Apply to join the Re-Imagining Public Safety Task Force
Berkeley, California (Wednesday, January 20, 2021) - Be part of Berkeley's efforts to create a new paradigm for public safety by applying to serve on a Task Force that will oversee the development of a plan to restructure the City's approach to violence prevention, crisis intervention, policing, and community safety.
Supported by consultants from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, the task force will serve as a hub for community engagement around the City's efforts to "reimagine public safety." Work will include holding public meetings, hearing testimony from community members, and providing input on new or redesigned programs and initiatives that will support an equitable, community-centered, anti-racist model of public safety.
The bulk of this work will take place in spring and summer of 2021, though terms of service may be extended beyond this date.
Community application process ensures those most impacted are included
Fourteen Task Force members are being appointed by elected officials, select City Commissions, and community stakeholder organizations. This group will then select three additional "at-large" members from a pool of applicants, looking specifically to fill gaps in representation or knowledge among appointed members.
They'll be seeking people active in the Berkeley community who can bring subject expertise in relevant topics or speak from their own experience as a member of a historically marginalized or impacted community, using criteria identified by the City Council.
Representation from impacted communities might include victims of violent crime, formerly incarcerated individuals, or people experiencing homelessness. For subject expertise, they'll be looking to ensure the Task Force includes members with experience in violence prevention, youth services, crisis intervention, restorative justice, public health, law enforcement, and municipal budgeting.
How to apply
Download the application and submit the completed form by email to commission@cityofberkeley.info or mail it to:
City Clerk Department
2180 Milvia Street, 1st Floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
You'll be asked to provide contact and demographic information, two references, and a written statement explaining how your background qualifies you to serve on the Task Force.
Applications are due by Monday, February 8, 2021. Three at-large members will be selected from those who applied by the appointed Task Force members and confirmed by the City Council.
Reimagining Public Safety in Berkeley
The Task Force is part of a larger effort to create a new paradigm of public safety in Berkeley, which aims to re-focus Police Department work on violent and criminal matters while redirecting some funding currently spent on policing to violence prevention and diversion programs, including those targeted on domestic violence, youth outreach, mental health, housing and homeless services, and restorative justice.
Other components of this initiative, passed as an omnibus package by the City Council in the summer of 2020, include:
- a pilot program to reassign non-criminal police service calls to a Specialized Care Unit
- creating a Department of Transportation to administer parking regulations and traffic laws
- audits of 9-1-1 calls and the Police Department budget
These efforts build on the Berkeley longstanding commitment to creating a more equitable community and support the City's Strategic Plan goals to "champion and demonstrate social and racial equity" and to "create a resilient, safe, connected, and prepared City."
Links
- Task Force application
- Reimagining Public Safety Task Force enabling legislation and summary report
- Re-Imagining Public Safety progress update, December 16, 2020
- City of Berkeley Strategic Plan