A Denver City Council working group formed to examine policing reform ideas took an inaugural step this week, holding its first public meeting to review a citizen-led task force report with 112 recommendations.

“I agree that to increase public safety in Denver extends far past just policing. The more we invest in housing, mental health, drug treatment, et cetera, I believe we can create a reality where we can spend less on policing,” said District 6 Councilmember Paul Kashmann, the working group’s chair. “That said, I believe that policing is a critical element of public safety, as we look at ways to increase the equitable nature of policing throughout our neighborhoods.”

Monday’s working group meeting had a free-flowing structure, with council members in attendance having a chance to ask the questions they would like answered as the working group continues to examine and discuss the task force report.

Councilmember Pro Tem Jamie Torres serves as vice chair of the group, which is open to all council members and will decide which recommendations the city will pursue and steps the council will take towards implementation.

Councilmembers Candi CdeBaca, Amanda Sawyer, Kevin Flynn and President Stacie Gilmore also attended Monday’s meeting.

The Reimagining Policing and Public Safety task force led by Pastor Robert Davis convened in June 2020 in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody and the Denver police response to the resulting protests in the city.

In late May the task force released sweeping recommendations that include directing more resources at programs that can help reduce people’s involvement with the criminal justice system, decriminalizing offenses that don’t pose a public safety threat, rethinking the types of situations that require a police response, changing policing practices that disproportionately harm marginalized groups, and increasing power of the Office of the Independent Monitor.

The report divides its recommendations into categories based on several overarching goals, such as minimizing contacts between civilians and the criminal legal system and improving independent oversight of public safety agencies. It also divides the recommendations by the agency best suited to implement the changes, such as the judicial system, human services, City Council and community organizations.

Davis recognized Denver has already implemented or is in process for some of the changes the task force’s report suggests, such as expanding the Support Team Assisted Response program, which sends mental health professionals and paramedics instead of police officers to low-level, non-violent incidents. He said a goal of still including those types of recommendations in the report is to encourage institutionalizing changes as much as possible so programs and policies aren’t dependent on who the mayor is or who sits on City Council.

At-large Councilmember Robin Kniech said she wants to break down perceptions people may have of walls between the city and community that hinder working together. Efforts already in progress or laws that may already address recommendations tend to trace back to community conversations and partnerships, she said.

“I just want to break down any kind of false walls that might exist between the city or the community, because I think that circle of feedback has informed many of the predecessors of these recommendations,” Kniech said. “To the extent we have anything that’s an alternative happening, it started there.”

Policing Reform Task Force Recommendations