MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL

AMES, IOWA SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

The Special Meeting of the Ames City Council was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 6:00 p.m. on the 29th day of September, 2020. The Mayor announced that it is impractical to hold an in-person

Council meeting due to the Governor of Iowa declaring a public health emergency because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this meeting is being held as an electronic meeting as allowed by
Section 21.8 of the

Iowa Code

. Council Members Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Gloria Betcher, Amber

Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, David Martin and e

x officio

Member Nicole Whitlock joined the

electronic meeting. The Mayor described the options available to those who wanted to offer public
input.

CONSENT AGENDA:

Moved by Betcher, seconded by Junck, to approve the following items on

the Consent agenda:
1. RESOLUTION NO. 20-523 appointing Council Member Amber Corrieri to serve on the
Headwaters of the South Skunk Watershed Management Authority
2. Third passage and adoption of ORDINANCE NO. 4421 rezoning 2200 Oakwood Road from
Agricultural (A) to Planned Residence Development (F-PRD)
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Motion/Resolution declared carried/adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor,
and hereby made a portion of these Minutes.

WORKSHOP:

Mayor Haila said the staff report, “Policing in Ames - A Path Forward” would be

presented. Public comment would be received after the presentation.

City Manager Steve Schainker said he appreciated the City Council’s leadership during this time.
He said after the death of George Floyd while in police custody, the City Council began receiving
feedback and questions regarding Ames’ policing philosophy and operations. Mr. Schainker said
the information received has been compiled into nine themes, and he is making recommendations
to Council within each one.

Interim Police Chief Geoff Huff said the Ames Police Department (APD) has taken a proactive
approach to the input received. He said procedural justice and universal fairness are embraced by
all officers. He thanked the Police Department members for their willingness to improve.

Theme 1: Organizational Culture
Many individuals who provided input wanted to ensure there is not a culture of racial bias embedded
in the APD.

Mr. Schainker described the values-driven culture of

Excellence Through People

that all employees

are responsible for bringing to life every day. He said systems are in place to reinforce those values,
and the City’s hiring and selection process, promotional decisions, disciplinary determinations, and
pay increases for non-union employees are tied to an employee’s reflection of the values.

Mr. Schainker said the Community Advisory Committee, which is comprised of residents from
groups that are traditionally under-represented in the community, is in place to provide input

regarding how the City organization is doing delivering services. He also said a Diversity and
Inclusion Team, made up of City employees, is in place to ensure City policies and practices do not
negatively impact anyone in the workforce. He said while isolated experiences of inappropriate
behavior may occur, they are not the result of a culture of bias embedded withing the City or Police
Department.

Recommendation #1: The values that drive the

Excellence Through People

initiative will be revised

to include the new values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He said City employees will be
expected to conduct their work in a manner that upholds these values.

Recommendation #2: The City Manager will be recommending during the next budget cycle
(FY2021/22) that a new full-time position of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator be
created. He said this new position will assist with the training of all employees, recruitment of new
employees, and a review of personnel policies to help ensure that all departments in the City
organization, including the Police Department, support the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Theme 2: Police Officer Recruitment and Selection Process
The major emphasis expressed under this theme is the need to have a process in place so applicants
for an Ames Police Officer position are thoroughly vetted to ensure that they do not have a history
of abuse, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, or discrimination. Some have suggested
a periodic follow-up throughout the career of an officer to assure that no discriminatory attitudes
have developed.

Interim Police Chief Geoff Huff reviewed State requirements for acceptance into the Iowa Law
Enforcement Academy (ILEA). In addition to these minimum state requirements, Ames Police
Officers are required to possess a high school diploma or have completed the HiSET or GED and
have 60 semester hours at an accredited college or university in diversified academic subjects. Mr.
Huff described the recruitment process including screening for minimum requirements, standardized
physical fitness test and the Police Officer Selection Test. It was noted that a background check
usually takes four to six weeks as a detective interviews friends, family, acquaintances, teachers,
former employers, landlords, neighbors, and college roommates about attitudes and experiences. He
said investigators examine credit reports and online activity to look for integrity, fairness,
compassion, and a service ethic suitable to the profession as well as bias, extremism, and other
attitudes or history that conflict with the values of the City.

Recommendation #3: Realizing that all individuals have some form of implicit bias, the HR staff
will explore additional validated evaluation tools to use in the Police Officer selection process to
help predict whether candidates have a propensity to inappropriately act upon bias.

