The Crawfordsville Police Department’s use of force policies will be made public as promised when Mayor Todd Barton announced steps last year to ensure confidence in officers following national protests calling for racial justice.
A citizen commission appointed by Barton reviewed the policies and recommended small wording changes that received approval from the Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners under former police chief Mike Norman.
The department is working to post the policies on the city’s website and Barton said he would get an update on the timing when he met with current chief Aaron Mattingly on Thursday.
Barton has emphasized his confidence in the city’s police force, but in a June letter to the community noted that “we must be willing to accept the fact that not everyone in our community shares the same experience, and we must commit ourselves to understanding those differences.”
The Mayor’s Commission on Racial Equality was formed to examine the local climate of equality, recommend policy and ordinance changes, create new channels for citizen input and launch a more engaging community education and outreach program.
The 25-member panel comprises representatives from local churches and Wabash College, appointed city officials and other stakeholders. Their activities have been paused due to the pandemic.
Member Clyde Morgan, the head track and field coach at Wabash College since 2008 and assistant director of the Malcolm X. Institute of Black Studies, said people are more open to discussions about racial issues than whan he first arrived in Crawfordsville.
“What I like to say is, you’ve got to get uncomfortable, but you know what? It’s a level more than that. You’ve got to get squirmishly uncomfortable,” said Morgan, who is Black and serves on the commission alongside his wife, Jennifer.
The commission is expected to begin planning events designed to foster interaction with officers and frank conversations about race-related issues after pandemic restrictions ease.
Other steps in Barton’s plan include implicit bias training for city police officers and ensuring that officers from other racial and ethnic backgrounds are more visible at community events. Officers received initial training before in-person classes were suspended in the pandemic. Last year, the police department received grant funding for updated body cameras.
The city also considered expanding the board of police commissioners to five members from three, giving more citizens input on hiring, promoting and disciplining officers. Officials learned new members cannot be added unless the board is changed to a merit system similar to the fire department.
“There are pros and cons to doing that,” Barton said Thursday, adding that a firm decision has not been made.
