UPDATE: City announces 5 new police department initiatives to improve community relations

DAYTON — UPDATE @ 11:20 a.m.:

The City of Dayton announced five new initiatives for the police department designed to improve community relations.

The initiatives will be subject to a review quarterly, with Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley vowing “to ensure these are not empty promises.”

City leaders first committed to increase the transparency in the process for civilians to report suspected misconduct done by police officers.

Whaley encouraged community members who want to report instances of police misconduct to email policecomplaints@daytonohio.gov. Emails sent to this address go to the city’s law department which is independent of the police department.

Chief Richard Biehl: “These are difficult times,” adding “We keep repeating the painful past.” “There is much work to be done and it is all of our work.” @whiotv pic.twitter.com/qOstzFY3oO
— Sean Cudahy (@SCudahyWHIO) June 3, 2020

The city also committed to looking closer and assess recent use of force incidents involving Dayton police. The review will look for areas of patterns and biases and will help shape a review of the city’s use of force polices.

Bias and de-escalation trainings will continue to be required for officers.

The city will also continue to review police recruitment, including the selection process to identify any potential issues and increase diversity within the department.

The final point in the city’s initiatives focuses on deepening community engagement between officers and citizens.

Whaley announcing these five steps today @whiotv pic.twitter.com/sTE6Zjihs5
— Sean Cudahy (@SCudahyWHIO) June 3, 2020

FIRST REPORT

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and city commissioners have announced a press conference for Wednesday morning to announce changes regarding the city’s police department, according to a statement from a city spokesperson.

City of Dayton announces 5 new police department initiatives to improve community relations City of Dayton announces 5 new police department initiatives to improve community relations

>>George Floyd: Most arrested in Dayton weekend protests were from city, surrounding areas

The press conference will be held at 11 a.m. at City Hall on West Third Street.

The announcement of changes regarding the department comes after days of protests, both locally and nationally, following the death of George Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Dayton saw protests and demonstrations mainly over the past weekend; some peaceful, others resulting in arrests, curfews, and property damage.

Police data obtained by News Center 7 Tuesday showed that 37 of the 42 people arrested in Dayton during the weekend protests were from either the city, or direct, surrounding municipalities.

We’ll continue to update this page as new details become available.