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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOW 2021-08-09 Item 6C - Discussion - Police Department Community Engagement PlanCOUNCIL AGENDA SYNOPSIS k•)* '1 Initials ITEM No. �1- Meeting Date Prepared by Mayor's review Council review ir* 8/9/21 PH %i 1908 ITEM INFORMATION STAFF SPONSOR: ERIC DREVER ORIGINAL AGENDA DATE: 8/9/21 AGENDA ITEM TITLE Tukwila Police Department Community Engagement Plan CATEGORY 11 Mtg Discussion Date 8/9/21 ❑ Motion Mtg Date ❑ Resolution Mtg Date ❑ Ordinance Mtg Date ❑ Bid Award Mtg Date ❑ Public Hearing Mtg Date ❑ Other Mtg Date SPONSOR ❑ Council ❑ Mayor ❑ Admin Svcs ❑ DCD ❑ Finance ❑ Fire ❑ P&R Police ❑ PIP/ SPONSOR'S Community safety requires a partnership between the community and its law enforcement. SUMMARY That partnership is established through community engagement. We present the Community Engagement Plan to enhance the trust that the Tukwila Community has placed in its law enforcement. REVIEWED BY ❑ Trans&Infrastructure Svcs A/ ❑ LTAC ❑ DATE: Community Svcs/Safety ❑ Finance & Governance ❑ Planning & Community Dev. Arts Comm. ❑ Parks Comm. ❑ Planning Comm. COMMITTEE CHAIR: DELOSTRINOS-JOHNSON RECOMMENDATIONS: SPONsoR/ADMIN. Police Department COMMITTEE Unanimous Approval; Forward to Committee of the Whole COST IMPACT / FUND SOURCE EXPENDITURE REQUIRED AMOUNT BUDGETED APPROPRIATION REQUIRED Fund Source: Comments: MTG. DATE RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTION 8/9/21 MTG. DATE ATTACHMENTS 8/9/21 Info memo dated 7/26/21 Community engagement plan Minutes from the 8/2 Community Services and Safety Committee meeting 43 44 W i City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Community Services and Safety Committee FROM: Chief of Police Eric Dreyer BY: Chief of Police Eric Dreyer CC: Mayor Allan Ekberg DATE: July 26th, 2021 SUBJECT: Tukwila Police Department Community Engagement Plan ISSUE Community safety requires a partnership between the community and its law enforcement. That partnership is established through community engagement; however, a law enforcement's community engagement efforts are only as effective as the relationship it has with the community it serves. Therefore, creating meaningful and sincere methods for establishing the community's trust in its law enforcement partner is critical to the success of any community engagement programs. BACKGROUND Law enforcement and the way that we interact with the community is changing. National attention on law enforcement, Washington State reform measures, and the evolving needs of the Tukwila Community require the Tukwila Police Department to evolve with our community. DISCUSSION The Tukwila Police Department is taking a three -prong approach in its Community Engagement Plan to enhance the trust that the Tukwila Community has placed in its law enforcement. Through Transparency, Accountability, and Community Engagement, we will build stronger relationships with our community. The police department will be continuing standing programs that are effective at addressing public safety needs and establishing new initiatives directed at improving community engagement. FINANCIAL IMPACT There is no financial impact for the Community Engagement Plan itself; however, there may be costs associated with specific programs within the plan as we identify resources and programs that could best meet the Tukwila Community's needs. The intent of the Tukwila Police Department is to absorb the costs of any of the listed programs within the current budget. As we identify programs that meet the community's needs and are repeating annually or require maintenance costs, we would address funding for continuation of these programs through future budget planning. RECOMMENDATION Information Only — Forward to the August 9, 2021 C.O.W. ATTACHMENTS Community Engagement Plan 45 46 Tukwila Police Department 15005 Tukwila International Blvd Tukwila, WA 98188 (206) 433-1808 47 TRANSPARENCY - ACCOUNTABILITY - ENGAGEMENT Community safety requires a partnership between the community and its law enforcement. That partnership is established through community engagement; however, a law enforcement's community engagement efforts are only as effective as the relationship it has with the community it serves. Therefore, creating meaningful and sincere methods for establishing the community's trust in its law enforcement partner is critical to the success of any community engagement programs. The Tukwila Police Department is taking a three -prong approach to enhance the trust that the Tukwila Community has placed in its law enforcement. Through Transparency, Accountability, and Community Engagement we will build stronger relationships with our community. Although this plan documents how the Tukwila Police Department will enhance its community engagement programs, it acts as a reminder of the Department's ongoing commitment of service to the Tukwila Community and serves as a way to focus our commitment of service to the community well into the future. TRANSPARENCY The first step towards building trust with the community is to establish law enforcement practices, processes, and programs that are transparent to the community. Law enforcement must create the means to open itself up to public scrutiny of how it operates, while also making available to the public accounts of both our achievements and our mistakes. 