Heads Up September 16, 2022

Update on Reimagine Policing Public Engagement Process and Timeline

Reimagine Policing core team staff are working with the city’s consultant, National Policing Institute (Institute), to launch the next public engagement window (Engagement Window IV) for the Reimagine Policing project. The goal of Window IV is to receive feedback on the draft Reimagine Policing plan, which is available on the Reimagine Policing website in English and Spanish.

Here is an update on current efforts and next steps:

1. A draft representative community survey has been created and has been sent to Community Advisory Group (CAG) members for review. As a reminder, the CAG includes representatives from:

• Latinx Leadership Team, with connections to undocumented community members
• Boulder Showing Up for Racial Justice (BSURJ)​ 
• People with lived experience in homelessness​ (facilitated by Feet Forward)
• Local indigenous community​ (facilitated by Native American Rights Fund) 
• Out Boulder County
• National Alliance for Mental Illness, Boulder County Chapter 
• Older adults (via Age Well Advisory Committee)
• People with disabilities (Center for People with Disabilities)
• Youth (via Growing Up Boulder and Mayamotion Healing)
• Boulder County NAACP[1]

In addition, Reimagine Policing Process Subcommittee (Council Members Rachel Friend and Tara Winer, and community members Mallory Kates and Marina LaGrave) also reviewed the draft survey and alternative engagement plan (described further below) at the Aug. 25, 2022 Process Subcommittee meeting.

The community survey will be sent to a representative randomized sample of Boulder households for statistical validity and rigor, and be made publicly available to other Boulder community members who wish to participate. Survey feedback from the non-representative sample will be considered by the team but kept separate from the representative sample. Please feel free to contact Wendy Schwartz at schwartzw@bouldercolorado.gov if you wish to view a copy of the draft survey sent to CAG representatives or have any other questions.

2. Staff will receive input on the draft plan from the Human Relations Commission on Sept. 26 and the Police Oversight Panel on Oct. 13.
3. The Institute has also been working with staff and CAG representatives on alternative engagement planning, to offer opportunities for community feedback on Reimagine Policing outside of the community survey. These opportunities (focus groups, interviews, etc.) are customized to fit the needs of different populations – particularly those that have historically been disproportionately impacted by policing practices and excluded from community processes. Alternative engagement approaches focus on meeting community members where they are, at community events they already participate in or in spaces where they will feel safe.
4. At this time, staff anticipates that both the community survey and alternative engagement activities will begin in early October. In order to accommodate a robust process including CAG review of the survey, qualitative engagements with diverse groups, and a “validation” process to circle back with those groups on preliminary findings from the engagement window, the project timeline will be extended into early 2023. A revised timeline will be published on the Reimagine Policing website soon.
5. Lastly, in response to feedback by one council member at the July 28, 2022, study session, the core team is exploring options for review of the draft plan by national civil rights experts.

For more information, please contact Reimagine Policing Project Manager Wendy Schwartz at schwartzw@bouldercolorado.gov.  

Regards, Nuria 

[1] City staff engaged Boulder County NAACP during previous phases of engagement for the Reimagine Policing plan, including providing stipends to NAACP to facilitate the Black/African American Leadership Team, and implementing suggestions from the team in the planning and process – including the opportunity to review the draft community survey prior to release. The Institute has spoken with NAACP at length. NAACP indicated it is not interested in collaborating as an organization or reviewing the survey; but would direct individual members interested in participating to the Institute’s researcher(s). The Institute and the city are exploring alternative options to ensure the voice of Black/African American community members continues to be heard in this process.