NORFOLK, Va. - In a meeting Tuesday night, members of the Norfolk City Council approved an ordinance requiring City Manager Chip Filer to implement an evaluation of policing practices for the last five years.
The ordinance will also require the creation of an Oversight and Review Panel, as well as increasing funding for a full-time crisis response team.
This comprehensive evaluation includes a review of the Norfolk Police Department's use-of-force policy, which has become a focus for demonstrators demanding the information be made public amid nationwide protests against police brutality.
The ordinance requires the evaluation to be done through a third party entity experienced in public safety analysis, with input from Norfolk citizens and with city council's approval. The report will then be published and made public on the city’s open data portal.
The ordinance also authorizes Filer to use $200,000 necessary to pay for the development, implementation and maintenance of the program. He is also authorized to use up to $860,000 to increase funding to the Norfolk Community Services Board and the police department to institute the Crisis Response Team within the city’s Crisis Intervention Team program.
Click here to read the full ordinance.
