City leaders discuss creating task force to evaluate police department

Following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the civil unrest across the country, city leaders in Homewood have begun to discuss the creation of a joint task force of community members and Homewood Police Department leaders to evaluate the department’s policies and procedures.

This item was on the committee referral agenda at the June 22 Homewood City Council meeting, meaning that the council members planned to discuss it at the next week’s committee meeting. Ward 4 representative Alex Wyatt asked Mayor Scott McBrayer at the June 22 Council meeting if he had any thought about this item.

The mayor wasn’t aware that this item would be on the agenda, he said, but he began talks with Police Chief Tim Ross about two weeks ago concerning a task force.

“The chief and I were discussing our policies and procedures, and we’ve basically started a committee of residents who wanted to be involved in something like this,” McBrayer said. 

This is something that the mayor’s office could handle, McBrayer said.

“We just want to make sure that we have the highest standards, policies and procedures for any of our departments,” he said. 

The federal government has recently released guidelines that help cities’ police departments achieve a high rank in regards to their policies and procedures, he said.

“Our goal would be to get that certification as quickly as we possibly can,” McBrayer said. 

The current task force includes members that are professors at Samford, residents of the Rosedale community, doctors, elementary school teachers and more. Ward 2 representative Mike Higginbotham stressed the importance of involving people of color in the task force.

“We’re sitting here talking about this today, and that’s great, but as I sit here looking around this room, it’s especially white,” he said. “I want to make sure that whatever we do is very inclusive to people of color so that they can have confidence about what the problems that they feel exist are being addressed — if there are any problems.”

These June 22 discussions come a few days after one Homewood police officer, Cpl. Jon Newland, was placed on administrative leave as the department investigated a video that the officer posted to his Instagram account, which has since been deactivated. In the video, Newland raps, “My ways are a blaze of mysterious smoke, around your neck I flex this choke.”

The council carried the item over in anticipation of hearing back from the mayor concerning the task force’s evaluations at a future meeting.

Also discussed at the June 22 meeting:

Relief may be coming soon to West Homewood residents who experience odor problems from Buffalo Rock and Dean Foods. The special issues committee met with a local engineer who presented a proposal of service. The total amount of the contract for the entire length of the project was approximately $55,000, said Ward 4 representative Barry Smith. The council approved this proposal. 

The mid-year review to discuss finances amid the COVID-19 pandemic showed a favorable overall financial situation in Homewood, said Ward 3 representative Walter Jones, who chairs the finance committee. Lodging and sales tax revenue has decreased, but revenue from ad valorem taxes is doing well, he said. 

Rep. David Faulkner presented the city with a $5,000 check for coronavirus relief efforts.