Salt Lake City

Boards and Commissions

Racial Equity in Policing Commission: Historical Overview

In Phase 1, the Commission was led by the six core members and assisted by the selected facilitator, were asked to:

  • meet regularly
  • host community listening sessions
  • develop a Commission Compact that identifies the rules of engagement and desired outcomes
  • participate in the City Council’s zero-based budgeting work, as appropriate
  • evaluate national best-practice policies for alignment with SLCPD policies
  • recommend policy changes to SLCPD based on best practices and local needs
  • create recommendations for a police department-specific racial equity plan
  • explore ways to increase diversity (including cognitive diversity, racial diversity, and cultural diversity, and diversity of thought, culture, and approaches) in the SLCPD
  • recommend ways to more meaningfully work with the Community Advocates Group and others
  • recommend national memberships/initiatives the City should join (i.e., Not in Our Town, Campaign Zero, 8 Can’t Wait, etc.)
  • review the Civilian Review Board’s role, processes, and policies and compare with recognized best practices for civilian review and oversight
  • develop next steps for the REP Commission at the conclusion of its work

The Commission may also determine other objectives and priorities, including but not limited to:  

  • Recommending ways to more meaningfully work with the Community Advocates Group and other community members
  • Reviewing the Civilian Review Board’s role, processes, and policies and compare with recognized best practices for civilian review and oversight within the context of existing state statute
  • Identify and recommend ways to increase diversity in the police department 

The Commission was asked to provide monthly reports, either verbally or in writing, to the Mayor and City Council. It also produced a final report by July 1, 2021 that includes the following elements:  

  • Policy recommendations
  • Programmatic and budget recommendations
  • A recommendation on next steps to ensure that the work of the Commission continues. Those next steps may include, for example, a recommendation that the Commission become a recognized, permanent body under City ordinance; a recommendation that a current City entity such as the Human Rights Commission or the Police Civilian Review Board create a division to address racial equity in policing; or a different structure or mechanism entirely 

The Commission and the selected facilitator was assisted by City staff who were equipped to perform research, obtain documents, set up meetings, and provide other administrative and logistical support as needed. 

Facilitator expectations: 

The selected facilitator assisted the Commission to: 

  • Build commission membership and staff and facilitate the logistics of all meetings
  • Structure and hold a series of listening sessions with the community to provide a forum for people to share and discuss their experiences with the SLPD 
  • Draft a community charter or compact that identifies the objectives of the Commission
  • Prepare monthly verbal or written reports to the Mayor and City Council 
  • Facilitate consensus in the creation of the work product recommendations
  • Draft a final work product, with assistance from City staff
  • Advise and assist the City’s communications team on how to publicly communicate the goals, work, process, and products of the Commission to the general public throughout the process

FORMER CORE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Commissioner Ahmad
Commissioner Davis
Commissioner Salazar-Hall
Commissioner McDonald
Commissioner Prospero
Commissioner Sagato-Mauga

Following diligent work to select additional members who would best provide a varied and diverse set of voices independent of any government agency, Core Council of the Racial Equity in Policing Commission added 13 members to its body.

A facilitator helped guide the commission in its work through Phase 1, and the Commission worked with a youth subcommittee to provide feedback to the greater commission.

The Core Council had the addition of the following members to its body: 

  • Commissioner Anjewierden
  • Commissioner Banuri
  • Commissioner Eldridge
  • Commissioner Hawkins
  • Commissioner Johnson
  • Commissioner Ka’ili
  • Commissioner Shifflett
  • Commissioner Smith
  • Commissioner Solovi
  • Commissioner Suarez

Questions should be directed to REPcommission@slcgov.com.

Michelle Mooney, Equity Manager
Office of the Mayor
451 South State Street, Room 345
Salt Lake City, UT 844114-5474
Phone: 385-707-6514
TTY: 711
Fax: 801-535-6331