AGE - PEACE Commission - 2024-10-10 October 10, 2024 — 6:30 PM
Council Conference Room
Hybrid Meeting
1.Call to Order
2.Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley
is built, and whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the
cultural practices and presence of the Dakota people and through education and by amplifying a
wide range of indigenous voices.
3.Attendance/Roll Call and Introductions
Trey Gladney Alicia Dang Trevor Parks Karen Boehne
Katrina Cisneros Janet Frisch Cory Salazar
Henry Crosby Bridget Glass Madeline Ryan
4.Approval of Agenda
5.Approval of Minutes
5.A.Approval of Minutes - August 8, 2024
6.Discussion/Action Items
6.A.dr. raj Police Coaching Overview and Exercise
6.B.Spending Planning
6.C.Community Connection Specialist Position Review
6.D.Bylaws Review
6.E.Subcommittee Update
7.Staff Updates
8.Check Out
Today I leave with a greater sense of...
PEACE COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA
Police Employment, Accountability, & Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission meetings are
being conducted in a hybrid format with in-person and remote options for attending.
Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams.
City of Golden Valley PEACE Commission Meeting October 10, 2024 — 6:30 PM
1
9.Adjournment
City of Golden Valley PEACE Commission Meeting October 10, 2024 — 6:30 PM
2
City of Golden Valley PEACE Commission Meeting May 9, 2024 — 6:30 PM
1
PEACE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
AUGUST 8, 2024 — 6:30
PM
Council Conference Room
Hybrid Meeting
1. Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley
is built, and whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the
cultural practices and presence of the Dakota people and through education and by amplifying a
wide range of indigenous voices.
2. Attendance/Roll Call
X Trey Gladney X Alicia Dang X Trevor
Parkes
X Katrina
Cisneros
X Janet Frisch X Bridget Glass
Henry Crosby X Madeline Ryan Cory Salazar
X Karen Boehne
City Staff: Scarlett Gonzalez, Roslyn Harmon, Seth Kaempfer
3. Check in –6:38pm
What is something that made you smile recently?
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Approval of Minutes
5.A. PEACE Meeting Minutes 7.11.24
MOTION to approve minutes for 7.11.24 by commissioner Frish, 2nd by Commissioner Glass. Approved
unanimously.
6. Discussion/Action Items
a. State of the Grant Review
Vice Chair Cisneros started by listing attendees in the State of the Grant meeting which
included: City representatives from Brooklyn Center, representatives from Golden Valley
Police, City staff, national consultants from the East Coast, and many more. Cisneros stated
that the purpose and initiative of the grant is to start thinking of alternative and
appropriate responses for public safety. Cisneros continued stating that her purpose was to
give an overview of the PEACE commission and to speak on the intersection between
PEACE Commission work and Pohland Grant. During the State of the Grant meeting
3
City of Golden Valley PEACE Commission Meeting May 9, 2024 — 6:30 PM
2
Cisneros reported that in 2023 the PEACE Commission did a lot of groundwork . She also
highlighted specific people that have put in a lot of work during the founding moments of
the PEACE Commission as well as to finalize the grant like former Community Connection
Specialist Airrion Williams and current Chair Trey Gladney. Another point of Cisneros
presentation during the State of the Grant meeting was to show the strategy of the PEACE
commission in taking the language of the Pohlad Grant and infuse it into the City Counsil
approved work plan. Cisneros then highlighted, during the State of the Grant meeting,
PEACE’s participation in drafting the RFP for the community response team as well as the
collaboration with the City Administration. Lastly, Cisneros highlighted the work of the data
subcommittee and showcased police work that is now made available to the public.
b. Meeting with City Manager
Chair Gladney, Vice Chair Cisneros and Community Connection Specialist Gonzalez sat in on
a meeting with City Manager Schuchman. During this meeting Schuchman elaborated on
his previous work in Duluth leading another City with Community response and altern ative
response models successfully. Gladney and Cisneros feel hopeful that Schuchman will
extend these initiatives beyond the timeframe of the Pohlad grant as Schuchman is
thinking long-term in creating strategic partnerships along the City. Secondly, duri ng this
meeting they talked about continued partnership with 1) working closely with Police on
Flock Camera System, 2) expanding partnership with also the DEI Commission.
c. Subcommittee Updates:
Trevor parks from data subcommittee recently attended a police policy review meeting
with the City with positive outcomes. PEACE data subcommittee was invited to attend
weekly meetings. Data subcommittee is getting together to diversify the workload.
