The following memorandum was released today by the City of Issaquah administration in advance of Monday June 29th’s special City Council meeting to address the “Issaquah Police, Accountability, Equity and Human Services Action Plan”. To view all exhibits and additional details, see the full memorandum, here.

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Following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, people across our country – including on the steps of Issaquah City Hall – have rightfully demonstrated against racial injustice throughout our country.

The Black Lives Matters demonstrators have asked that we take this moment to talk about what we need to do as a community to recognize racial bias, and make changes to eliminate the disproportionate damage it is doing to community members of color. In response, at the June 15 City Council meeting, the City provided an overview of City training, procedures and programs focused on racial equity with a specific emphasis on the Issaquah Police Department and Municipal Court, and the City Council provided feedback.

Also at that meeting, public comments were heard urging police reforms. Proposal In response to public and Council input, the Administration has prepared an Issaquah Police Accountability, Equity and Human Services Action Plan to address enhanced police accountability, equity initiatives and human services programs in Issaquah over the next eighteen months (Exhibit A). The Plan is broken up into short (completion by Aug. 31, 2020), medium (completion by Dec. 31, 2020) and long term (completion in 2021) items.

This draft Plan will be presented to the City Council at the June 29 Special Council meeting for initial review and feedback. Also on June 29, Police Chief Behrbaum will answer questions raised at the June 15 City Council meeting (Exhibit B)and walk the City Council through the City’s current use of force policies compared with model established by #8CANTWAIT initiative (Exhibit C). The presentation is attached as Exhibit D. Public Engagement During July, the Mayor and Police Chief will present this draft Plan for feedback and comment to the Issaquah Equity and Inclusion Community Forum as well as hold a general community meeting for feedback and comment.

Next Steps: The Administration requests Council direction to return with the Action Plan at a Special Council meeting on Aug. 10 for final review and endorsement. Financial Information Costs associated with this Action Plan will be identified as each initiative is more further developed. AGENDA ITEMS b) Page 5 of 53 Administration’s Recommendation

The Administration recommends that the City Council receive the draft action plan and direct the Administration to return to Council for final review and endorsement of the plan at a Special Council meeting on Aug. 10, 2020 at 6:30 PM.

To view all exhibits and additional details, see the full memorandum, here.

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