City Council Meeting Date: February 16, 2021
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Mark Elliott, Police Chief
Subject:
TITLE
Police Policy Task Force Report.
BODY
Action Requested:
No action requested at this time.
Summary Report:
This report and the council presentation is to provide an update to the city council on the work that was completed by the Police Policy Task Force. The Northfield Police Department Manual contains policies and procedures designed to guide the work the department members do. The policies that were reviewed by the Task Force are include in the materials supplies for this agenda item for information. The policy manual, once completed, will be posted online. This agenda item is to provide the City Council with a summary of the work completed by the Task Force and not meant to be a council discussion of the policy content.
In April 2020, the Northfield Police Department began a process to revise and update the policy manual the department uses to guide the operations of the department and the actions of its members. The department contracted with Lexipol to provide the framework for the policy manual through policies that follow federal and state laws, as well as court decisions, and best practices guidelines affecting law enforcement service delivery. The policies delivered by Lexipol ensure compliance with the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. Shortly after this process began, we all witnessed the death of George Floyd, the civil unrest that followed, the murder charges that were filed, and the calls for police reforms.
Police policies are meant to guide the department employees in the work that they do. They are crafted to align with federal and state statutes and case laws, as well as industry best practices guidelines. Department policies are reviewed by all department members and comments are then sent to a policy working group, then on to the comm...
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