OUR LIVE COVERAGE WITH THE

COUNCIL’S NEW EMERGENCY

LEGISLATION.

HI, CORY.

>> Reporter: WELL, GOOD

AFTERNOON, JIM AND DOREEN.

BEFORE WE GET TO THAT

LEGISLATION I JUST WANT TO GIVE

YOU THE LATEST OUT HERE NEAR

LAFAYETTE SQUARE.

THIS GROUP HAS BEEN HOLDING

COURT FOR ABOUT THE LAST 30 OR

SO MINUTES.

THEY MARCHED UP AND DOWN 16th,

CAME BACK HERE.

THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT

COMES NEXT.

AFTER ALL THESE PROTESTS ARE

OVER, HOW DO YOU REALLY START TO

SEE CHANGE THAT PROTESTERS HAVE

SPENT THE LAST OH, WHAT TWO

WEEKS CALLING FOR?

WELL, TOMORROW HERE IN THE

DISTRICT OFFICIALS WILL GET

STARTED ON THAT WORK.

AFTER TEN STRAIGHT DAYS OF

PROTESTS THE DISTRICT IS POISED

TO TURN TALK OF POLICE REFORM

INTO ACTION.

>> I DO BELIEVE THAT THE

POLITICAL CLIMATE IS DIFFERENT

TODAY.

>> Reporter: TOMORROW THE

COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER CHARLES

ALLEN’S EMERGENCY LEGISLATION

AIMED AT REDUCING POLICE

MISCONDUCT AND EXPANDING

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY.

AMONG THE PROPOSALS A

PROHIBITION ON NECK RESTRAINTS,

INCREASED ACCESS TO BODY-WORN

CAMERA FOOTAGE, MORE OVERSIGHT

POWER FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE

COMPLAINTS, AND AN EXPANSION OF

THE USE OF FORCE REVIEW BOARD.

>> I THINK THE CALLS FOR ACTION

HAVE BEEN HEARD.

AND OF COURSE WE ALSO RECOGNIZE

NO ONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION, NO

ONE BUDGET IS GOING TO GET US

WHERE WE NEED TO GO BUT IT’S A

REALLY STRONG STEP AND I’M

GRATEFUL WE’RE ABOUT TO TAKE IT.

>> Reporter: THE PROPOSALS COME

AS CALLINGS FOR DEFUNDING THE

POLICE GROW.

WHEN ASKED TO RESPOND TO THAT

DEMAND MAYOR BOWSER POINTED OUT

MPD’S BUDGET HAS INCREASED

SLOWER THAN THE BUDGETS OF OTHER

SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES.

>> THAT THE BUDGETS THAT WE HAVE

SENT TO THE COUNCIL OVER THE

LAST FIVE YEARS HAS RECOGNIZED

ALL PARTS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

POLICING, BUT CERTAINLY

INTERVENTION, AND OPPORTUNITY

PROGRAMS.

>> Reporter: MPD HAS BEEN

WORKING ON REFORMS SINCE 2002,

WHEN THE DOJ INVESTIGATED THE

DEPARTMENT.

CHIEF NEWSHAM SAYS PART OF THE

PROBLEM THEN WAS A LACK OF

FUNDING AND WARNED OF UNINTENDED

CONSEQUENCES NOW.

>> FUNDING IS REQUIREMENT FOR

TRAINING.

IT’S REQUIRED FOR IMPROVEMENT IN

HIRING OF THE BEST PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: SOME OF THOSE

PROPOSALS ARE SIMILAR TO ONES

BORNE OUT OF COMMUNITY

DISCUSSIONS IN WARD 8 LAST YEAR

AS RESIDENTS LOOK FOR WAYS TO

REDUCE VIOLENCE AND IMPROVE

RELATIONS WITH THE POLICE.

COMMISSIONER AGYEI SAYS THE TIME

FOR REFORM IS NOW BUT

IMPLEMENTING GENERIC SOLUTIONS

WON’T CUT IT.

>> I’VE BEEN HEARING THE PHRASE

DON’T WASTE THE CRISIS AND I

JUST HOPE THE PRESSURE OF THE

PEOPLE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE

PRESSURE OF SPECIAL INTERESTS.

>> Reporter: NOW, THE POLICE

UNION HAS RESPONDED TO THAT

EMERGENCY LEGISLATION.

THAT’LL BE DISCUSSED TOMORROW.

HERE’S FROM THEIR RELEASE.

THE PROPOSED LANGUAGE IN THIS

BILL ERODES MANY OF THE RIGHTS

THAT POLICE OFFICERS IN THIS

CITY ARE CURRENTLY AFFORDED AND

CREATES A DANGEROUS PATH TOWARD

UNCHECKED VIOLENCE IN THE

DISTRICT.

WE UNDERSTAND THERE ARE VOICES

IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT ARE

ASKING FOR CONTINUED REFORM TO

POLICE POLICY.

THE UNION IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN

WILLING TO HAVE SERIOUS

DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS KIND OF

REFORM.

JIM AND DOREEN, I THINK THAT

GIVES YOU A SENSE OF JUST HOW

HARD IT IS GOING TO BE, HOW MUCH

WORK IT IS GOING TO TAKE TO

BRING THIS TYPE OF REFORM AND

NOT JUST HERE IN THE DISTRICT.

POLICE UNIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

HOLD A LOT OF SWAY.

THEY HAVE A LOT OF LEVERAGE IN

THESE DISCUSSIONS.

SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE

JUST WHAT IS DONE, WHAT CHANGES

ARE MADE, LITTLE OR BIG, AND

WHETHER THEY HAVE ANY IMPACT

MOVING FORWARD.

THAT IS THE LATEST HERE IN

LAFAYETTE SQUARE.

FOR NOW WE’LL SEND IT BACK TO