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Planning Group Proposal Submitted for: September 27, 2016 St. Anthony City Council Meeting Submitted by: Police Advisory Committee of St. Anthony Villagers for Community Action (SAVCA) and by Justice Occupation for Philando Proposal Contact: Nancy Robinett (robinetnancy@gmail.com, Ph. 520-591-9435) Overview: At the September 13, 2016, St. Anthony Village City Council meeting, Mayor Jerry Faust, and the three council members present, indicated support for examining institutional racial bias in the policing practices of the St. Anthony Police Department, as the response to the agenda item proposal led by Kristine Lizdas. At that meeting SAVCA recommended the immediate formation of a planning group to flesh out the details of a larger city/community initiative on investigating institutional racial bias in policing. Following is the proposal for this planning group. Summary of Preliminary Planning The initial group will be charged with creating and presenting a plan for a city/community initiative that closely explores how the everyday practices, procedures and routines of the police department result in racially disparate outcomes and experiences for communities of color. The initiative will model a strong city/community collaboration, promoting transparency and trust in policing. The initiative will focus on institutional policies and practices of the St. Anthony Police Department, rather than on individual police staff, with the goal of creating across-the-board police responses that promote the safety and well-being of all communities. The final product of the initiative will be new SAPD policies, procedures and administrative practices that significantly reduce racial bias and disparity in policing. As stated in the Lizdas proposal underlying this planning group proposal, this effort begins with the assumption that racial bias exists in the institution of policing, and that this racial bias is not unique to St. Anthony Police Department. The goal of this racial bias assessment in policing is to make progress in police practices and to make progress in community well-being for all the communities affected by St. Anthony policing. Summary of the Work of the Planning Group The formal proposal from this Planning Group to City Council should address the following: • Define the purpose and scope of the institutional assessment; • Outline the major activities of the assessment and identify a project timeline; • Identify Steering Group participants that broadly represent the impacted departments and communities and who can provide the commitments necessary for carrying-out the assessment; 55