The City Council of Union City voted unanimously at last night’s city council meeting to adopt a resolution accepting the Policing and Community Engagement Committee’s recommendations for reimagining policing in Union City.
The Policing and Community Engagement (PCE) Committee was appointed by the City Council to create and implement a community engagement plan regarding policing in Union City. This action stemmed from the death of George Floyd and other recent deaths of black people at the hands of police, as well as the national conversation around racial injustice.
The committee convened for eight weeks holding a series of community listening sessions that included hearing from faith leaders, community advocates, educators, police officers, and nonprofit organizations. Community feedback overall conveyed a general satisfaction with the Union City Police Department, but community members also indicated areas of concern and improvement as it relates to policing in Union City. The community’s feedback was eventually synthesized into a list of eleven recommendations for reimagining policing in Union City, which covered the areas of accountability and transparency, hiring and training, mental health and social services and community policing. The full set of strategies can be read in the report link below.
The City Council approved these recommendations as an initial step, along with appointing Vice Mayor Duncan – who led the PCE Committee – and Police Chief Jared Rinetti to develop work teams and a framework for implementation. Work teams will consist of commissioners, members of the public and city staff. Staff will return to the City Council in November with an update on progress.
Vice Mayor Duncan expresses:
“Last night, the City Council showed unity on an important matter. I am confident that the implementation of these recommendations will ultimately help us to improve the delivery of police services for our diverse residents, while enhancing equity, accountability and transparency within our police department. Chief Rinetti and I are looking forward to putting our heads together.”
Police Chief Jared Rinetti states:
“The Police Department fully supports the recommendations and we appreciate having had an opportunity be a part of the engagement process to share our insights with the committee. It is our goal as a department to come out of this process with providing a better product to our residents. The recommendations from the Policing and Community Engagement Committee will act as a compass to help guide the work that Vice Mayor Duncan and I will now embark on.”
Read the staff report, full recommendations, and resolution here:
https://unioncity.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=2658&MeetingID=405