Springfield council considers citizen board to address racial equity issues
Updated Jan 21, 2021;
Posted Jan 21, 2021
Springfield City Councilor Tracye Whitfield speaks during the painting of a Black Lives Matter mural outside City Hall in September. (The Republican file photo)
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SPRINGFIELD City councilors on Thursday initiated plans to create a citizen board to address racial equity issues in Springfield, including equity in city promotions, contracts and grant opportunities.
Council Vice President Tracye Whitfield, the new chairwoman of the council’s Civil Rights subcommittee, suggested the Racial Equity Review Board could evaluate community complaints about equity and fairness, and look for remedies. She suggested that the board consist of five to seven residents from diverse backgrounds.
Springfield police forum focuses on body cameras, record keeping
Updated Dec 19, 2020;
SPRINGFIELD The city’s third public forum on policy and practice reforms in the Springfield Police Department, held Saturday morning, pleased city officials but left some residents questioning its value.
The two-hour forum, present online, was designed to update residents on the changes being implemented at the Police Department following a scathing report from the U.S. Department of Justice alleging systemic use of force and civil rights violations by the police Narcotics Unit.
Forum participant Ann Landry asked Saturday what the department had done since the report came out in July to address concerns its raised about record keeping and officer accountability.
Springfield officials tout police reforms ahead of forum Saturday
Updated Dec 18, 2020;
Posted Dec 18, 2020
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, shown here in a file photo, says the city has made progress in reforming its police department, but more work is still needed.
(Don Treeger / The Republican)
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SPRINGFIELD Five months after a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report alleged systematic illegal activity by the police Narcotics Unit, Mayor Domenic Sarno said the city continues to make the changes necessary to make the department right again.
The city either has implemented or is working on a number of structural changes, and more changes are in the works to improve transparency and accountability, Sarno said this week.
Mayor Domenic Sarno plans 3rd online forum to discuss Springfield police reform; critics fault meetings as ‘superficial’
Updated Dec 13, 2020;
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SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, along with city and Police Department officials, will host a third forum on Saturday to discuss the city’s efforts for Police Department reforms in the face of the U.S. Department of Justice report that found a pattern of misconduct and civil rights abuses by narcotics detectives.
The forum is intended as a back-and-forth dialogue in which city officials will share steps that have been taken since the report’s release in July and give citizens the opportunity to give input about what still needs to be done.