Commissioner Frisch is going to help with data subcommittee to review police policies. City
Equity and Inclusion manager explained that one of the activities of the Pohlad
Collaborative Solutions Grant a Racial equity policy review for police policy. Golden Valley
PD is working on having their Police manual be up to date and code, while the policy
review is happening simultaneously. The people involved with this review include City
Attorney Maria Cisneros, Seth Kaempfer, Assistant Chief White, as well last two consultants
that were paid for from the Pohlad Grant. The contract that is via police is Lexipol providing
project management; the contract via Pohlad is Aviellahcc providing racial policy review.
Kaemfer provides a lens beyond race, Maria Cisneros provides a legal lens, and AC White
provides a police and operational lens; Lexipol provides police and operational lens and
best practices from other police departments. PEACE will be included to be able to go into
the policy and have commentary from a community perspective. Kaempfer mentioned that
the State of the Grant brought to light how rare it is for police to do racial police reviews;
Golden Valley is unique and cutting edge in doing that.
Commissioner Glass from Community engagement subcommittee reported that their
subcommittee have reached out to Umascus Way over dates and logistics to be able to
table and send people their community survey. Community Service Cory Salazar has
expressed interest in tabling, but also Commissioner Glass stated anyone else outside of
the community engagement subcommittee could also volunteer. In regard to getting the
surveys translated the subcommittee had decided to use Google Translate and ChatGBT
before putting it live on the City of Golden Valley Website.
4
City of Golden Valley PEACE Commission Meeting May 9, 2024 — 6:30 PM
3
Hiring subcommittee reported that there is a new set of questions for police interviews.
There was a partnership between PEACE and PD in terms of input for those questions. The
last interview Vice Chair Cisnero sat in had those questions. Cisneros reports that its been
interesting to see Police Department ask interview questions from an equity lens. For
example, some questions asked about the history of policing. Inter terms of hiring
numbers, as of now, PD has six patrol officer positions to be filled.
d. History of policing event:
Interim Community Connections Specialist stated that there will be a meeting to coordinate
a history of policing event in Golden Valley. The idea stemmed from s itting in interviews
and realizing patrol officers in general and our own police department are not in alignment
with details regarding the history of policing and its origins. The people in this meeting will
be Interim Community Connection Specialist Gonzalez, Equity and Inclusion Manager
Kaempfer, Deputy City Manager Santelices, embedded social worker Moreno, members
from Just Love community response team, community member and activist Dr. Raj, and
with input from Chief of Police Green. There is currently a lot of support for this event and
many people see the benefit of looking back into our history in order to move forward.
There is not a lot of details on how the event is going to manifest as it will be discussed in
the first meeting as a group having all voices and concerns heard.
Check out
Today I leave with a greater sense of...
7. Adjournment 8:00pm
5
Article I: Purpose, Mission, and Duties
The Commission shall be an advisory commission to the City Council.
A.Mission. It shall be the PEACE Commission’s mission to help the Police Department, as defined in
City Code section 2-130, innovate and transform its provision of public safety services based on
community input and needs, and to assure that the department provides inclusive, community-
centered service. The Commission shall carry-out this mission by:
(1)Establishing transparency and accountability to the public;
(2)Enhancing communication and understanding between the Police Department, and the
people it serves through community dialogue and engagement; and
(3)Ensuring the Police Department applies practices that promote equity and inclusion and
prioritize hiring and retaining officers with diverse backgrounds.
