Civil Rights Fee pissed off by inaction by Davenport Metropolis Council on policing reforms | Native Information

Other cities in Iowa have taken steps to reform their police force following weeks of mass protests last summer following the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.

Cedar Rapids’ plan includes creating an independent review committee for citizens, decriminalizing minor marijuana crimes, and imposing stricter body camera rules for civil servants. The Iowa City plan includes reorganizing the law enforcement agency towards community police, increased authority over the Citizens Police Review Board, and a ban on the use of tear gas against peaceful protesters.

Davenport City Council and the Civil Rights Commission held a joint working meeting in September to discuss issues related to police funding, bail reform, civil oversight of the Davenport Police Department and decriminalization of minor nonviolent crime.

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Some, like bail reform and decriminalizing petty marijuana and other “low-level” crimes, require changes to state law and have been viewed as non-starters and outside the jurisdiction of the city council.

Others, including the creation of a civil committee to review complaints of police misconduct and a separate, independent committee to review police policy, have sparked no further discussion.

Councilors at the time asked what role such a body would play in relation to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission investigating civil rights complaints currently being filed against the Davenport Police Department.