AMES, Iowa — Editor's Note: The video above is from June 18, 2020. Our VERIFY team tackles three claims about a situation at Shake Shack, the Black Lives Matter Movement and attempts to tie the defund the police movement to Adolf Hitler.
It's been four months since George Floyd was killed by a Minnesota police officer, sparking outrage and protests across the globe against police brutality.
In Ames, city and law enforcement officials are using Floyd's death to reflect on themselves and determine the best policing policies for the City.
Shortly after Floyd's death, Ames Police Department Chief Charles Cychosz wrote a letter to the Ames community about his death, highlighting the current practices done by the department to make sure nothing like Floyd's death happens in the city.
A 45-page report released Friday features the "extraordinary amount of feedback" the City Council has received as well as current policies and recommendations for policing in Ames.
City Manager Steve Schainker will present the full report to the Ames City Council Tuesday at 6 p.m. via Zoom.
What's in the report?
The report lists out nine common themes among feedback submissions, including:
- Organizational culture
- Police officer recruitment and selection process
- Police officer training/education
- Departmental policies
- City ordinances and state law
- Transparency
- Accountability in complaint handling and discipline
- Communication
- Funding
The report, compiled by Schainker, highlights these suggestions, what the City is currently doing about them and the Schainker's recommendations to address each theme.
Schainker lists 21 recommendations that impact not only Ames Police Department officers but city officials. Recommendations include altering the department's budget, city ordinances and creating independent committees to check in.
A large portion of the report emphasizes the need for proper bias training for officers, even creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator to organize these trainings.
The full report can be viewed below.
Information on how you can participate in Tuesday's meeting can be found by clicking/tapping this link.