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City Council Priority: Community Safety

Focusing on an Increase Positive Public Perception of Safety and Overall Quality of Life

What makes us feel safe? Many things contribute to our perception of safety such as clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, walkability (including crosswalks and traffic design) and conditions in our neighborhoods, the lighting on streets, property crime, social connections with our neighbors, quality opportunities for children, and much more. Unsafe community conditions can also dampen economic development and discourage business retention, attraction, and expansion.

 

Tacoma's First Focus Area is Policing with our Commitment to Improve Existing Systems 

Resolution 40622 which was passed on June 30, 2020 by the Tacoma City Council, affirms the City of Tacoma’s commitment to improving existing systems for all community members, with the first stated priority being local policing. 

 

See What We Are Doing in the Following Areas:

 

Does the City of Tacoma have an Office of Community Safety?

 

Does the City of Tacoma have an Office of Community Safety? 

The short answer is no.

 

In alignment with Resolution No. 40622, start-up funding for an Office of Community Safety was included as a placeholder in the City’s 2021-2022 Budget. This funding was intended to allow the City to be responsive to a broader definition of community safety and support the implementation of community-identified transformational initiatives. The City has actively taken on transformation, including many of the recommendations within the 21st Century Policing Report, without establishing a new office.

 

More information on the City’s efforts can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org/transform.

 

Going forward, the creation of a Community Safety Strategy is now underway. The community will be invited to provide their feedback and insights as part of the planning process. Once completed, this will strategically guide the City’s work in this important area, and the City Manager will determine what staffing, structures, and resources are necessary to support the Community Safety Strategy. 

 

The Office of Community Safety remains a viable option to be activated as needed in response to the community and city administrative needs as we continue to advance transformational efforts within the City of Tacoma.

 

Alternative Response (click to expand)

The City of Tacoma remains committed to implementing alternative response changes and enhancements aligned with the Matrix Study to the extent they are feasible and subject to collective bargaining. Our alternative response efforts are focused on three areas: Homelessness Outreach, Behavioral Health Response, and non-commissioned Community Service Officers. 

  • Homelessness Outreach
    The 2023-2024 biennial budget supported expanding the Homeless Engagement Alternatives Liaison (HEAL) staffing, allowing teams to conduct more outreach without police. Learn more about the City’s efforts to address homelessness.

  • Behavioral Health Response Team
    In 2023, the City of Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) established a new emergency response team to support community members experiencing behavioral health crisis. This team is designed to effectively engage with people impacted by mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Known as the Hope Team – which stands for Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement – this service will be 911 dispatched and work in coordination with community providers, hospitals, jails, courts, and first responders. The team is now in "soft launch" testing their vehicles and equipment by accompanying TFD on calls, with plans to begin independent dispatch in late fall.
  • Community Service Officers
    The City is actively working to implement new unarmed Community Service Officers within the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) to respond to a wide range of non-violent, non-emergency, and low-risk calls. This team is centered around providing a holistic approach to community safety that decreases both priority and non-priority call response times and enhances the police department’s responsiveness to community needs. This work includes hiring, creating curriculum, training, finalizing protocols, and acquiring/outfitting response vehicles. There is a goal to complete hiring by the new year, with services beginning to roll out in Spring 2024.  

You can find more information on our efforts to date below:

Priority: Increase positive public perception of safety and overall quality of lifeWhat makes us feel safe? Many things contribute to our perception of safety such as clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, the walkability (including crosswalks and traffic design) and conditions in our neighborhoods, the lighting on streets, property crime, social connections with our neighbors, quality opportunities for children, and much more. Unsafe community conditions can also dampen economic development and discourage business retention, attraction, and expansion

 
Transforming the Tacoma Police Department

We have created a web map to visualize the laws, ordinances, regulations, policies, initiatives and projects that Tacoma Police Department are using to drive transformation.

 

Click on the Transforming the Tacoma Police Department image below to learn more.

      Transforming Tacoma Police

 

 

 

Police Reform

 

8 Can't Wait Campaign

 

Body-Worn Cameras

 

Dash Cameras 

 

City of Tacoma Takes A Pledge Addressing Police Use of Force Policies

On July 21, 2020, Mayor Victoria Woodards joined other mayors across the nation in signing on to the four-part pledge developed by the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, an Initiative of the Obama Foundation, to engage our community in reviewing Tacoma’s use of force policies.

The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance calls on mayors to commit to the following actions:

  1. Review your police use of force policies.
  2. Engage your communities by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in your review.
  3. Report the findings of your review to your community and seek feedback.
  4. Reform your community’s police use of force policies.

 

Initial Review of Use of Force and Body Worn Camera Policies

Over the summer, the Tacoma Police Department worked with the Community’s Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) to do an initial review of the City’s use of force policies. Based on community feedback, initial review and reform efforts were primarily focused on those policies identified in the national “8 Can’t Wait Campaign.” 

The City of Tacoma was compliant in a number of areas, but as a result of this work has made changes to now be in alignment with all of the 8 Can’t Wait goals

 

Current State Assessment and Additional Policy Review

While the primary objectives of the Obama Pledge have now been achieved, the Community’s Police Advisory has expressed a continuing commitment to a comprehensive review of all relevant policies. This work will follow a report from 21st Century Policing that includes a current state assessment of relevant policing policies as well as initial discussions with identified community stakeholders and employees from every level of the police department

 

 

To learn more about this initiative, visit obama.org/mayor-pledge.

 



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