Theme 3: Officer Training/ Education
It is important to many who provided input that Police Officers who are hired receive training in the
following topics: de-escalation of altercations, medical assistance, systematic racism, the historic
role of police in maintaining oppressive social structures, implicit bias, and cultural competency.

2

Mr. Huff said while at the ILEA officers receive ten hours of bias and diversity training and eight
hours of de-escalation training. In addition, and separately from Academy training, department-wide
training conducted by APD includes Cultural Diversity, Special Populations, Fair and Impartial
Policing, Communications/ De-Escalation, De-Escalation/ “Verbal Judo”, Procedural Justice,
Implicit Bias, Understanding Class in Law Enforcement, and Mental Health First Aid. He said the
Ames Police Department has certified trainers on staff in the following related areas: Fair and
Impartial Policing, Procedural Justice, Implicit Bias, Mental Health First Aid, and De-escalation.

Mr. Huff explained that dispatchers are being trained to ask clarifying questions to ensure APD is
responding appropriately to “suspicious activity” calls. He said the additional questions will help
in instances when a caller reports activity that is not unlawful but has racial undertones to determine
whether or not a police response is warranted.

Recommendation #4: Work with Human Resources to develop a more formalized training
curriculum for officers regarding diversity and bias topics.

Recommendation #5: The City Manager will be recommending in the next budget cycle converting
a vacant authorized Police Officer position into an administrative sergeant position. This position
will manage departmental training needs, statistical reporting and transparency, and supervision of
new officers during the onboarding and Academy processes, in addition to other duties.

Theme 4: Departmental Policies
Many emails received by City Council asked for specific policies to be adopted by the APD.

Mr. Huff said many policies are already in compliance with the suggested policies. He said contracts
are flexible and always updated with any changes in law or best practices. Mr. Huff said Iowa
Community Assurance Pool (ICAP) has given APD a grant to use Lexipol, a policy advisory firm
that monitors best practices, policies, and case law. Interim Chief Huff said the use of force is rare
by APD, and with 31,629 calls for service, there were 117 incidents when officers used force (.37%
of all calls). Force was used in 3.7% of arrests. Mr. Huff said force includes a variety of actions,
including an officer taking hold of an individual, and in each instance the use of force is reported.

The State of Iowa recently changed the deadly force section of the Iowa Code to treat chokeholds
like other deadly force situations and the APD policy now mirrors that update. Mr. Huff discussed
de-escalation, which is addressed in many policies. He explained that APD utilizes force options,
which require an officer to evaluate resistance and use the lowest level of force to get compliance.
Mr. Huff said force is only used when absolutely necessary. Mr. Huff said APD requires officers
to report each time they use force or threaten to use force against civilians by documenting the use
of force and informing their supervisor.

Banning the use of tear gas was another suggested policy. Mr. Huff said the use of tear gas is
extremely infrequent and limited to riot situations where life/property are in danger. It would not be
used for peaceful protests. He said without this option to disperse crowds, other uses of force would

3

be required. He said they don’t support a total ban, rather accountability for the situations when it
is

used.

Mr. Huff said officers have had body cameras for almost two years and video footage is backed up.
Recommendation #6: As revisions are made to APD policies, revised versions will be updated on
the City’s website.

Recommendation #7: An independent review of the APD policies will be periodically undertaken
by a citizen committee. See Recommendation #16 regarding the creation of an Ames Citizen Police
Advisory Committee (ACPAC).

Recommendation #8: As new laws are adopted at the federal and state levels and clarified by the
courts, the City will continue to use Lexipol to review APD’s existing policies to ensure compliance
with the law and commitment to fair and impartial policing. Lexipol will continue to recommend
new policies to address areas where policies do not yet exist.

Theme 5: City Ordinances and State Law
Suggested local ordinances include: ban racial profiling; prohibit racial bias in policing; prohibit an
unjust accusation from one person against another to the Police because of race; decriminalize the
use and possession of marijuana for less than 40 grams.

Mr. Huff said racial profiling and bias-based policing are prohibited in the Ames Police Department
policies. He said officers contacting a person shall be prepared to articulate sufficient reason for the
contact. He said supervisors are involved and watching for bias-based policing.

Recommendation #9: Adopt an ordinance prohibiting any member of the City of Ames organization
from racial profiling or taking actions that are indicative of bias in the delivery of City services.

Recommendation #10: Adopt a local ordinance that prohibits filing false reports or providing false
information to police against an individual because of race or another protected characteristic.