48 Communication The most critical step to achieve transparency is to establish effective communication with the Community. Having different mediums for communicating create a greater opportunity to reach more of the community. Social Media - Social media has become the ideal way to get information to the community in the fastest way possible. The strategies of its use are as diverse as the city itself. From emergency announcements that divert community members away from dangerous situations, to educating the public about crime prevention techniques, to relationship building with stories about the department's outreach efforts and interactions with the community we serve. Social media has been and will continue to be an integral part of our communications with the community. Community Forums - Establishing formal forums for the community allows access to the police department leadership and other department specialists through in- person and virtual events to address specific topics of community interest and open form Q&A. Community Survey - The Tukwila Police Department is working with the Community Oriented Police Citizen's Advisory Board (COPCAB) and has produced a survey that will capture information about the police department's interactions with the community, providing input on how the department can best meet their specific needs. The survey has been created in multiple languages in order to reach a greater number of the community members. Knowing what the department is doing well, as well as, knowing areas of needed improvement will allow us to appropriately allocate resources to improve police services. 49 Feedback - Just as important as gathering the community's input regarding the services of its law enforcement, providing feedback to the community about the analysis and actions to be taken as a result of their input will be vital in creating legitimacy for the department's communication efforts. Community Involvement After establishing sound communication platforms, it is imperative that the community be involved with and provide input regarding police department operations. Therefore, the Tukwila Police Department is finding new ways to include community members in the processes that should bear the most scrutiny. Hiring - There is no better program to involve the community than with the department's hiring process, as they will be in on the ground floor of forming the very make-up of the department members that will serve the community for years to come. The Police Department will initiate a public selection process that will create a roster of community members that will participate in the department's hiring, which will include being a part of an interview panel and providing input to the Chief of Police for the selection of new members of the Tukwila Police Department. Join t60:eam,..�y ,E; TUKWILA PD HIRING. WORKSHOP STARIIING SALARY si',6S2 M..i.d il.e wi o6.Mi. Use of Force Review Board - At the beginning of the year, the Tukwila Police Department established a Use of Force Review Board to assist with its annual review of all use of force by the members of the department. The board consists of Use of Force subject matter experts, policy experts, and community members. The community members were selected as part of a public process that filled the state requirement, per 1-940 and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 139-12, known as the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act (LETCSA), for assigned to independent investigative teams for community representatives to be investigating officer involved use of deadly force. The Tukwila Police Department has chosen to broaden the community representatives' responsibilities to include review of all 50 of the department's use of force. Currently there are four Tukwila community representative that sit on the board. The Use of Force Review Board just completed its first review for the department for all use of force during 2020. Moving forward, the board will meet quarterly to review reports of use of force, completing an annual review report in the first quarter of the year for the prior year. The annual report will be presented to Council and will be made public through our communication platforms. COPCAB - The Community Oriented Policing Citizen's Advisory Board is a City Commission of Tukwila community members appointed by the Mayor. The Board's primary duties are to Enhance police -community relations, provide a community perspective concerning police services, and promote public awareness of Tukwila's police services. The Chief meets monthly with COPCAB, providing them with updates on the progress of department activities. Civil Service Commission- is a City Commission of Tukwila community members appointed by the Mayor. In compliance with RCW 41.12, the Civil Service Commission regulates the rules established for objective hiring practices and promotions by the police department. The Chief meets monthly with the Commission to report on these items that fall under Civil Service. 51 ACCOUNTABILITY Regardless of how transparent the department maintains its operations, if members of the police department and the department itself have no accountability for their actions and processes, the relationship with the community and the trust they place in us will erode. Therefore, the department participates in programs that create that accountability and supports legislative reform that enhances the service that we provide to our community. Accreditation - The Tukwila Police Department participates with the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC) accreditation program. The program audits the department for maintaining mandatory standards for law enforcement to operate under established industry best practices. The department is not currently accredited but is in the process of being accredited and is on pace to be certified as an Accredited Agency at the WASPC Accreditation Fall Board meeting in November of this year. Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project - The ABLE Project is a program established by the Georgetown University Law Center's national training and support initiative for U.S. law enforcement agencies committed to building a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm to the community and to law enforcement. The benefits of meaningful active bystandership training are significant. Engagement with the Community: • Improved Community/Police relations • Improved community Satisfaction with their law Enforcement Agency 52 • Reduced harm to the Civilians Engagement with the Officers: • Improved Officer health, wellness, and job satisfaction • Reduced harm to Officers • Reduced risk of lawsuits against the City, Department, and Officers The Tukwila Police Department is adopting the ABLE Project curriculum and is dedicated to continuing to build upon our culture of peer intervention. LETCSA - The Tukwila Police Department has been involved with the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act since early 2019. LETCSA was enacted into law and became effective in January, 2020. WAC 139-12 lays out training requirements and establishes protocols for investigating officer -involved use of deadly force. The Department was among the first in the state to meet training requirements related to LETCSA. Additionally, Tukwila Police Department representatives have been on the forefront of establishing policies and administering compliance with the reform mandates for the region. The Department actively participates with the Valley Independent Investigative Team (VIIT), which is recognized as a leading independent investigation team in the state. The Tukwila Chief of Police is considered a subject matter expert on independent investigations and is currently assisting other agencies with establishing their own Independent Investigative Teams. 2021 Legislative Reform - In response to national attention on law enforcement, the State of Washington has several bills focused on police reform that passed through the recent legislative session. As these bills become enacted, the Tukwila Police Department will move to quickly adopt policy and train department members to comply with new reform measures. 53 COMMON/TY ENGAGEMENT Transparency and Accountability lay the foundation for effective Community Engagement. Engagement activities by both law enforcement and the community then allow for trust to build and relationships to grow. It is through our community engagement programs that the Department will gain a better understanding of how we can best meet the community's needs and the community can learn about how the department provides services for those needs. The Department is currently involved with the following community engagement programs: Theft Third and Mall Safety (T3AMS) Diversion Program - Through collaborative partnerships with community-based organizations, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Southcenter Mall Management, the Tukwila Police Department, and University of Washington Center for the Study & Advancement of Justice Effectiveness (SAJE), T3AMS successfully developed and managed a result -based pre -filing Theft 3 diversion program and culturally relevant Mall Safety prevention program. Over the last two years, the work of T3AMS has become an integral part of Southcenter Mall's youth engagement strategy with the full support of the Tukwila Police Department and has been noticed by other organizations seeking to use the program as a benchmark. School Resource Officers - The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) recommends a triad approach to school policing, in which every SRO serves the school community as: (1) a mentor/informal counselor, (2) an educator/guest lecturer, and (3) a law enforcement officer. The former two roles assist the latter role. School resource officers should not be involved in disciplinary issues normally handled by teachers and administrators. NASRO believes that wide acceptance of both its 54 triad concept and its recommendation against involvement in discipline help explain a decrease in rates of juvenile arrests that occurred throughout the U.S. during a period when the proliferation of SROs increased. The benefits of an SRO, in addition to improving security, carefully selected and well-trained SROs bridge gaps between youth and law enforcement, creating positive impressions that transcend the school environment. These officers also help troubled youth change behaviors that might otherwise lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. Coffee with a Cop - Coffee with a Cop is an informal way to improve trust and build relationships between the Community and its Law Enforcement Partners - one cup of coffee at a time. We hold these events several times throughout the year and they are a great way for the public to meet Tukwila officers. Shop with a Cop - Shop with a Cop is a Target sponsored program, which is also known as the Heroes & Helpers program, "helps build positive relationship by pairing officers with underprivileged elementary school students as they shop for holiday gifts for their families with gift cards donated by police and retailers." Touch a Truck - A program focused on kids of all ages to provide an opportunity for them to become familiar with and build relationships with first responders through the vehicles that we use to do our jobs. 55 Community Police Academy - A 13 -week program for people who live or work in Tukwila where they learn about the Tukwila Police Department and what officers have to know to do their job. Additionally, participants hear about what officers see and experience here in our City. Bulldog Academy (High School Students) - In 2017, the Bulldog Academy was created as a means to be more involved with the Tukwila Youth, especially our students. Similar to the Community Police Academy, we teach students about the Tukwila Police Department and how officers do their jobs. It has been a successful program that has improved the Department's relationship with Tukwila students. Night Out Against Crime - Night Out Against Crime enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community by allowing for neighbors to build relationships with each other in addition to its local law enforcement. arrAriu*af Tuesday, August 3, 3031 Block Watch - The police department liaisons with neighborhood communities to establish formal community watch programs. Block Watch is a program that is organized by neighbors that work together and in conjunction with the police to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for their neighborhood. 