a member. K.M. – Questioned if that may have been a factor in Cindy’s resignation as well. K.S. Expressed that the “Engagement” Board was never to be a “Review” Board and he would not feel qualified to serve if it were. K.M. Solicited comments from the Board regarding moving forward and finding new Board members and leadership. K.S. Discussed that the influence of the Board was in the openness of discussion and the inclusion of community members. Acknowledged he has learned much about the Police Department policies and procedures while serving on the board and that this learning is available to any community member who chooses to attend the meetings. E.H. Questioned what the Board is doing to actually engage the community. K.M. Agreed that engaging the whole community needs to be a central focus moving forward. K.S. Raised the question of whether the community is interested in the work of the Board. He further acknowledged the complexities of getting community member to be engaged in all levels of local government and expressed that government entities do not mover at the pace of the private sector by design to keep from being “reactive”. S.G. Expressed that he felt the Board was headed in the right direction with a Mission and Vision Statement. Additionally, he reiterated the need to have more activities that actually engage with community members. G.W. Presented the question “What is it that the Board wants to do that the currant ordinance does not allow you to do?” K.M. Discussed the need for some members of the community to have a place that was perceived as safe to discuss police interactions that could be considered unfair or racist without the presence of members of the Police Department, as that could be perceived as unsafe. S.G. Expressed that he felt the issue was addressed in the previous meeting by the City Attorney. K.M. Speculated that the restrictions created by the Sunshine Laws may have felt stifling to Cindy and others. G.W. Questioned what the Board would do with any information gathered from the community K.M. Acknowledged that the Board has not had to face this issue. minutes S.G. Previous interactions with W.U. Students were discussed and that information regarding the whys of some interactions with the Police Department were able to be explained to prevent misinterpretation. Expressed that changes to policy have been made through discussion. K.S. Relayed information from a previous meeting with a community group who expressed concern that some policy changes might limit the departments ability to properly police and that could result in an uptick in crime. Additionally, this information expressed different areas of concern from different areas of the community. E.H. Reiterated the difficulty of getting the community involved and acknowledged presenting the Community Survey to his Congregation realized no participants. K.M. Questioned if the City of Webster Groves communications manager could attend a meeting to possible give advice on more effective engagement. G.W. Confirmed that Jenny (communications) could be added to a future agenda.E.H. Could the Board be present for a community function at this congregation? G.W. Absolutely, additionally, she could speak to the F.D. to see if they could administer COVID shots. S.G. Piggybacking the event instead of a separate event would be a great idea. D.C. Discussed the options available to allow community members to participate via Zoom anonymously. Acknowledged the need for good communication with the community and the Boards participation in facilitating that communication. K.M. and K.S. Agreed that the options proposed by D.C. could be impactful in engaging with the community and expressed opinions based on such. Conclusions Action Items Person Deadline Responsible Nothing Specified Agenda Item 5 minutes Discussion on filling the open Board positions and support for Members Discussion Discussion was had on the importance of recruiting a member for the board from the Business base of Webster Groves. Information on the process including the need for an interview process with potential members and City Council was provided by Mayor Welch. Conclusions Action Items Person Deadline Responsible G.W. will make announcement at Business District meeting the following day Agenda Item 6 Review Agenda for 9/28/2021 Meeting Discussion Items to be added to the Agenda for 9/28/21 include but are not limited to The potential changes to the ordinance allowing the PCEB October Event(s) Selection of ne Board Chair Conclusions Action Items Person Deadline Responsible Items to be Added to Agenda Katy 9/27/2021 minutes Agenda Item 7 Comments from Observers Farrell from AID expressed concern that the Board has not has sufficient time to review the potential changes to the Ordinance and offered the help of the AID in drafting revisions based on recommendations provided by the City Attorney in the August 2021 meeting. Resulting from comments D.C. will send a copy of the AID document (dated 5/14/2021) to Erin Klippi who will highlight areas of concern as presented by the City of Webster Groves Attorney in the August 2021 meeting. D.C. will include notes from the City Attorney. Farrell from AID will condense the original document to a list form for the next meeting. Agenda Item 8 Adjourn 7:39 pm