El Paso Strong Resolution

EL PASO STRONG RESOLUTION NO. 1 WHEREAS, the City of El Paso has taken many steps to reform the El Paso Police Department (EPPD), including but not limited to the recruitment and hiring of high-caliber and qualified applicants, the creation of civilian involved Discipline Review Board and the Shooting Review Team, instituting training for de-escalation techniques, adoption of training and policies on a duty to intervene, the creation of the Critical Incident Team, and the independent investigation of officer involved shootings and many other reforms; and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso is committed to improving our long-lasting communitypolicing model through the adoption of best-practice policies and procedures; and WHEREAS, despite widespread support and efforts, there are still no national standards for police recruitment, training or use of force techniques; and WHEREAS, racial discrimination in policies, services, and institutions continues to support a web of connected outcomes that disparately impact Black and Latinx and other non-white communities of color, such as poverty, increased food insecurity, increased incarceration, decreased educational attainment, decreased economic mobility, shorter life expectancy, among others, which may last for generations, as well as fewer opportunities to remedy these outcomes and break the cycles that perpetuate them; and WHEREAS, Black and Latinx and other non-white communities most impacted by racial injustice must be heard and centered in the process of reform, they must not be the only ones to demand change; and WHEREAS, In March of 2015 Police Foundation President Jim Bueerman provided written testimony to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing which stated: “The Five Things about Effective and Democratic Policing” for the 21st Century are: 1. Be purposeful and value-based (as opposed to rule-based); 2. Focus on legitimate, fair and equitable policing practices (as derived from community perceptions); 3. Engage in evidence-based policing strategies; 4. Focus on the future (by using future-studies concepts and tools); and 5. Focus on the “business” of policing (e.g. organizational development, utilizing emerging technologies, the cost of policing, etc.);” and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso is committed to improving and remedying problematic policies and practices “as they arise,” by establishing strategic goals to guide future policy making; and WHEREAS, such short and long-term reforms and remedies focused on building racial justice must consider the breadth of issues and interactive relationships between policy positions, extending not only into substantive reform, but also into budget and personnel decisions; and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso will pass this resolution to develop tools for use in evaluating the policies and practices of each City department and their impact on equity, with a goal of 20-1019-253/1001922/KMN El Paso Strong Resolution

informing the budgeting and policymaking processes to relieve racial and socioeconomic inequities; and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso will pass this resolution, “El Paso Strong� to seek reporting on and to encourage the elimination of racial disparities in arrests and other law enforcement actions; and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso will pass this resolution, which calls for various methods for reporting use of force and deadly force incidents, the percent of officers with a history of sustained use of force incidents, and the number of complaints; and WHEREAS, the City of El Paso commits to take action on the reports and analyses prepared by City staff, adopting applicable recommendations and reforming policy in pursuit of racial justice; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL PASO: 1. The City Council directs the City Manager to provide a detailed update on the current status of the Police Department and lead a discussion at several future City Council Work Sessions; and 2. These updates should include implementation of best practices in policing in comparison to no less than five (5) cities of similar size and demographics, and/or the top ten (10) safest cities including tools for use in evaluating the policies and practices of each City department and their impact on equity, with a goal of informing the budgeting and policymaking processes to relieve racial and socioeconomic inequities; and 3. The City Council directs the City Manager to continue reporting on racial profiling to encourage the elimination of racial disparities in arrests and other law enforcement actions; and 4. The City Council directs the City Manager to utilize various methods for reporting use of force and deadly force incidents, the percent of officers with a history of sustained use of force incidents, the number of complaints; and 5. These updates should include recommendations on the implementation of best practices in policing, in comparison to no less than five (5) cities of similar size and demographics, and/or the top ten (10) safest cities, including progress on the dashboard of metrics and indicators, analysis of the alignment of strategies with policies implemented since the adoption of this resolution, and recommendations to prioritize strategies.

6. The City Council directs the City Manager to research and study best practices for the composition and scope of the El Paso Discipline Review Board and the Shooting Review Board. The City Manager is directed to work with the current composition of the Discipline Review Board and Shooting Review Board to implement strategies and 20-1019-253/1001922/KMN El Paso Strong Resolution

provide quarterly updates. These strategies and goals should be vetted and reviewed by the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) and the Risk Management Section of the El Paso Police Department. These divisions will also provide recommendations to develop strategies and policies that require comprehensive reporting and potential alternatives to use of force. Should this work require additional staffing, the use of new technology, or resources, the City Manager will return to the City Council with appropriate budget amendments in future Fiscal Year proposed budgets. The Discipline Review Board and the Shooting Review Board will provide recommendations to the Chief of Police for additional or different metrics, improvements on existing metrics and reporting, data collection methods, or other analytical improvements to maintain the highest quality and accuracy of the analysis of progress toward this goal. Such recommendations may include, but are not limited to, reporting of race by those with whom EPPD officers interact as required by Federal and State law.

Dated this __day of June 2020.

CITY OF EL PASO

______________________________ Dee Margo, Mayor

ATTEST:

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

______________________________ Laura Prine City Clerk

____________________________________ Karla M. Nieman City Attorney

20-1019-253/1001922/KMN El Paso Strong Resolution

20-1019-253/1001922/KMN El Paso Strong Resolution