Task force continues work to strengthen police/community relationships

Posted 1/14/21

JACKSON (WNE) — In its third meeting, a task force examining local law enforcement’s relationship with the community and social services heard from a consultant who has led similar …

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Task force continues work to strengthen police/community relationships

Posted

JACKSON (WNE) — In its third meeting, a task force examining local law enforcement’s relationship with the community and social services heard from a consultant who has led similar initiatives across the country.

Jake Jacobs gave an hour-long presentation Monday morning highlighting his work in Charleston, South Carolina and Louisville, Kentucky.

“Our organization has worked in several communities around the country on this issue and the opportunity of further strengthening police/citizen relationships,” Jacobs said in a Zoom meeting.

The idea for the committee came up over the summer after the Teton County Board of County Commissioners heard public comment from residents who advocated taking money from law enforcement budgets and allocating it to human services — advocacy efforts often labeled as defunding the police.

The decision came after a sustained campaign organized by activist group Act Now JH that formed in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis. The group attended county meetings in force throughout the end of June, lobbying commissioners to divert those funds to social services.

After receiving several applications from members of the public and conducting interviews, county commissioners voted to commit $14,000 to the project and appointed five people to the committee.

The committee has since added members and after the group agreed they should add more Hispanic participants.  The committee’s recommendations will be formed into a request for proposal for another stage of assessment.

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