City Attorney Mark Lambert told Council the highest local penalty for filing a false report is a
simple misdemeanor.

Theme 6: Transparency
It has been suggested that data should be periodically released such as arrest records, stop records,
the number of civilian deaths that occur while in in police custody, and the number of civilian deaths
that occur as the result of force. It has been further suggested to break these reports down according
to various demographics.

Mr. Huff said a Press Log describing general information about calls for service and the Arrest
Report are on the website. He said budget reports are provided annually, and crimes are reported to
state and federal databases. Mr. Huff told Council that in 2019 the APD with ISU Police initiated

4

a traffic stop study to evaluate whether racial disparity exists, and the results should be available this
fall.

Recommendation 11: Publish quarterly summaries on the APD website for citations (traffic tickets,
municipal infractions, simple misdemeanors) and arrests, with a breakdown of race and other
demographics, where known.

Recommendation 12: Publish quarterly reports on the APD website with use of force statistics, with
a breakdown of race and other demographics, where known.

Recommendation 13: Create a new system for citizens to report bias incidents, publish this data on
the APD website, and share these reports with the Human Relations Commission for follow-up.

Recommendation 14: Conduct periodic studies of traffic stop statistics to identify whether racial
disparity exists in the traffic stops conducted by the APD.

Theme 7: Accountability in Complaint Handling and Discipline
It has been suggested that complaints regarding inappropriate action by Police Officers cannot be
fairly addressed when the discipline process is contained within the department. Therefore, it has
been suggested that an independent body be created to investigate and determine discipline for
officers accused of such actions.

Mr. Huff said there is an internal complaint process, a complaint process through the Iowa Civil
Rights Commission, and a complaint process through the Iowa Ombudsman office. He said
investigating allegations of misconduct are started by the immediate supervisor and may be turned
over to the Internal Affairs Coordinator. The investigation would be conducted similarly to other
investigations. Officers may be on paid administrative leave or temporarily reassigned. He said if
an officer is believed to be involved in criminal activity, an outside law enforcement agency would
be contacted.

Mr. Huff reviewed investigation and discipline.

Recommendation #15: Make forms to document complaints more readily available on the Police
Department website to provide ample opportunities for the public to register their concerns about
incidents.

Recommendation #16: Create an Ames Citizen Police Advisory Committee (ACPAC) in accordance
with the model presented below.

Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips reviewed the format of the proposed ACPAC. Goals would
be to incorporate a citizen perspective into the evaluation of citizen complaints against the APD,
provide thoughtful recommendations regarding the policies and practices of the APD, report
concerns regarding complaint investigation outcomes to the City Manager, and increase public
confidence in the professionalism and accountability of the APD.

5

Mr. Phillips said the ACPAC would have seven individuals representing the diversity of the
community and appointed by the Mayor, trained after appointment in contemporary policing
practices and legal standards, remain committed to impartiality and reviewing of complaints based
only upon facts and evidence, and subject to confidentiality requirements. He also reviewed the
proposed responsibilities of the members.

Theme 8: Communication
When the Chief of Police responded in writing to inquiries received this summer regarding the
City’s departmental policies, many were pleased to learn that the policies of the Police Department
already addressed these concerns. Therefore, it appears from this feedback that the Police
Department needs to do a more effective job communicating with under-represented populations.

Recommendation #17: Adopt the City Council-approved recommendations from the ISU
Community and Regional Planning class(es) regarding the best communication techniques to reach
under-represented populations in Ames.

Recommendation #18: Provide periodic updates to the public from the Chief of Police regarding
activities, current events, policies, and less understood aspects of the APD through the use of social
media, cable television, videos, radio, and other media.

Recommendation #19: Refresh the APD website pages to ensure information is clear, concise, and
user-friendly for community members.

Theme 9: Funding
Calls are being heard throughout the country to “defund” police departments. This call includes the
suggestion that the savings realized from reducing the department’s budget be reallocated to various
social service agencies, programs related to mental health, social work, crisis intervention,
homelessness, drug prevention/treatment, affordable housing, public transit, before and after school
programs, parks and recreation programs, community engagement, food security, and holistic
collaborative services. It has also been suggested that the City not purchase or accept surplus
military vehicles for APD use.

It was noted that the City appropriated $10,596,148 to the Law Enforcement program for 2020/21,
which is 4% of the total City budget.

