Wauwatosa Common Council Creates Ad Hoc Committee To Address Policing And Systemic Inequities

Press release from the City of Wauwatosa:

July 24, 2020

On June 30, 2020, the Wauwatosa Common Council established an ad hoc committee to address policing and systemic inequities.

The ad hoc committee will meet as soon as schedules permit with the initial focus of determining how to 1) foster enhanced dialog with and amongst the community, 2) assign relative priority to topics and outcomes, and 3) drive compelling action through Government Affairs and the Common Council.

The following recommendations, topics, and actions will be the starting point for this work:

• The funding, policy, and implementation of body worn cameras within the Wauwatosa Police Department
• Recommendations from the Equity and Inclusion Commission, including:
  • Remediation of racial disparities and complaints made by the public
  • Allowing for outside investigation to be called for by members of the public, including overnight to ensure thorough and expedient response to open records requests
  • Demographic data including detentions and traffic stops, running of drivers license or license plates
  • Reports and grievance of problematic officer behavior for the purpose of eliminating racial and other bias exposed by data
  • Banning chokeholds or other tactics that restricts a person's airway or circulation
  • Establish an ordinance prohibiting the request and execution of no knock warrants by any city official and endorse and change in state law to ban the request and execution of no knock warrants
• Allocation of non-safety services of the Wauwatosa Police Department (such as social workers)
• Complaint or commendation process regarding the Wauwatosa Police Department
• Communications and processes of the Wauwatosa Police Department
• Police Department training, including implicit bias training
• Implicit bias training for members of the Wauwatosa Common Council
• Comments and communication received from the public (specifically the June 29 Committee of the Whole, July 21 Special Meeting of the Common Council, and letters from The People's Revolution)

This press release was produced by the City of Wauwatosa. The views expressed here are the author’s own.