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4.A. - Page 2 of 98 <br />On June 22, Mayor Diane Howard appointed the Committee, and serves on the Committee along with <br />Vice Mayor Shelly Masur, and Council Member Alicia Aguirre. The Committee was charged with working <br />with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) and City staff on community engagement, <br />coordinating with staff on ensuring progress on police -related recommendations included with adoption <br />of the FY 2020/21 budget', providing guidance to staff on other actions to enhance police -related activities <br />in Redwood City, and reporting out regularly to the City Council and the community. City Manager Melissa <br />Stevenson Diaz, City Attorney Veronica Ramirez, Police Chief Dan Mulholland and Assistant City <br />Manager/Administrative Services Director Michelle Poche Flaherty staffed the Committee. <br />Over the past three months, members of the Committee and/or the City Manager have met with a variety <br />of stakeholders, including: <br />• Community members who organized the June 2, 2020 Black Lives Matter protest <br />• Redwood City Community for Racial Justice and Fair Policing <br />• Sequoia High School and Sequoia Unified School District <br />• Mid -Peninsula American Civil Liberties Union Volunteer Chapter <br />• Redwood City Police Officers Association <br />• Redwood City Police Supervisor's Association <br />• Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists <br />Listening to the community is an ongoing effort, with City Councilmembers regularly speaking with <br />residents to understand their perspectives. Additionally, the City Manager is scheduled to meet in early <br />October with representatives from Latino Focus, Los Bomberos (Latino Firefighters Association), the <br />National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Black Firefighter <br />Association, and the National Hispanic Firefighters Association. <br />The Committee has also received a report on alternative policing policies, practices and structures from <br />researcher Joyce Tagal on behalf of The Bill Lane Center of the American West at Stanford University <br />(Attachment A). The City Redwood City and other mid -Peninsula cities requested this report to help guide <br />steps forward. The report included academic and organizational literature review, interviews with <br />Stanford faculty and community experts, and case studies at selected peer cities. The report particularly <br />focused on strategies that could be appropriate for mid-sized suburban cities in three areas: data <br />collection and standards, culture change, and independent oversight. Additionally, Committee members <br />and staff have participated in numerous webinars and other learning opportunities. <br />1. Actions approved with the budget include: <br />a. Mayor and City Council to endorse the Obama Foundation Mayor's Pledge <br />b. Modify Police Department policies to categorize carotid restraint as a use of deadly force <br />c. Return military tactical vehicle donated to the City from the federal government <br />d. Increase frequency of racial and cultural diversity training <br />e. Refine use of force policy language to better reflect current law and make additional changes in <br />advance of new laws effective January 2021 <br />f. Increase availability of information to the public on police use of force and complaints against <br />officers, and other policies <br />Page 2 of 17 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />FA <br />