The city of Helena is planning to examine and potentially make some changes to its policing policies and procedures.
On Tuesday, members of the Helena City Commission unanimously threw their support behind a proposal from Commissioner Heather O’Loughlin to hold work sessions on the Helena Police Department’s current policies and procedures and whether those should be changed.
The proposal comes in the wake of mass protests across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd’s killing, along with other high profile police-related killings of minorities, has sparked calls for reforming use of force by police and the policing of minority communities.
“I know that many communities across the country are struggling with what has happened over the last week, so I just want to recognize the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and countless others that’ve been the victim of racialized violence,” O’Loughlin said.
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O’Loughlin believes that all municipalities across the country have a responsibility to review policing policies and procedures. She spoke with Helena Police Chief Steve Hagen and would like to begin work sessions over the next few months to both learn about current practices and determine whether any changes are warranted. The sessions could also include Lewis and Clark County and Helena Public Schools, she said.
“I will say I’m certainly committed to digging into this issue, better understanding what the police department is already doing and the things that we can potentially improve on, to finding best practices and resource both in the state and potentially outside of the state that can help us maneuver these discussions, and most of all finding a way to safely center the experiences of our community members of color and those impacted by racialized violence,” she said.
The proposal drew support and praise from the rest of the commission.
“This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, since the last incident with Mr. Floyd, and I would wholeheartedly, 100% approve of us moving forward,” Mayor Wilmot Collins said, adding that it will be a priority.
“In these times, any individual or organization that isn’t going through a great deal of self-examination is not doing their due diligence,” said Commissioner Sean Logan. “I hope we can make some headway.”
Hagen said in an interview that he has received quite a few emails requesting information on the department’s policies for things like wearing body cameras and use of force. He believes the department generally has a good working relationship with the community and strives to do as much community outreach as possible, but is always looking to improve.
“I am open to an open and honest discussion,” he said, of what the community expects of police and how the department can work to meet those expectations.
“I think the key of whether they will be effective is whether we keep going with it, that it’s not just that we get to a point where the current climate is better so let’s just let it go. We as a community need to be actively engaged.”
The format of the work sessions and times have not yet been announced.