Iowa City, IA
Home MenuPreliminary Plan to Restructure the Police
The public can read the entire Preliminary Plan to Restructure Police online.
About the Preliminary Plan to Accelerate Community Policing
On June 16, 2020 City Council passed Resolution 20-159, outlining 17 actions to be taken by the City to address the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and systemic racism. The first action listed in this resolution reads:
“By December 15, 2020, develop a preliminary plan to restructure the Iowa City Police Department (ICPD) towards community policing, including, but not limited to, reduction of the public’s reliance on police in non-violent situations through use of unarmed professionals, and consideration of community policing initiatives in other cities, including, but not limited to, Minneapolis, MN, Camden, NJ, Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA.”
The preliminary plan, a summary of recommendations, and options to provide feedback are below. You can view the progress of other items in this resolution on the City's Black Lives Matter webpage.
Video of City Council Discussions
- City Manager Geoff Fruin outlines the Preliminary Plan to Restructure the Police during the City Council Work Session on Dec. 15, 2020
- Review of recommendations from OIR Group, CPRB, and Preliminary Plan during the City Council Work Session on March 23, 2021
- Special work session for City Council to review recommendations on the preliminary plan held on May 11, 2021
Background
Extensive public input was collected prior to the development of this preliminary plan, including six City Council listening posts on community policing held throughout the City, an online public feedback form, public comment opportunities at Council meetings, and individual comments provided directly to staff and councilors.
A report summarizing the public input phase was delivered to City Council on October 15, 2020. City Council then directed staff to prepare a preliminary plan based on this feedback by December 15, 2020.
Restructuring the Iowa City Police Department: A Preliminary Plan to Accelerate Community Policing
The preliminary plan to restructure the police department includes background on the Iowa City Police Department and recent community policing initiatives, a statistical overview, and 36 recommendations to address public health, community safety, and systemic racism.
The recommendations reflect three major efforts: (1) a continuum of responses to crisis calls, from prevent to divert to co-respond to stabilize and connect; (2) a commitment to unbiased policing; and (3) an effort to “police forward,” or use unconventional and innovative solutions for common problems.
- Preliminary Plan to Accelerate Community Policing
- Preliminary Plan to Accelerate Community Policing (PDF - English)
- إعــــــادة هيكَــــلة إدارة شرطة مدينة أيَوَا سِيتِي (Recommendations PDF - Arabic)
- Las recommendaciones para reestructurar el departamento de policía de Iowa City (Recommendations PDF - Spanish)
- Les recommandations préliminaires de restructuration du département de police de la ville de l'Iowa (Recommendations PDF - French)
- Summary of Recommendations
- Presentation Slides from the Dec. 15 City Council Work Session
Public Input
The community is invited to provide additional input on the preliminary plan, to be incorporated into the final adopted plan. E-mail your suggestions to PolicePlan@iowa-city.org or take the full survey to provide feedback on specific recommendations.
As additional public input opportunities are available, they will be posted here and publicized through the City's various media channels.