Police Chief's Advisory Council

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The Police Chief's Advisory Council advises the chief of police and the Police Department on various issues from the community's perspective.

Interested in being a part of the Police Chief's Advisory Council?

The application is now open through 5 p.m., Monday, July 22.

Background

Bend community members have long benefited from having meaningful relationships with the Bend Police Department employees who serve them. Members of the Bend Police Department are committed to furthering those relationships and investing in relationships and partnerships with all community members.

The Police Chief's Advisory Council (PCAC) has been an essential engagement tool of the Bend Police Department for the past two decades. Since 2004, the Bend Police Department has maintained a Police Chief's Advisory Council in various forms and iterations.

The 2021-23 City Council Goals include a Safety, Health, Accountability, and Justice goal. Among the strategies for this goal is a revision of the PCAC with a focus on community representation, transparency, public oversight, and accountability.

The PCAC serves three critical missions:

To advise the chief of police and the Police Department on various issues from the community perspective. These issues may include but are not limited to developing strategies for increasing community awareness about policy or budget issues, developing strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, reviewing training processes, participating in programs and processes, and more.
To act as communication conduits between community networks and the Police Department.
To enhance trust between the community and the law enforcement agencies that serve them.

Purpose

The purpose of the Police Chief's Advisory Council is:

To establish, conduct, and maintain a mechanism for the timely identification of concerns or issues within the community and assist in identifying and developing appropriate responses from the Police Department.
To develop a membership group that reflects and represents the Bend community.
To work with Police Department leadership to create methods of information sharing that align with transparency practices in policing.
To develop and participate in community engagement activities and events that promote community/police relationships.
To act as an advisory group to the Chief of Police and Police Department leadership to provide a more comprehensive community perspective on various topics.
To provide ongoing information to the Police Department leadership to ensure the Police Department is accountable to the community's expectations regarding public safety.
To act as an ongoing conduit of information between the community and the Police Department.
To promote community awareness, understanding, and involvement in police programs and services.

Membership Selection, Expectations, and Terms

The PCAC membership will consist of up to 20 City of Bend community members who live within the city limits of Bend. In addition, the membership will select one person as the co-chair, with the Chief of Police as the other co-chair of the PCAC. The community co-chair will remain in that role for 12 months, at which time the membership shall select a new co-chair.

Membership selection intends to reflect the Bend community to allow for a wide range of lived experiences, professions, perceptions, organizational memberships, interests, geographical connections, racial and ethnic diversity, gender diversity, and expertise. In addition, the Chief of Police will select members based on their integrity, commitment to the community, and their demonstrated ability to act as a communication conduit within their community networks.

Community members who want to be considered for selection to the PCAC must complete an application process and submit personal information to allow for a limited volunteer background check. Upon application review, the community member may be requested to interview prior to selections.

The Chief of Police will be the final approver of all membership selections.

Once selected, members of the PCAC are expected to:

Complete at least one ride-along with a Bend Police Officer.
Participate in the Department's Community Academy, depending upon availability. The academy may be a compressed educational opportunity about the workings of the Police Department held on a weeknight or weekend.
Attend all scheduled meetings, expected to be once per month, and be prepared to engage in an honest and purposeful dialogue focused on community problem solving and learning, education, building relationships, and discovering new information.
Treat other members, City staff members, and all other community members with dignity and respect.
Observe some police training classes.
Assist in developing the monthly agenda with other members of the PCAC.
Assist in developing the annual outcome plan for the PCAC.
Agree to have their bio, contact information, and picture on the Bend Police Department website as a member of the PCAC to allow for community member contacts.

New members will serve two-year terms. Members will generally be limited to serve no more than a single two-year term on the PCAC, although the Chief of Police has discretion to reappoint members to additional terms as he sees fit.

The establishment of term limits allow for greater community involvement, broader perspectives, and diversity of membership. The Chief of Police may offer extensions of term length or total years for a member to be involved in the PCAC. In addition, if any member leaves the PCAC prior to the completion of the designated term, the Chief of Police may appoint a new community member to serve the remainder of that term.

Members are expected to attend all general monthly meetings of the PCAC. If a member fails to attend at least three meetings, measured on a rolling 12-month calendar, they may be removed at the discretion of the Chief of Police. In addition, the Chief of Police, at their sole discretion, may remove members from the PCAC for reasons that may include, but are not limited to, the following: dishonesty, failure to meet the expectations of the PCAC, failure to follow prescribed guidelines of PCAC, disrespectful conduct, disruptive behavior, or any other reason determined to be appropriate for removal.

All members must agree and understand that they do not represent the City of Bend or the Bend Police Department.

Meetings, Agenda, and Chairpersons

PCAC meetings will take place on the third Thursday of every month from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise changed.

PCAC meetings are not open to the public. The PCAC is not a local governing body and does not possess decision-making authority, but rather the PCAC is intended and used as an advisory group for staff only.

The PCAC will be managed in a co-chair model. The chief of police shall serve as the Police Department co-chair, and the PCAC members will select a community co-chair from their membership to serve for one year. After that, the PCAC membership will select a new co-chair every year. The community co-chairperson shall maintain oversight of the PCAC in alliance with the chief of police. In collaboration with the PCAC membership, the community co-chair will develop the monthly PCAC meeting agenda. The agenda creation should focus on topics the community wishes to cover and learn about and focus on items that will be beneficial for the community – police communications and relationship building. The agenda should focus on or align with the developed annual outcome plan of the PCAC. The agenda should be developed and provided to the chief of police, or their designee, by the second Thursday of the month to allow time for preparation.

The City of Bend Police Department community relations manager will act as the primary contact for members of the PCAC. The community relations manager will assist in the administration of the PCAC and will be the primary Police Department coordinator with the advisory council as necessary.

Amendments and Authority