RACINE, Wis. - Revising use of force policies, involving the public more and using data to make decisions are just a few of the 10 changes Racine Mayor Cory Mason outlined Tuesday night, Dec. 15 to reform the police department.
The mayor has told FOX6 News he felt Racine has been proactive with community-oriented policing, but he saw room for improvement -- forming a police reform task force after the death of George Floyd. The task force's findings were shared Tuesday night -- aimed at building trust, transparency and community engagement.
After hearing from more than 1,500 city residents and hosting a handful of community calls, Mayor Mason said it's time to go further with police reform.
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The task force recommendations include adopting the "8 Can't Wait" de-escalation policies, making "use of force" and body camera policies more specific and expanding the city's Police and Fire Commission.
Additionally, the task force recommended simplifying the complaint process, utilizing data tracking for decision-making and improving public relations.
That's in addition to the implicit bias and de-escalation training Racine police officers already do, efforts the mayor and task force hope to build on. Another issue the community referenced was diversity.
The task force reports 82% of Racine police officers are white. They'd like the department to prioritize the hiring of minorities moving forward.