Ms. Schildroth said the City of Ames uses local option sales tax funds to help pay for human
services in Ames. She said Council is involved in directing these funds by setting priorities and
allocating $1,524,850 to fund human services. Other funders contribute $3,010,453 for a total of
$4,535,303 to be used to purchase childcare, rent/utilities assistance, shelter services, mental health
and substance abuse prevention and treatment, food pantry programs, transportation, nutrition, home
health assistance, youth development programs, and domestic violence services.

Ms. Schildroth said Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funding received
this fiscal year ($826,422) is earmarked to develop a new housing subdivision for multiple-family

6

housing units and single-family detached homes that meet the needs of low- and moderate-income
residents in Ames.

Ms. Schildroth said for several years APD has been reducing officer involvement in some nuisance
and social problems and referring to apartment managers and encouraging neighbors to resolve
issues. She also said mental health calls for service are being diverted to the Mobile Crisis Response
Team (MCRT) managed by Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Services. Ms. Schildroth said
the Mental Health Advocate (employed by APD) evaluates police calls for service and ensures lines
of communication with health care providers are kept open to ensure proper services are being
received when needed.

City Manager Steve Schainker said the many partnerships in place are a result of police, human
service agencies, and community members working together towards the best outcomes for citizens.
He said the majority of APD funding is directed toward pay and benefits. He said any substantial
redirection of funding out of this budget would have to come from personal services which would
reduce the number of officers and thereby severely impact the City’s ability to provide adequate
service to the community.

Recommendation #20: Adopt a City Council policy that no surplus armored military vehicles may
be purchased or accepted by the City for use.

Recommendation #21: If the City Council wishes to do so, the allocation of ASSET funds could be
reprioritized in the next budget cycle and concentrated in human services that better meet the City
Council’s social justice goals.

Council Member Betcher asked why officers have to be on paid administrative leave during
investigations. Mr. Huff said the Peace Officer Bill of Rights wouldn’t allow for unpaid leave. He
said decisions are not made quickly before due process. Mr. Lambert said there are requirements for
predisciplinary hearings and to remove an officer from the workplace environment, they would be
on paid leave. Ms. Betcher asked about the Executive Order adopted September 22, 2020, focusing
on training. Mr. Lambert said he will look into it and get back to Council.

Council Member Junck asked about requiring the APD to request demographic information in every
situation with the opportunity to opt out. Mr. Lambert said he doesn’t like the idea of doing that for
several reasons, but he will look into it.

Council Member Martin wondered if there’s anything similar to Lexipol that could be a better fit.
Mr. Huff said Lexipol is recommended by insurance carrier ICAP, though there are other ones out
there. Mr. Martin said he has heard the community’s concerns, but he’s not sure how to evaluate the
concern.

Ex officio

Member Whitlock asked about the body cameras and officer accountability. Mr. Huff said

the cameras are always recording, but when officers press record, that is the information that gets
stored. He said in some instances when officers have forgotten to press record the instances were

7

retrieved. Mr. Huff said cameras and batteries have failed at different times, but the intent is to
record as much as possible, and officers are very compliant. Mayor Haila asked what happens if a
member of the public requests the camera be turned off. Mr. Huff said if an officer is asked to turn
the camera off in instances when it’s appropriate, an officer can note why it’s being turned off before
doing so, but most of the time that wouldn’t be allowed.

Ms. Betcher asked if the City will be doing an equity audit for APD or the entire City. Mr. Schainker
said that has not yet been discussed.

Council Member Corrieri asked about ongoing education. Mr. Huff said state-mandated training is
required yearly, and that is the baseline. He said training is very appreciated by officers, and much
of the additional training is at the officer’s request.

Council Member Gartin asked what prevents an officer who has been discharged from another police
department for bad behavior from getting an interview. Mr. Huff said many tools are at their
disposal for background checks. He said they account for every place a person has lived and worked,
and said they are confident they would find out about situations like that.

Ms. Junck asked about rights for a complainant. Mr. Huff said it’s required that APD get back in
touch with the complainant.

Ms. Whitlock asked how students will be involved in the proposed ACPAC. Mr. Schainker said the
Council will make the appointments. Mayor Haila said on the basis the Council moves forward there
will be many discussions at the Council level. Ms. Betcher asked about the officers’ response to the
recommendation of the ACPAC. Mr. Huff said officers are very open to it. He said officers enjoy
Ames Citizen Police Academy so much because they can share with citizens the aspects of the job,
and interact with citizens.

