On August 26, the City of Piedmont held a virtual community meeting with researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio who will be analyzing police call for service data to examine how police services are utilized within Piedmont. The City is interested in an analysis of this data to inform future discussions relative to call responses as well as public utilization of emergency and non-emergency requests for police services.
From the City’s website:
“The researchers will be taking a broad look at all police call data, but will focus on two areas of particular interest:
- The types of calls for service which police officers respond to and the question of if there are alternative responses based on the call types.
- The frequency of biased-based calls for police intervention from the public which lack specific criminal related behavior.
This work is a part of the effort to understand bias and the historical role racism has played in Piedmont and the community at large, in order to better lead a city which is a safe, welcoming, and equitable place for all people committed to by the City Council in Resolution 60-2020. The analysis also is part of the efforts “…to review and revise its policies, procedures, ordinances, values, goals, and missions through an anti-racism lens to foster an unbiased and inclusive environment that is free of discrimination, harassment, and negative stereotyping toward any person or group.” required by that same City Council action.”
In a press release, the City of Piedmont distributed a link to the video from last week’s meeting, now posted to the City’s website and YouTube channel. Please click HERE to view the video on the city website and to learn more about the event.