B.Duties. It is the duty of the PEACE Commission to advise and make recommendations to the Council
on matters relating to and affecting policing in the City of Golden Valley for the purpose of
furthering the Commission’s mission. All of the Commission’s work shall be performed pursuant to
an annual work plan approved by the Council. Specifically the Commission may:
(1)Conduct programs of research and study, in conjunction with the Police Chief and City
Manager that analyze Police Department practices, internal controls, and compliance with
applicable law and regulation relating to: police policy and procedure; community
engagement and attitudes toward policing; training, recruitment and retention initiatives;
and other matters related to the mission of the Commission. Research and study includes
programs that collect, review, and audit summary data and compile aggregate statistics
relating to the Commission’s mission.
(2)Present the results of programs of research and study on a periodic basis to the City
Manager, Police Chief, or City Council for the purpose of ensuring Police Department
operations are conducted in a lawful, effective, transparent, and nondiscriminatory manner.
(3)Make recommendations to the City Council, City Manager, and Police Chief relating to
internal controls, police policy and procedure; community engagement and attitudes
toward policing; training, recruitment and retention initiatives; and other matters contained
within a program of research and study.
(4)Celebrate exemplary police work and highlight examples of positive contributions to public
safety by community members.
(5)Educate and learn from the community. Create and implement a community engagement
and outreach program for the purpose of building trust and communication between the
police and community members and facilitate community space in response to current
6
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
2
events related to public safety. Community engagement includes but is not limited to:
community forums to facilitate discussions with community members about their
experiences with the Golden Valley Police Department, programs to educate the
community about policing, and informal relationship building activities.
(6) Collaborate with the Community, City Manager, Human Resources Director, and Police
Chief to develop and maintain equitable and inclusive recruitment and hiring processes.
(7) In August of each year as part of its annual report, review and provide feedback to the City
Council on:
i. The previous year’s hiring data;
ii. The hiring and promotion processes employed by the department in the previous
year;
iii. The Commission’s previous year goals and how the goals were advanced;
iv. The Police Department’s previous year goals and how the goals were advanced; and
v. The City’s prosecution philosophy, data, and goals, and how the goals were advanced.
Article II: Membership, Appointments, Terms, and Officers
A. Membership. The Commission shall consist of:
(1) Three individuals that represent populations historically and presently harmed by policing
(2) Two employees of the Police Department which shall include:
i. One licensed Peace Officer, as defined in Minnesota Statutes section 626.84,
subdivision 1(c), that supervises other licensed Peace Officers in the Police
Department, such as a commander, sergeant, or the Chief; and
ii. One Police Department employee (staff or licensed Peace Officer) in a non-supervisory
role.
The two Police Department members shall be non-voting, ex officio members and shall not
be counted in determining the number required for a quorum. If an ex officio member
leaves City employment, their membership shall automatically terminate. In appointing ex
officio members, the Council shall endeavor to include a variety of perspectives, experience,
and roles.
(3) At least one and no more than two youth, 21 years old or younger, who live, work, or
attend school in the City of Golden Valley;
(4) One individual with professional human resources or recruitment experience;
(5) One individual or social service provider with knowledge or experience of mental health,
substance use disorder, or homelessness;
(6) One individual or caregiver with knowledge of or experience working or living with the
senior population in Golden Valley;
7
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
3
(7) One parent, teacher, or administrator at a school that serves Golden Valley residents;
(8) One individual who is a renter or lives in multi-family housing or group housing in Golden
Valley; and
(9) At least one individual that has been impacted by the criminal justice system for example, a
criminal defendant or criminal defense attorney.
If the City does not receive qualified applications from one or more of the above categories,
the remaining spots may be filled with any qualified applicant with substantial ties to the
City of Golden Valley.
In making appointments to the commission, the Council shall endeavor to maintain a
membership that reflects the many different social identities represented in the City of
Golden Valley, including but not limited to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, marital status, status with
regard to a public assistance program, socioeconomic status, or familial status.
