Scribd
Upload
3K views3 pages

PSRe Charter Amendment

This document contains a proposed charter amendment that would: 1. Replace references to "police force" and "police chief" with a new "Public Safety Department" with 7 divisions and leadership positions including an Executive Director. 2. Outline the purpose and jurisdiction of the proposed divisions, including a Peace Officer Division, Enforcement Division, Felony Crimes Division, and Citizen Complaint Authority. 3. Limit the annual budget of the Public Safety Department and Felony Crimes Division. 4. Replace references to "police" with "Public Safety Department" in other sections regarding emergency powers and civil service credits.

Uploaded by

kbarrier214
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3K views3 pages

PSRe Charter Amendment

This document contains a proposed charter amendment that would: 1. Replace references to "police force" and "police chief" with a new "Public Safety Department" with 7 divisions and leadership positions including an Executive Director. 2. Outline the purpose and jurisdiction of the proposed divisions, including a Peace Officer Division, Enforcement Division, Felony Crimes Division, and Citizen Complaint Authority. 3. Limit the annual budget of the Public Safety Department and Felony Crimes Division. 4. Replace references to "police" with "Public Safety Department" in other sections regarding emergency powers and civil service credits.

Uploaded by

kbarrier214
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Charter Amendment

Draft Charter Amendment

as of July 21, 2020

Shall Section 5 of Article V, “Civil Service,” of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to delete
all references to “police force” and provide for a Public Safety Department engaged in collaborative
community services and consisting of no more than seven divisions[1] and seven leadership positions:

1. Executive Director;
2. Deputy Director, Administrative Division;
3. Deputy Director, Health and Human Services Division;
4. Deputy Director, Peace Officer Division;
5. Deputy Director, Enforcement Division;
6. Deputy Director, Felony Crimes Division; and
7. Deputy Director, Citizen Complaint Authority.

[1] Division names are for convenience only, they do not constitute part of the text of the charter
of the city of Cincinnati, and shall not have binding effect on any provision hereof.

Shall Section 5 of Article V, “Civil Service,” of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to delete
all references to “police chief,” “assistance police chief,” “police officer,” “police recruit,” and “special
positions,” and to provide for the following operations of a Public Safety Department:

• Deputy directors shall report to the executive director, except that the deputy director of the
Citizen Complaint Authority shall report directly to the council and shall refer matters directly to
the prosecutor’s office. The positions of executive director and deputy director shall be in the
unclassified civil service of the city and exempt from all competitive examination requirements.
The city manager, with the advice and consent of council, shall appoint the executive director
and deputy directors to serve in said unclassified positions. The executive director and deputy
directors shall be appointed solely on the basis of their executive and administrative
qualifications and need not, at the time of appointment, be residents of the city or state. The
executive director and deputy directors may be removed at any time by a simple majority vote
of the council. After an executive director or deputy director has served six months, he or she
shall be subject to removal only for cause including incompetency, inefficiency, dishonesty,
insubordination, unsatisfactory performance, any other failure of good behavior, any other acts
of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office, or conviction of any felony. If removed
for cause, the executive director or deputy director may demand written charges and the right
to be heard thereon before the council. Pending the completion of such hearing, by a simple
majority vote, the council may suspend or remove the executive director or deputy director
from office. The incumbent officers in the chief and executive assistant police chief positions as
of November 3, 2020 shall remain in their position until they can be transitioned into the Public
Safety Department, after which time their positions shall be eliminated in accordance with the
terms of this section. Incumbent officers in all other ranks shall be eligible for transition to the
Public Safety Department in accordance with the terms of this section, and in accordance with
Division licensure and credentialing requirements.
• It shall be the purpose of the Administrative Division to provide administrative services to the
Department by such means as the consolidation of common mission-support processes and
services across the Department to make the delivery of services more effective, more efficient,
and more affordable while allowing each division to dedicate maximum resources to their
respective missions.
• It shall be the purpose of the Health and Human Services Division (HHSD) to have primary
jurisdiction over service calls implicating mental health and or addiction, and/or housing, and to
coordinate with governmental and non-governmental agencies in providing for treatment and
recovery.
• It shall be the purpose of the Peace Officer Division to have primary jurisdiction over service
calls implicating non-criminal offenses and misdemeanor offenses, operating under a report and
non-pursuit approach, and to establish and maintain partnerships with citizens, citizen groups,
governmental and non-governmental agencies to identify and solve problems and implement
strategies for reducing offending conduct and crime.
• It shall be the purpose of the Enforcement Division to have primary jurisdiction over the
investigation of non-criminal offenses and misdemeanor offenses, and to enforce such laws and
refer such matters for prosecution.
• It shall be the purpose of the Felony Crimes Division (FCD) to have primary jurisdiction over
service calls implicating violent crimes and felony crimes, to investigate violent crimes and
felony crimes, and to enforce such laws and refer such matters for prosecution. The FCD shall
be the only Division equipped with weapons capable of inflicting grievous injury or death, and
shall not be permanently assigned to an educational institution or library.
• It shall be the purpose of the Citizen Complaint Authority (CCA) to provide independent and
impartial review, investigation and resolution of misconduct complaints filed against the
Department, against a Division within the Department, or against anyone employed by or acting
on behalf of the Department. All deployments of the FCD shall be reviewed by CCA, and CCA
shall investigate all uses of force by the FCD notwithstanding the receipt of a complaint.
• The total annual budget of the Public Safety Department shall not exceed 25 percent of the City
of Cincinnati’s total annual budget. The total annual budget of the Felony Crimes Division shall
not exceed 10 percent of the PSD’s annual budget. The annual budget of the PSD shall be
submitted by the executive director to the council for final approval.

Shall Section 3 of Article V, “Civil Service,” of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to replace
“police” with “public safety,” so it provides that, “The civil service commission shall award an
examination credit of five (5) points in entry level examinations for the classified service in the City of
Cincinnati fire or public safety departments to any individual who has successfully graduated from a fire
or public safety program conducted at a public safety academy to be established by Cincinnati Public
Schools in collaboration with the City of Cincinnati that has a public safety curriculum approved by the
City of Cincinnati administration and its fire and/or public safety administration?”

Shall Section 2 of Article III, “Mayor,” of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to replace
“police” with “Public Safety Department,” so it provides that, “In time of public danger or emergency,
the mayor may, with the consent of the council, take command of the Public Safety Department,
maintain order and enforce the law?”

You might also like