Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 CITY OF SEATTLE 2 RESOLUTION __________________ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ..title A RESOLUTION related to policing and public safety establishing the Council’s intent to create a civilian led department of community safety & violence prevention; identifying actions in 2020 to remove certain functions from the Seattle Police Department and provide funding for a community-led process to inform the structure and function of a new department of community safety & violence prevention; requesting modifications to policing practices; requesting reporting to the Council; providing guidance on lay-off decisions; and establishing a work program and timeline for creating a new department. ..body WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that the nation’s and Seattle’s history of racism and the 13 current impact of institutional racism and structural racism cause over-policing and 14 underinvestment in communities of color and especially in Black communities; and 15 16 17 WHEREAS, the Council is committed to confronting structural and institutional racism as a fundamental step towards addressing the racist institution of policing; and WHEREAS, in May 2020, Minneapolis police officers murdered George Floyd, setting off 18 nationwide protests against police brutality and for justice for Black victims of police 19 violence; and 20 WHEREAS, these protests forced many nationwide and in Seattle to confront the racism that has 21 been plaguing the Black community for centuries and spread to other communities of 22 color, the harmful impacts of white supremacy culture, and the Seattle Police 23 Department’s (SPD) role in perpetuating racism and violence; and 24 WHEREAS, during the course of the protests, thousands of complaints were lodged against SPD 25 for their arrests, threats of arrest, and use of force against City and County residents, 26 including the indiscriminate use of tear gas, blast balls, and rubber bullets; and 27 28 WHEREAS, SPD has allegedly used these tactics against legal observers, medical personnel, and journalists; and Template last revised December 2, 2019 1 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 WHEREAS, in response to both recent events and through the efforts of decades of organizing, 2 anti-racist organizations coalesced around the following demands made to the City by 3 Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now: 1. Replace current 911 operations 4 with civilian-controlled system; 2. Scale up community-led solutions; 3. Invest in 5 housing for all; and 4. Fund a community-led process to create a roadmap to life without 6 policing; and 7 WHEREAS, the co-leads of the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) sent a letter on 8 June 8, 2020 to the Mayor requesting that she “Commit to a community participatory 9 budget process. The anti-racist organizations named above must oversee and co-design a 10 11 community-centered process to determine how the funds are reinvested”; and WHEREAS, members of the communities most impacted by policing support the demands to the 12 City to push back against the harm the police cause to the Black community and correct 13 years of failure to invest in Black communities; and 14 WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that over many years, more social service functions have 15 fallen to police officers because of the defunding of social safety nets, among which are 16 mental health, public housing, health care, and education; and 17 18 19 WHEREAS, the lack of funding in these systems also disproportionately affect communities of color, compounding the harms of overpolicing; and WHEREAS, though SPD has been under consent decree since 2012 and has been making 20 reforms to the department, SPD officers continue to kill Black city residents more often 21 than they kill white residents; and 22 23 WHEREAS, the Council acknowledges the harm that policing and other institutional racism has caused to Black communities; and Template last revised December 2, 2019 2 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WHEREAS, RSJI principles to which the Council has committed include centering communities most impacted by the City’s policies; and WHEREAS, by taking the lead of anti-racist organizations by meeting their demands, the Council is implementing its commitment to racial justice work; and WHEREAS, the Council is committed to implementing public safety for all residents, and not just for white people; and WHEREAS, by working to fulfill the anti-racist community’s demands, the Council has the potential to address the systemic root causes of violence; and 9 WHEREAS, although the Council is unable to immediately effect all the changes demanded by 10 community, this resolution lays out a commitment to achieve community’s goal through 11 a clear timeline and work plan; NOW, THEREFORE, 12 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE 13 MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT: 14 Section 1. Intent to Form a Civilian-led Department of Community Safety & Violence 15 Prevention. The Council intends by the fourth quarter of 2021 to create a new civilian-led 16 department that will take a holistic approach to public safety. Creation of such a department will 17 be informed by the process and principles outlined in Decriminalize Seattle’s and King County 18 Equity Now’s 2020 Blueprint for Police Divestment / Community Reinvestment attached to this 19 Resolution as Attachment 1. 