B. Appointments and Terms. Appointments are made effective May 1 of each year. The Council shall
appoint regular members of the Commission for three-year staggering terms. Youth members may
be appointed for one, two, or three year terms. The terms of Commission members shall be fixed
and determined at the time of appointment by the governing ordinance. City Council shall appoint
the members of the Commission and to fill vacancies for unexpired terms.
Commissioners may serve up to two consecutive three year terms. Partial terms shall not be
counted toward this term limit. Former commissioners may be re-appointed for additional terms so
long as they have not been on the commission during the twelve months prior to the effective date
of any subsequent appointment.
C. Participation, Expectations & Sentiment. The City of Golden Valley has a history of confronting the
impact of policing of racially marginalized groups in the City and in the Twin Cities Metro Area. It is
in this spirit, the City Council requested a Task Force to develop a framework for community
members to provide recommendations to further equity in all facets of policing. The Task Force
recommended the creation of the Police Employment, Accountability, and Community Engagement
(PEACE) Commission and were initially responsible for drafting the Commission’s Mission and
Bylaws. The Task Force worked together from November 2020 to June 2021. The work of the Task
Force was influenced by the social context of the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020
civil unrest and subsequent trials of the involved officers.
In this complex social context, the Task Force worked hard to reconcile many different views of
community policing and systemic racism in public safety. In that spirit, the Task Force envisions
this commission and its members will accept the following sentiment as the foundation of their
work: Commissioners should approach their duties and responsibilities with a growth mindset.
They should create opportunities for mutual respect, listen to understand, and value the
perspectives and opinions of all stakeholders.
D. Officers. The Commission shall elect officers of Chair and Vice-Chair from the Commission
membership by its voting members at its regular annual meeting, (no later than the second meeting
after May 1 in each year). The Chair and Vice Chair positions rotate, and members may only serve
8
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
4
two consecutive years as the Chair or Vice-Chair. Should the office of Chair or Vice-Chair become
vacant, the Commission shall elect a successor from its membership at the next regular meeting
and such election shall be for the unexpired term of said office. Officers may also delegate the
duties of their position to other Commissioners as deemed appropriate by the Commission.
Chair responsibilities include:
(1) work with staff liaison to develop meeting agendas
(2) conduct and preside at all meetings in a productive and time-efficient manner
(3) ensure the Commission conducts its activities within the stated mission and bylaws of the
Commission
(4) appoint Commissioners to subcommittees
(5) monitor and ensure the progress of the Commission
(6) report to the City Council
Vice-Chair responsibilities:
(1) perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair
(2) perform all other duties as prescribed by the Commission
Article III: Meetings and Attendance
A. Meetings. All meetings of the Commission shall be conducted in accordance with the Minnesota
Open Meeting Law and City code. This means all business and discussion occurs at a meeting that
has been posted and is open to the public.
The presence of a majority of all regular members currently appointed to the Commission shall
constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for
all other purposes. In the event a quorum is not reached, a smaller number of members may meet
to have informal discussion, however, formal action shall not be taken and must be reserved for
such time as when a quorum of the Commission is reached. A quorum of the members should not
discuss Commission business by email, forms of social media, telephone, or informal meetings. If
there are no items on the agenda, the meeting shall be cancelled and the staff liaison shall
communicate the cancellation to the commissioners.
The proceedings of meeting should be conducted using standard parliamentary procedure.
(1) Regular Meeting.
The regular meeting of the Commission shall be held on the second Thursday of the month
at City Hall at 6:30 pm. The Commission may, by a majority vote, change its regular meeting
dates for any reason provided proper public notice of the changed meeting is provided.
(2) Annual Meeting.
The Annual Meeting of the commission shall be a regular meeting, typically the first meeting
after May 1 of each year, at which time officer elections will be held.
9
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
5
(3)Special Meetings.
