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When one Iowa City city council member raised the possibility of abolishing the police department during a meeting Tuesday, a majority of her colleagues spoke against it.
A majority of the Iowa City City Council made clear Tuesday that they’re opposed to the possibility of abolishing the police department. The discussion came during a meeting focused on reviewing recommendations for how the city could restructure its police department, and was prompted after one city council member published a newspaper opinion piece calling for the possibility of abolition to be “on the table.”
At a council work session Tuesday, a majority of council members made clear that while they’re still in the process of what they call “restructuring” the city’s police department, they have no plans of abolishing it. Mayor Bruce Teague said even the word abolish is politically “dangerous.
The Iowa City Community Police Review Board will discuss how to achieve greater accountability from the police department when it holds its annual forum on May 17.
Appointed by the Iowa City Council, the board is made up of five local residents. In addition to reviewing police policies and making recommendations, the board s members conduct independent reviews of police misconduct complaints.
While the public is always invited to participate and listen to its monthly meetings, the board also holds a special annual forum to engage with the community about its work. This year s will be held virtually.
The board will discuss proposed changes to increase its ability to hold the police department accountable and Iowa City staff s proposals to restructure the department toward community policing, according to a news release.
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April 1, 2021
The Community Police Review Board (CPRB) will host its annual Community Forum to hear views on Iowa City Police Department policies, practices and procedures. The community is invited to submit questions and comments that will be used during the event.
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The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., Monday, May 17, 2021. An electronic Zoom meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19.
Topics will include open discussion regarding the proposed changes to the CPRB and the restructuring of the police department toward community policing. Police Chief Dustin Liston will also attend the forum and be available to meet and talk with participants.
Protestors in Iowa City march along a highway while protesting racial injustice and police brutality.
The Iowa City City Council is considering how to move forward, following an independent review of law enforcement officers’ use of tear gas against racial justice protestors in Iowa City last summer. The lengthy report conducted by the California-based OIR Group concluded that the “aggressive” use of force was “unprecedented in recent memory. The review includes 39 recommendations for the city and its officers, which local leaders hope to get public feedback on.
“We need to learn from this incident: what happened, why it happened, how it happened and how can we do better? And do it differently in the future,” City Councilmember Susan Mims said a work session Tuesday.