Mayor Haila asked about displaying firearms. Mr. Huff said there were 117 incidents of use of force
in 2019 and 22 incidents where officers displayed a firearm (zero instances of firing the firearm).
Mayor Haila asked if those numbers are typical. Mr. Huff confirmed that they are.

Ms. Whitlock asked about polygraph testing as it relates to racial bias. Mr. Huff said the polygraph
is one piece to a much larger puzzle. He said the polygraph is looking for integrity and honesty and
those results are looked at through other lenses as well. Mayor Haila asked how that’s used. Mr.
Huff said they are looking for criminal activity and consistency in answers.

Mayor Haila opened public input.

Ahmed Ismail, Iowa City, said he is an ISU Engineering student and an organizer for Ames Black
Lives Matter (BLM). He said he believes there’s a big need for an equity review from an outside
perspective. He said the majority of people working on these processes are not from the marginal
communities affected. He the ACPAC members must be appointed by Council members and those
people should have real power to police the police. He also said entities like YSS and NAACP, who

8

do the work with the marginalized communities, should provide input on who should be on the
committee. Mr. Ismail said bringing in another perspective could bring a better understanding of
what the issues are.

** Sarah Carney, 320 S. 2nd Street, Ames, said she understands the need to address the individual

biases. She said true justice can’t come without dismantling of systemic racism. She said root causes
must be addressed to solve issues. Ms. Carney said she appreciates the active listening and asked
that this be just the beginning.

** Taylor Junck, 916 Vermont Circle, Ames, thanked Council for the energy put into the report. She
said police accountability is due to lack of transparency. She said Lexipol aims to decrease lawsuits
against police. Ms. Taylor Junck said she has many unanswered questions. She asked if there are
quotas in Ames for traffic stops. Ms. Taylor Junck asked that ASSET funding not be reallocated.

** Deborah Fink, 222 S. Russell, Ames, said it was noted Ames doesn’t use surplus military vehicles,
but she wondered if other military surplus equipment is used.

** Philip Gassman, 1605 Burnett Avenue, Ames, thanked the APD for the work they do and for the in-
depth report. He said he’s impressed with the many layers and checks and balances in place. He said
in

Newsweek

, a Gallup poll stated that only 19% wanted police to spend less time in an area. Mr.

Gassman said the majority of people in this community and across the nation do not favor defunding
the police. He said there is a plethora of issues, but many comments being made about shifting
funding have not been thought out well.

Andrew Meyer, 322-11th Street, Ames, said Police outreach is a fine idea, but it’s important to

remember it comes down to what officers decide to do in the moment. He said the language in many
ordinances refers to what is “reasonable.” Mr. Meyer commented that displaying firearms 22 times
doesn’t seem necessary if they are not being used. Mr. Meyer asked how long the video is being kept
after the video is taken.

** Kaydin Oler, 330 S. 2nd Street, Ames, said BLM members and NAACP should be involved in

ACPAC so it is a community group. For a diverse board, more people need to have a say in who
is appointed.

** Riley Drake, 3322 Jefferson Street, Ames, said there are ways these recommendations can happen
and it’s completely possible to improve a community. She said she is part of an anti-racism group,
and that 95% of policing is in response of non-violent events. She said law enforcement should not
be out of bounds and has been proven ill-suited for some of the calls received.

** Tim Sklenar, 320 S. 2nd Street, Ames, said the regulation for dealing with unlawful crowds isn’t the
same as a violent crowd. He said ACPAC should have access to body camera footage in use of force
incidents and should report if use of force incidents are reasonable. He said he went through ISU
Police’s Citizens Academy and at that time ISU officers didn’t carry firearms, only tasers. He
wondered if that would work for Ames.

9

** Serena Paulson, 323 West Street, Ames, said it’s important that students be represented on ACPAC.
She said the community should be part of appointing members. Mayor Haila asked about the full
transparency with ACPAC. Ms. Paulson said anything that ACPAC receives should be made public
information.

** Jon Wolseth, 902 Arizona Avenue, Ames, said the report claims there is no culture of bias. He said
this is troubling because there is no transparent data offered. He said he echoes the call for greater
transparency for ACPAC. He said he encouraged the Council to ensure the interviewing process for
the next Police Chief involves minority groups.

** Sehba Faheem, 1930 Long Road, Ames, said the majority of funding is for patrol and wondered
why. She asked what the gain is for having officers on patrol.