A special meeting of the Commission may be called by the Chair or two commissioners, or
by the City Council, for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the meeting
notice. The notice for a special meeting shall be posted in compliance with the Minnesota
State Statutes governing public meetings. The staff liaison shall notify Commissioners at
least three days prior to the meeting of the date, time, place and purpose of the special
meeting. A special meeting must also be posted in accordance with the requirements of the
Minnesota Open Meeting Law.
B.Attendance. Members are expected to attend all meetings, including the annual board and
commission joint meeting. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, they should contact the staff
liaison, who will inform the chair. If is known in advance that a quorum will not be attained, the
meeting will be canceled. Staff liaisons will track attendance at each meeting. Each April, the City
Manager’s office will review attendance records for the preceding calendar year (April-March) and
send a standardized letter of warning to any member that has missed:
•two consecutive or three total meetings for groups that meet once a month; or
•two consecutive or five total meetings for groups that meet twice a month.
Because attendance is so important to the work of the City’s boards and commissions, the City
Manager may ask the member to explain the reasons for their absences. If circumstances
prevent the member from committing to consistently attending future meetings, the member
may be asked to step down. The City Manager will not ask the member to step down if their
inability to attend meetings is due to health reasons. If the member’s attendance does not
improve within 3 months after receiving a warning, the City Manager or their designee shall ask
the member to step down. If the member chooses not to step down, the Council may take action
to remove the member.
Article IV: Rules
A.Agenda
(1)Preparation of the Agenda
The agenda for regular and special meetings of the Commission shall be prepared by the
staff liaison. Items to be placed on the agenda may be proposed by the Chair, a
Commission member, the staff liaison or at the request of the City Council. Residents,
businesses, or other interested parties may contact the staff liaison to request that an
item be placed on the agenda for consideration. All agenda topics presented by the City
Council will be placed on an appropriate agenda; requests from other parties will be placed
on an appropriate future agenda at the discretion of the staff liaison.
(2)Approval of the Agenda
The agenda shall be approved at each meeting prior to discussion of any item on the
agenda. At the time of agenda approval, items may be removed and the order of business
may be modified by a majority vote of members present at the meeting. No items shall be
added to the agenda unless deemed as urgent by the staff liaison.
10
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
6
(3)Future Agendas
At each meeting, the staff liaison shall provide a list of future agenda items. Commission
members present may communicate items recommended for inclusion on future agendas.
All items must be consistent with the Commission’s mission and annual work plan. The
Commission may ask the Council to amend its work plan if it wishes to add or remove
items from its work plan during the year.
B.Records. All minutes and resolutions shall be in writing and shall be kept in accordance with City
procedures, Minnesota Statute and Rules regarding preservation of public records and the
Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The following is an inexhaustive list of Commission
records. The Commission may approve any document or record not listed to be retained as an
official record by a majority vote.
•GVPD Organizational chart
•Anonymized recruitment and retention demographic report by position maintained by the
Human Resources Department
•Records of classification studies, actions and job descriptions (describing typical duties,
responsibilities and minimum qualifications)
•Documents produced as a result of commission work or relied on by the commission to
carry out its work
•All data published by the Golden Valley Police Department on the GVPD window or similar
data portal.
C.Work Plan. The Commission will draft an annual work plan that details activities and projected
timelines for the upcoming year.
•The Chair may appoint Commissioners to be primarily responsible for each work plan
activity.
•The Commission may establish subcommittees to oversee work plan activities. The
subcommittees will be chaired by Commissioners appointed by the Chair.
•The Commission’s work plan will be submitted to the City Council, typically during the first
quarter of the calendar year. The Chair and/or Commissioners will attend a
Council/Manager meeting to discuss the annual work plan with the City Council.
•The Commission’s work plan must be agreed upon by the City Council.
D.Annual Report. The Commission shall submit an annual report to the City Council summarizing the
past year's activities. The report may highlight information the Commission finds appropriate to
convey to the City Council.
•The Chair or Vice-Chair will prepare the report for approval by the Commission.
Commission members may submit signed addenda presenting alternative
conclusions or perspectives.
