Calling it a positive 'first step,' Topeka mayor and council OK recommended police reform moves

Recommendations made by a special Topeka City Council committee don't do enough to effectively provide police reform here, critics told the mayor and council late Tuesday.

"We don't need these weak recommendations," said Glenda Overstreet.

Still, the city's mayor and council voted 8-1 to adopt those eight recommendations, describing the move as being a positive "first step."

"This is not an end result," said Mayor Mike Padilla, who served on the committee. "The conversation will not stop now."

Padilla encouraged the proposal's critics to "come to the table" and "add to the work effort" involved with any future police reform initiatives the city might undertake.

Committee was formed during tense times after George Floyd murder

Padilla and Councilwomen Sylvia Ortiz and Karen Hiller served on the police and community committee, which put forth the recommendations.

That committee was formed in October 2020 amid the tense atmosphere that existed after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd five months earlier.

The committee met for the last time last month. It made eight recommendations, which the mayor and council voted to approve Tuesday evening.

Councilman Mike Lesser was absent that evening.

Councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcala cast the one dissenting vote, saying the committee's recommendations fell far short of what is needed.

'We should have had more' planned moves about Topeka police reform

Before Tuesday's vote, the mayor and council heard Debbie Harrod voice support for police, then heard racial justice advocates Overstreet, Daniel Martin, Angela Lee, Danielle Twemlow and Ari Davis speak against approving the proposed recommendations.

Critics suggested the city had initially promised to give the community more input into the process than local residents ended up receiving. Davis described the committee's recommendations as being "watered down."

Twemlow called Tuesday's vote "very disappointing."

She said the recommendations approved that evening were "very vague," adding that the assertion that the city was at a "starting point" in terms of achieving police reform was the same thing racial justice advocates here were told in 2020.

After all this time, "We should have had more," she said.

Councilman Spencer Duncan suggested that rather than focusing on things the recommendations don't accomplish, the council should highlight the positive things they did accomplish with the recommendations.

Here's what they entail:

Recognition of the role of school resource officers

The measure approved Tuesday concludes Topeka police school resource officers play a significant role in the community while stressing that they don't enforce school disciplinary action.

"SROs are mentors and should continue to serve in this capacity," the recommendation says, adding that SRO training should be updated to reflect the current needs of students.

'No knock warrants' will remain banned

The measure approved Tuesday recommends no change be made to the city's existing practice of banning "no knock warrants."

The city hasn't used that practice since July 2020, when prohibition of it was codified.

Use-of-force policies to be reviewed regularly

The measure adopted Tuesday recommends that policies concerned with use of force be "reviewed on an ongoing basis," with civilian input.

It describes use of force as being "of extreme concern to the public," and calls for greater clarity on training and best practices related to the topic.

Also in terms of use of force, the measure recommends that continued training and certification of Crisis Intervention Teams, with the use of mental health co-responders, be increased.

Content of officer training would include history and de-escalation

The measure OK'd Tuesday recommends that recruit training include education about the historic role of policing in the United States, with training on fair and impartial policing and bias-based policing considered to be crucial.

It also finds training that emphasizes de-escalation, multicultural understanding and speaking up "if a fellow officer requires redirection" to be critical.

Civilian input in training suggested

The measure approved Tuesday includes a recommendation that civilian participation be added to the process of developing training at TPD.

Civilian input would serve to complement the department's processes, not replace them, it says.

Committee suggests strengthening civilian oversight of police, to a degree

Topeka's civil service commission technically is the framework that allows civilian oversight of Topeka police.

The committee said the framework of that commission needs to be strengthened, which would in turn allow for greater civilian-led oversight and more civic engagement.

Critics suggested Tuesday that the city would be better served by forming a civilian review board than by putting increased pressure on the civil service commission.

Employment decisions would be more collaborative in the future

The measure approved Tuesday recommends that hiring be a joint, collaborative effort, with the city seeking in the future to identify partners that can help it recruit officers.

Recommendation calls for personnel review form to be updated

The recommendations OK'd Tuesday include one encouraging the Topeka Police Department on its personnel review form to look at whether the employee being evaluated has demonstrated comfort and awareness in dealing with people of various multicultural backgrounds.

It also recommends the department look at whether the employee has exercised his or her "duty to intervene" in situations where that's appropriate.

Topeka council clears way for new apartment complex at Holidome

The mayor and council also voted 9-0 to issue $24.5 million in taxable industrial revenue bonds to enable Denver-based Flywheel Capital, LLC, to demolish the former Holiday Inn Holidome at 605 S.W. Fairlawn and create an apartment complex there.

The complex is expected to include about 220 units of multifamily housing, according to the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.

The bond issuance would pose no financial risk for the city. Investors would buy the bonds, which would be paid off using revenues brought in by the project. If the project defaulted, that would become an issue between the developers and the investors.

The mayor and council also voted 9-0 to change zoning for the property to enable two apartment buildings to be constructed there.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka mayor, city council approve eight police reform recommendations