The Ames City Council is set to review and prioritize the steps in the “Policing in Ames: A Path Forward” report during their biweekly meeting Tuesday.

The final version of the “Policing in Ames” report was completed on Nov. 10, 2020 and focuses on integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into the Ames police department through various measures. 

A number of these changes have already been made to the police department, including: revising the “Excellence Through People” initiative to include diversity, equity and inclusion, publishing quarterly summaries on use of force, citations and arrests that include race breakdowns and continuing methods for residents to file complaints to the police department. 

The City Council will be tasked with prioritizing the remaining 16 recommendations from this report to guide the police department’s development. 

City Council members will also be voting on the first of the ordinances that would establish the Ames Resident Police Advisory Committee. The proposed committee would accept complaints from the public and report them directly to the Ames Chief of Police to be investigated. Following the investigation, the Committee would then give recommendations to the Chief of Police on how to handle the personnel or disciplinary action. 

According to the Council Action Form, “It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt [the attached ordinance creating the Ames Resident Police Advisory Committee] as described above.” 

The “Policing in Ames: A Path Forward” document can be found here. The Ames Resident Police Advisory document can be found here.  

In addition to the “Policing in Ames” report, the City Council will be focusing on a motion for staff to continue planning a crosswalk design for Campustown, a resolution to continue with the Ice Skating Plaza in downtown Ames and a resolution for the loan agreement for the Indoor Aquatic Center. 

The complete City Council Agenda can be found here. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 in City Hall at 6 p.m.