•The report and addenda are submitted to Council with the current year work plan in
the first quarter of the calendar year or as soon thereafter as possible.
11
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
7
E.Subcommittees. The Commission may create subcommittees to plan and direct activities related to
the duties and responsibilities of the Commission and to facilitate and implement work plan
activities.
•Subcommittees will be chaired by Commissioners appointed by the Chair and shall not
consist of a majority or more of currently appointed Commission members.
•A majority of the subcommittee must be present to conduct business, including the
subcommittee chair.
•The Commission may consolidate or dissolve subcommittees at any time.
•The subcommittee chair may appoint other Commissioners and community members to
the subcommittee, provided that the subcommittee at no time consists of a majority or
more of currently appointed Commissioners.
•The subcommittee chair shall report back to the Commission about its activities as an
agenda item at regular Commission meetings.
•Subcommittee meetings shall be held at a date and time that does not conflict with
the Commission’s regular and special meetings. The staff liaison shall be notified of the
date, time, location and topic of all Subcommittee meetings.
F.Performance of Duties. Commissioners are expected to adequately prepare for meetings.
Commissioners unable to complete an assigned task should notify the commission chair or
subcommittee chair as soon as possible. All members are expected to actively participate in the
substantive work or participate in a subcommittee. The staff liaison may ask the City Council to
review a Commissioner’s appointment based upon its assessment of significant lack of
performance.
Article V: Amendments and Revisions
The Commission will review these bylaws no later than the second meeting after May 1 every three
years. Members may present recommendations for changes and amendments. These bylaws can be
altered or amended at any regular monthly Commission meeting with a majority of members present,
provided that notice of the proposed changes and amendments is provided to each member at least
10 business days before the meeting. The Council must review and approve any changes to, and has
final authority regarding, these bylaws.
Article VI: Definitions
For purposes of the of the PEACE Commission’s work, the following terms shall have the meanings
given below:
•Accountability: A range of actions to mitigate harm and to restore mutual respect, as
defined by impacted parties and the Commission.
•Community: Residents, visitors, businesses owners, workers and members of surrounding
communities that interact and utilize GVPD services.
12
BYLAWS—Police Employment, Accountability
and Community Engagement (PEACE) Commission
8
•Community Engagement: Conversations and activities that promote reciprocal
communication of knowledge, perspectives and ideas to build trust and mutual respect
between community members and GVPD.
•Data: Quantitative and qualitative information, including narratives from all perspectives,
gathered, synthesized and published by GVPD, the PEACE Commission or other
organizations relevant to the work of the Commission.
•Gender fluid: Individuals whose gender varies over time. A gender fluid person at any time
may identify as male, female, gender, or any other non-binary identity or some
combination of identities.
•Gender non-conforming: Individuals who do not adhere to the traditional gender
expectations for appearance and behavior of people of their assigned gender. Some
identify as transgender, but others do not.
•Historically harmed: Individuals and groups associated with social identities that have been
historically and presently harmed by the American system of policing (i.e. LGBTQ+,
American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS), Black, Indigenous and Latina/o/x community
members, individuals with mental and physical dis/abilities, immigrants, refugees, etc).
•Public Safety Services: Programs, responses, and interactions provided to meet the safety
and wellness needs of all community members, including both the providers and recipients
of the services, with the intent to maintain dignity, build respect, detect and prevent crime,
or enforce the law. The term Public Safety Services reflects the evolution of the role of
peace officers from a focus on criminal detection, prevention, and enforcement, to a
community-driven service model that values learning from and sharing power with
community and aims to reduce trauma responses traditionally associated with policing in
historically harmed communities like members of the Black, Brown, Indigenous and LGBTQ
+ communities.
•Racism: The normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics – historical, cultural,
institutional, and interpersonal – that routinely advantage Whites while producing
cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
(racialequitytools.org).
•Transparency: A principle of institutional commitment to be open and forthcoming with
data and information.
13