Read P1 columnist Joel Shults’ analysis of the reform here.
By Suzie Ziegler
WASHINGTON – In response to nationwide calls for sweeping police reforms, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) released a 40-page document (available in full below) detailing its plan for police reform in America’s cities.
According to a statement, following the death of George Floyd, the USCM assembled a workgroup tasked with developing actionable and realistic police reform measures. The group, led by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is a mix of mayors and police officials, who worked with several reform experts with a focus on restoring trust between officers and those they serve.
The plan “provides a roadmap for cities to improve policing and address structural racism,” said USCM officials in the statement.
“This comprehensive, bipartisan report, which has been adopted by the full U.S. Conference of Mayors, provides cities and police departments with strong, actionable steps to build trust and legitimacy between officers and the communities they serve over the coming years,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “The principles and recommendations in this report are not a simple one-size-fits-all approach but instead represent a roadmap to guide everything we as mayors do going forward on the road to reform.”
Other members of the workgroup are Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, Chair of the USCM Mayors and Police Chiefs Task Force, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri L. Williams and Columbia (SC) Chief of Police W.H. “Skip” Holbrook.
The group’s recommended areas for reform include:
- Redefining the role of local police and public safety, including the need to fund social services.
- Transparency and accountability, which covers department policies, collective bargaining agreements, and officer certifications and decertification.
USCM Report on Police Reform and Racial Justice by Ed Praetorian on Scribd