Suzette Cook
Editor’s Note: On the Agenda is a summary of high interest items to be decided on or discussed at upcoming local municipal meetings in Alachua County.
The Alachua Board of County Commissioners and Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell will meet on July 10th to discuss police reform.
The virtual meeting starts at 10 a.m. during which the County Commission will receive a presentation and have a discussion about police reform with Sheriff Darnell and citizen comment will be taken, but limited to one hour.
According to Sheriff Darnell’s statement, “the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) is committed to increasing dialogue and transparency in order to have a better understanding of racial discrimination within the criminal justice system.”
Darnell will present the factors that make the ACSO #8cantwait compliant which includes the topics: Ban Chokeholds and Strangleholds, Require De-escalation, Require Warning Before Shooting, Exhaust all Alternatives Before Shooting, Duty to Intervene, Ban Shooting at Moving Vehicles, Establish Use of Force Continuum and Require All Force Be Reported.
“As Sheriff, I recognize and uphold the great responsibility law enforcement has in keeping the public safe. All of our local law enforcement have been given a special trust by our community. We must do everything we can to continue to earn this trust with every interaction we have,” Sheriff Darnell, said..
Use of force
Darnell will review the ACSO’s policies, definitions and guidelines pertaining to the “Use of Force by ACSO employees.”
Her presentation will also include discussion about ASCO Incident Documentation, Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) and FDLE Law Enforcement Training.
Darnell will give an overview of the National Use-of-Force Data Collection funded and built by the FBI which encourages all sheriffs to participate two categories of force use: discharge of a firearm by a LEO at or in the direction of a person and force that results in death or serious bodily injury of a person.
Justice in Policing Act of 2020, Racial and Ethnic Disparities Initiative, Mental Health Initiatives and Mental Health Co-Responder Team along with the ACSO’s proposed recommendations for updates or revisions to the Federal Criminal Police Misconduct Statute are also on the agenda.
See the agenda and backup documents for the meeting here.
The public may attend virtually through Cox Channel 12, Facebook, and the County’s Video on Demand website. For meeting audio-only, call 301-715-8592, and when prompted, use code 670 965 3024. The public may submit comments to the board through email (bocc@alachuacounty.us) or by calling into the public comment message line when prompted to call during the meetings. Public comment will be taken by telephone for all non-ministerial items on which the Commission votes. Once public comment is opened for an item under discussion, please call 929-205-6099 (enter meeting code 273 174 8038). Callers will be put in a queue and prompted when it is their turn to speak. TO AVOID FEEDBACK, SPEAKERS MUST TURN DOWN THEIR MEETING SOUND WHEN ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION. Callers should state their name and limit comments to two minutes. The public is encouraged to submit any written or photographic documents prior to the meetings to bocc@alachuacounty.us.