I would like to ask those of you lobbying Council & the Mayor on the proposed Police/Domestic Violence bill, to ask them to support not only Bill # 2007-1797, proposed by Councilman Shields – but also the 4 amendments offered by Councilman Peduto (description of amendments below). Council will hold a preliminary vote on Oct. 31. Sorry for being repetitive, but I am still getting questions & thought to put this out there again.
I intend to fax the Mayor tomorrow a.m. (Fax: 412-255-2687). Here is Council’s email info, you should be able to just cut & paste it into your “To” section:
len.bodack@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, twanda.carlisle@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, daniel.deasy@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, darlene.harris@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, jeffrey.koch@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, james.motznik@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, tonya.payne@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, bill.peduto@city.pittsburgh.pa.us, doug.shields@city.pittsburgh.pa.us
The four amendments would strengthen the pending bill’s language & they are all based on models from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Amendment 1: adds language that recognizes the danger of child abuse and domestic violence against all members of one’s family, not just an intimate partner.
Amendment 2: requires the City to maintain personnel records of Police Bureau employees for ten years post termination.
Amendment 3: requires an officer who is the subject of a Protection From Abuse (PFA) proceeding in any jurisdiction to immediately notify their supervisor.
Amendment 4: requires that any officer that is the subject of a PFA or criminal domestic violence investigation immediately surrender their primary service weapon, and stipulates that they are not eligible for a promotion during the investigation. The amendment also prohibits the admission of anyone with a PFA from being admitted to the training academy. Lastly, the amendment requires that all investigations of domestic abuse involving police officers be completed by the Civilian Police Review Board.
I wrote my Tacoma Wa Council an email asking them - with detail - to let the Pittsburgh council know what it's like when the worst-case-scenario happens within the police department and you find yourself in national news withOUT a police domestic violence policy... with a trail of events leading up to the tragedy that WOULD have been intervened on if there had been a policy in place.
ReplyDeleteI cc'd that email to your council and other folk of power in Pittsburgh.
I track officer-involved dv and have never seen in the four and half years I've been doing this, a community raise their voices together, and exert unrelenting pressure for their city to do the right thing in this area
for victims
and/or officers.
It's the right thing.
Cloud Writer
in Tacoma
where our police chief committed murder-suicide on his wife
after the city ignored her reports that he was
threatening her life.
OH...
which reminds me -- make sure your policy has what to do if the abuser or killer is
your chief.
It's important.
I'm following Pittsburgh here
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/
Cloud Writer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support & for asking Tacoma Council to reach out to their Pittsburgh counterparts.
The preliminary vote happens this Weds., Oct. 31st, please, everyone, contact all of the council members & urge them to support both the ordinance & the amendments.
Gloria
You are ALL AWESOME, and helping the NATIONAL awareness - not only about officer-involved dv policy, but what a community of women can do.
ReplyDelete