Explanation
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this legislation is to finalize payment to the law firm of BakerHostetler, LLP as they have completed administrative investigations into citizen complaints against the Division of Police related to protests during the spring and summer of 2020. These investigations were responsive to the public’s demand for independent investigation and accountability, and led to identification of gaps in the division that have been addressed through changes in policy/practice.
The investigations required the review of over 560 gigabytes of data received from the Division of Police, dozens of videos, pictures, emails, and social media posts received from members of the community who participated in or observed the protests, direct contact with over 105 citizens, and over 85 interviews of Division personnel. The investigations required over 2,700 hours of work and resulted in 49 completed reports. They also required extensive logistical planning to transfer one of the largest public records requests the Division has ever processed, ensure all who were interviewed were kept safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure the investigation process complied with the City’s collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 9. The result was one of the largest scale investigations into government action in our City’s history, which has benefited the entire community as we reimagine public safety.
Specifically, this legislation authorizes the Director of Public Safety to modify ordinance number 1814-2020 to increase the authorized payment by $65,064.89 as these monies were required to complete the investigations. This is a second modification to the original contract of $50,000.00. The first modification increased the contract from $50,000 to $550,000.00. This modification of $65,064.89 will increase the total amount of the contract to $615,064.89
Lastly, it must be noted that there may be a need for additiona...
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