** Kara Prior, 1712 Wilson Avenue, Ames, thanked the City and Council for the report and the
workshop. She said she feels a better place to start would be to look at what systemic racism in
Ames looks like. said a lot of anti-racist work needs to be done and wonders if Council would
consider asking black history or anti-racism experts to do a session rather than starting with the
Police Department since it’s not the center of the problem. She said she would love if Council would
spend more time with the marginalized communities in Ames.

** Apple Amos, 3303 West Street, Ames, said much of the discussion seemed to assume issues in
policing have to do with individuals and not policing in general. She said if it was an issue with
individuals she doesn’t believe protests would be going on.

Mayor Haila asked about body camera footage. Mr. Huff said arrests are kept for three years; some
cases like homicides would be kept forever, and traffic stops are kept for one year. He said anyone
can make a request for video, and an evaluation would take place on the request.

Mayor Haila asked if there is any other surplus military equipment. Mr. Huff said APD has weapons
that were received through a surplus program.

Ms. Beatty-Hansen asked about quotas for traffic stops. Mr. Huff said quotas are illegal.

Council Member Martin said a couple speakers spoke about funding going toward Patrol. He asked
about activities included under that. Mr. Huff said there are three patrol shifts as well as the Safe
Neighborhoods team, support services, and communications. Mr. Huff said if a call is received, a
Patrol officer addresses the situation; almost everything starts with Patrol.

Council Member Betcher said unlawful assemblies were mentioned. Mr. Huff said unlawful
assembly could be different than a riot where people need moved from an unsafe location or private
property. He said they would be resistant to using chemical on crowds that aren’t violent. He said
the times when chemicals were used in Ames involved property damage and violence. He said it’s
illegal to block a City street and march, but they have addressed it in other ways.

10

Ms. Beatty-Hansen asked what is used to determine how many hours are devoted to Patrol. Mr. Huff
said it’s historical, and they track calls for service. He said they run a pretty lean department, but
they try to keep a certain number of officers on the street based on the knowledge of how many calls
are received.

Council Member Gartin asked how to move forward. Mayor Haila said Council would move to put
the report in its entirety on a Council agenda, and any follow-up questions for staff could be noted.

Mr. Schainker said Council could take a little time to absorb the information in the report and the
input from the community while not waiting too long.

Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Betcher, to place the report and recommendations by staff
on a Council agenda within the next two months.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.

Mr. Gartin asked how communities go about training committees such as the proposed ACPAC.
Mayor Haila said there’s an objectivity of the committee. Mr. Phillips said one common theme
among boards he’s researched is that the training is very extensive and involving initial and ongoing
training from a variety of perspectives. He said timeliness is very important for personnel
investigations, so the appointees could be called together for input with short notice. Mr. Gartin said
he is very proud of APD, and good governance means we tailor solutions toward the challenges
being faced.

Ms. Corrieri said she has a unique perspective as she has three family members in law enforcement.
She said she has had many positive interactions with APD over the years. Ms. Corrieri said she
realizes her experiences are not the same as others. She said what she sees in this report is a
Department that cares about the community, and she appreciates the thoughtfulness put into the
report. She thanked Mr. Schainker and Mr. Huff, as well as former Chief Chuck Cychosz.

Ms. Betcher said she feels comfortable with the recommendations. She said the spirit of the reaction
of officers is encouraging, which shows they are interested in continuous improvement and
becoming even better. She said she hopes the officers can continue to love their jobs as they serve
our community. Ms. Betcher said she served as a NAACP national delegate recently, and a panelist
from Philadelphia was asked about the phrase “defund the police.” This panelist suggested saying
something different such as “fund our communities of color,” to counteract issues that police are
dealing with.

Mayor Haila said the NAACP opening comments state that it starts with each one of us in the
community. He said the National League of Cities has some programs to look at for communities
as a whole.

DISPOSITIONS OF COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL:

Moved by Corrieri, seconded by

Gartin, to request a memo from staff regarding the request from Dan Culhane dated September 21,

11

2020, to proceed with the rezoning of the 1,300+ acre corridor on East Lincoln Way known as the
Prairie View Industrial Center,

Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.

COUNCIL COMMENTS:

Mayor Haila and Council Members Junck and Martin thanked staff for

their work on the “Policing in Ames” report. Ms. Whitlock commented that all identities need to
be treated equally.

Council Member Betcher thanked staff for their work on the census parade.

ADJOURNMENT :

The meeting adjourned at 9:34 p.m.

_____________________________________

____________________________________

Diane R. Voss, City Clerk

John A. Haila, Mayor

____________________________________

Erin Thompson, Recording Secretary

12