CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

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Department:

City Attorney’s Office

Commission Meeting Date:  June 19, 2018

Staff Contact:

Maria Garcia, Assistant City Attorney

Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:

 

Consider adopting on second and final reading, Ordinance No. 9324, pertaining to a Community Police Review Board. 

 

Executive Summary:

At its June 5, 2018 meeting, the City Commission considered a draft of Ordinance 9324, which would amend Chapter 1, Article 25 of the City Code by establishing a Community Police Review Board. At that meeting the City Commission directed staff to add additional language to the Ordinance regarding permissible redactions to the Office of Professional Accountability file that would be provided to the Board for consideration. The Ordinance has been updated to provide a more comprehensive list of items that can be redacted from a file. Many of the items listed are mandatorily closed by law, and which the City has no discretion in releasing.

 

The Commission also directed staff to research technology that would allow staff to redact certain information in audio/video recordings so that the recordings can also be provided. The Lawrence Police Department has conducted initial research on editing software compatible with the department’s current in-car video system, Watchguard. The department reports that the company can provide video editing software capable of redacting faces, objects, and frames of video and audio.  The cost associated with this service is approximately $4,000, with an annual service fee of approximately $800. The department has also preliminarily researched audio editing software. There are several products capable of editing audio at varying price levels, though cost is not expected to be prohibitive. Once a brand of body cameras is selected, the department would again need to research products compatible with the brand of body camera.  The department will continue to research options. 

Strategic Goal Area:

Effective Governance/Professional Administration

Core Services

Collaborative Solutions

Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):

None.  

Attachments:          

                                

                                

Ordinance No. 9324 – Redline (revised 06/15/18)

Ordinance No. 9324 - Clean (revised 06/15/18)

Confidentiality Agreement

Bylaws

 

 

Reviewed By:

(for CMO use only)

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