20 21 Section 2. Actions in 2020. By the end of November 2020, the Council intends to consider legislation that would: Template last revised December 2, 2019 3 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 A. Remove 9-1-1 communication functions and related communications 2 funding from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and establish those operations in a temporary 3 new department or temporarily place those functions in an existing civilian-led department; 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 B. Remove the Office of Emergency Management and Harbor Patrol functions from SPD and establish those functions in the Seattle Fire Department; C. Remove parking enforcement functions from the Seattle Police Department and establish those functions in the Seattle Department of Transportation; D. Provide sufficient appropriations in a Finance General Reserve and staffing support for a community-led research and participatory budgeting effort to inform the structure and function of a new Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention; 11 E. Fund new appropriations through phased reductions to SPD’s budget; and 12 F. Make other reductions of not less than $____________for community- 13 14 based investments. Section 3. Interim Modifications to Current Practices. While the structural changes 15 contemplated in Section 2 of this Resolution are developed for Council consideration, the 16 Council requests that the Chief of Police undertake the following: 17 A. 9-1-1 Response. Prioritize 9-1-1 responses as follows: 18 1. Calls involving reports of firearms; 19 2. Calls where a slow response could reasonably result in loss of life 21 3. Calls involving sexual violence; and 22 4. Calls involving reports of abuse or neglect of vulnerable 20 23 or serious injury; populations, such as children, elders, and people with disabilities. Template last revised December 2, 2019 4 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 B. Biased Policing. Work with the Council, Mayor’s Office, and Community 2 to determine the enforcement practices that should be deprioritized based upon a 3 disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities, including disproportionate impacts resulting 4 from the partnership between SPD and the Department of Corrections (DOC) for persons in 5 DOC supervision. 6 Section 4. Reports to Council. The Council requests that Chief of Police and City Budget 7 Office provide the following reports to the Chairs of the Public Safety and Human Services 8 Committee and Select Budget Committee by September 15, 2020: 9 A. A report detailing expenditures by year since 2010 for contracts with law 10 firms defending the City from claims brought against SPD and individual officers. The report 11 should include information disaggregated by race for officers involved in the claims and the 12 claimants. 13 B. A report detailing expenditures in 2020 on weapons and equipment. 14 15 Section 5. For any personnel cuts in 2020 or 2021, the Council requests that the Chief of Police: 16 A. Pursue out-of-order layoff authority from the Public Safety Civil Service 18 B. Prioritize laying off officers with sustained complaints; 19 C. Consistent with the consent decree, maintain sufficient qualified, first line 17 20 21 22 Commission; field supervisors; and D. Make no layoff decisions that conflict with the City Charter obligation to maintain adequate patrol staffing in every district. Template last revised December 2, 2019 5 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 Section 6. Work Program and Timeline. The Council adopts the following conceptual 2 work program and timeline for creating a new Department of Community Safety and Violence 3 Prevention. Actions Council and Mayor consider: ▪ Reducing SPD’s budget ▪ Funding a community-led research process ▪ Removing specified functions from SPD ▪ Work with SPD and community to identify police practices with a disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities Time Frame August 2020 - November 2020 Community-led organizations: ▪ Conduct research ▪ Conduct a participatory budgeting process ▪ Recommend a structure and functions for a Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention ▪ Present recommendations to the Council and Mayor August 2020 – July 2021 Council, Mayor and City Attorney ▪ Develop draft legislation for public review ▪ Identify any necessary City Charter amendments ▪ Develop ballot language for Charter amendments, if necessary, and submit it to King County Elections for a November vote Council and Mayor: ▪ Introduce, consider, and act on proposed legislation creating a new Department of Community Safety &Violence Prevention and making associated budget changes April 2021 - June 2021 4 September 2021 - November 2021 Section 7. The City Council will not support any budget changes to increase the Seattle 5 Police Department’s budget to offset overtime expenditures above the funds budgeted in 2020 or 6 2021. 7 Template last revised December 2, 2019 6 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkataraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg RES D1 1 Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2020, 2 and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of 3 _________________________, 2020. 4 ____________________________________ 5 President ____________ of the City Council 6 The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2020. 7 ____________________________________ 8 Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor 9 Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020. 