Mayor Colin Byrd will hold a virtual Greenbelt community dialogue on race relations and community policing on Saturday, June 27 at 8:30 p.m. Byrd and a diverse group of Greenbelt residents involved in policing reforms will share their stories and answer questions in an effort to promote improved race relations and policing in Greenbelt. On June 11 Byrd published an update of his proposed legislation, the Greenbelt Fair and Just Policing Act of 2020. The updated document can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yawssfc3.
The updates are part of a legislative proposal targeting use of force by Greenbelt police officers. The act would require officers to use de-escalation strategies, limit the use of force and establish a duty to intervene. Under the act, Greenbelt police officers would be required to de-escalate a potentially volatile encounter through the use of strategies intended to decrease the likelihood that force will be needed. Maneuvers such as chokeholds or carotid restraints that cut off oxygen and blood flow would be prohibited and pulling a gun on an unarmed civilian would be banned. Police officers would be required to intervene to stop excessive or unnecessary force used by another officer. Byrd’s proposal contains numerous other policies relating to limiting the use of force.
Byrd’s proposal also contains language addressing transparency by, among other things, prohibiting Greenbelt officers from turning off their body cameras and requiring the city to make known to the public within 72 hours any serious use of force, identifying the officers involved. In order to improve oversight of the city police department, a civilian police accountability board would be established and would have the authority to investigate complaints of police misconduct. Additional policy proposals ban military vehicles, ban racial profiling, eliminate the five-day waiting period before an officer can be interviewed in an investigation, expand mental health resources and prohibit the hiring of officers with a history of serious misconduct.
Anyone wishing to participate in the virtual dialogue must RSVP by email to colinabyrd@gmail.com, giving the name of the participant. A link will be emailed to participants on Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m.