56 Community Forums "Town Halls" - Aside from being an effective way to be transparent, topic focused forums provide a way for the police department to address specific areas of concern for the community. Tuesday, June 15th 6PM VEINAL EVENT VIA Mt TEM MEETING TOPICS • Department a-inellrct • Community emvbpcs • Ct. with the Chief a/ Police MEET THE CHIEF Homeless Outreach Efforts - Homelessness impacts the entire community - Not just the individuals experiencing being homeless. The Tukwila Police Department partners with the other departments in the city to provide resources to the homeless and clean up unhealthy conditions within the city. Co -Responder Programs - The Tukwila Police Department co -responder program is a collaborative approach with Mental Health Professionals designed to address the City of Tukwila's desire to ensure Tukwila's mentally ill and chemically dependent residents have access to community treatment in lieu of incarceration for non-violent misdemeanor offenses. The program also provides appropriate community services to facilitate diversion, including community after-care services. Additionally, the Tukwila Police Department has partnered with other neighboring agencies with a grant that provides for on-call co -responder mental health professional services. Social Media - As mentioned under Transparency, Social media has become the ideal way to get information to the community in the fastest way possible and is an integral part of our community engagement efforts. Active Daily Interactions - The Tukwila Police Department strives to provide the best service possible on a daily basis. Using every interaction with the public as a means to build trust and grow our relationship with the Community. Following the City's core values of Caring, Professional, and Responsive along with the Police Department core values of Leadership, Excellence, Accountability, and Dedication, we are able to create new opportunities to engage with the community and meet their needs. 57 Creating more opportunities for the Community to engage with its Police Department - While the Tukwila Police Department pride's itself on the community engagement that we have been involved in for years, it is important for us to continue to find new ways to continue our outreach efforts. Therefore, through our current methods of community engagement we hope to learn from the community new ways that they would like to see its police department interact with them. 58 FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN Utilizing the Department's Community Engagement Plan as a launching point for gathering information on how to best meet the needs of the Tukwila Community, we will put a work group together, including Community Representatives, that will layout a five-year strategic plan that incorporates what we have learned from the Tukwila Community. The following is a schedule of transparency, accountability, and engagement action items: 2021 Third Quarter Schedule Community Forums Initiate COPCAB/PD Survey Post selection process for Community Members to be involved with hiring process ABLE Project Training and implementation Review of SRO positions with Tukwila School district Present Use of Force Review Board Report to Council and then publish to Community. Preparation for Accreditation Process Review and implementation of WA Legislative session passed bills Implement Co -Responder Programs Ongoing efforts to provide outreach to homeless. Hold Community Forums Problem solving with community groups to address specific concerns as they come up through community engagement. 2021 Fourth Quarter Establish work group for 5 -year Strategic Plan Review input from COPCAB/PD Survey and Community Engagements to form the basis of a 5 -Year Strategic Plan for the Police Department. Complete Accreditation process with WASPC Community Police Academy Hold Community Forums Ongoing efforts to provide outreach to homeless. 59 Problem solving with community groups to address specific concerns as they come up through community engagement. 2022 First Quarter Review of 2021 Engagement Plan and report to Council and Community. Update Community Engagement Plan for 2022 60 City of Tukwila City Council Community Services & Safety Committee Meeting Minutes August 2, 2021- 5:30 p.m. - Electronic Meeting due to COVID-19 Emergency Councilmembers Present: Staff Present: De'Sean Quinn, Acting Chair; Zak Idan, Kate Kruller David Cline, Jay Wittwer, Ben Hayman, Vicky Carlsen, Laurel Humphrey, Eric Dreyer, Juan Padilla Acting Chair Quinn called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. I. BUSINESS AGENDA Consensus existed to add consideration of a co -responder program contract with Sound. A. 2021 2nd Quarter Police Department Report Staff presented the report. Committee Recommendation: Discussion only. B. Police Department Community Engagement Plan Staff presented the Plan. Committee Recommendation: Discussion only. Forward to August 9, 2021 Committee of the Whole. II. MISCELLANEOUS The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Committee Chair Approval Minutes by LH 61