10 ____________________________________ 11 Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 (Seal) Attachments: Attachment 1: Decriminalize Seattle’s and King County Equity Now’s 2020 Blueprint for Police Divestment / Community Reinvestment. Template last revised December 2, 2019 7 Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkatraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg SUM D1 SUMMARY and FISCAL NOTE* Department: Legislative Dept. Contact/Phone: Lish Whitson/425-390-2431 CBO Contact/Phone: N/A * Note that the Summary and Fiscal Note describes the version of the bill or resolution as introduced; final legislation including amendments may not be fully described. 1. BILL SUMMARY Legislation Title: A RESOLUTION related to policing and public safety establishing the Council’s intent to create a civilian led department of community safety & violence prevention; identifying actions in 2020 to remove certain functions from the Seattle Police Department and provide funding for a community-led process to inform the structure and function of a new department of community safety & violence prevention; requesting modifications to policing practices; requesting reporting to the Council; providing guidance on lay-off decisions; and establishing a work program and timeline for creating a new department. Summary and background of the Legislation: This Resolution responds to community demands for a new approach to policing in Seattle. It identifies a number of steps that the Council intends to take to move towards creating a civilian led department of community safety & violence prevention to oversee safety and police operations, defunding the police, and funding alternatives to policing. The resolution: 1. Sets the goal of creating a new civilian led department to guide public safety; 2. Identifies functions currently located within the Seattle Police Department (SPD) that are more appropriately housed in other City agencies; 3. States the Council’s intent to fund community-led activities to accompany defunding of the Police department; 4. Identifies immediate measures the City should take to reduce bias in policing; 5. Requests reports from the Mayor and Police Chief in order to inform efforts to defund the Police; 6. Provides a timeline that describes the steps needed to move toward a new civilian led Community Safety and Violence Prevention department; and 7. Clarifies that the City Council will not provide additional funding to SPD if the department has spent more money on overtime than was allocated in the 2020 budget or spends more money on overtime in 2021 than is allocated in that year’s budget. 2. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Does this legislation create, fund, or amend a CIP Project? ___ Yes __X__ No 3. SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 1 Template last revised: December 2, 2019. Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkatraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg SUM D1 Does this legislation amend the Adopted Budge t? ___ Yes __X__ No Does the legislation have other financial impacts to the City of Seattle that are not reflected in the above , including direct or indirect, short-term or long-term costs? The legislation indicates the Council’s intent to make budgetary changes in the near term. Is there financial cost or other impacts of not implementing the legislation? No 4. OTHER IMPLICATIONS a. Does this legislation affect any departments besides the originating department? If so, please list the affected department(s) and the nature of the impact (financial, operational, etc.). Yes, the legislation is primarily directed at the Seattle Police Department, but outcomes of this work could affect a number of City departments. b. Is a public hearing required for this legislation? No. c. Does this legislation require landlords or sellers of real property to provide information regarding the property to a buyer or tenant? No. d. Is publication of notice with The Daily Journal of Commerce and/or The Seattle Times required for this legislation? No. e. Does this legislation affect a piece of property? No. f. Please describe any perceived implication for the principles of the Race and Social Justice Initiative. Does this legislation impact vulnerable or historically disadvantaged communities? What is the Language Access plan for any communications to the public? The legislation responds to demands from Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities for a new approach to policing that reduces bias and increases safety for all community members. The resolution identifies a series of steps that the City Council and community will take in collaboration to reinvent how the City responds to emergencies. It came out of work by BIPOC-led organizations, such as Decriminalize Seattle and the King County Equity Now coalition to reframe policing. It is focused on supporting the work of community-based organizations to provide safety for all. 2 Template last revised: December 2, 2019. Ketil Freeman / Greg Doss / Lish Whitson / Asha Venkatraman LEG Public Safety Dept Reorg SUM D1 g. If this legislation includes a new initiative or a major programmatic expansion: What are the specific long-term and measurable goal(s) of the program? How will this legislation help achieve the program’s desired goal(s). The legislation sets up a process to reorganize and reinvent the City’s approach to public safety, increasing civilian oversight and utilizing community expertise to increase safety. This process will be successful if community identifies and the City new approaches that reduce biased policing and increase public safety for all. List attachments/exhibits below: 3 Template last revised: December 2, 2019.