COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An ambitious and far-reaching series of reforms in policing, and new ways of supporting the community, were laid out in a Columbus City Council meeting.

Council President Shannon Hardin opened by saying that many people feel they’ve lost trust in law enforcement, and that the council has shifted their focus to reform.

Hardin pointed to passing four measures in four weeks. By July 27, 2020 the council had re-written purchasing codes to de-militarize the police force; limited no-knock warrants; instituted background checks for hate-group affiliations; and put forward Issue 2 — which would establish a civilian review board — in November’s election.

Four key principles frame the city council’s decisions now, said Hardin: alternative crisis response; investment in accountability in a better Columbus Division of Police; an investment in good, committed officers who also want reform; and an investment in violence prevention.

This means going after shooters, and making sure young people never pick up a weapon, said Hardin.

Rob Dorans, Council Member, said that in the coming weeks and months, they will begin to pass legislation which formalizes the board, and budgets to fund it. They will seat board members and set their terms.

“We know we have more work to do to create transparency and accountability,” said Dorans.

This includes making police badge numbers easily seen in videos and photos. “When we can’t identify those who fail in their duty, all officers are painted with the same brush,” Dorans said.

These conversations are critical for this year, and the year ahead, Elizabeth Brown, President Pro-Tem, said in her opening remarks. The goal is to make all residents safer and to create a covenant of trust between peace officers and residents.

“Residents and neighborhoods shouldn’t look occupied,” Brown said, and went on to lay out an investment “…in common sense solutions.”

These include: Helping 911 dispatchers, who make key decisions to contact the right community partner so that calls go to the right response team; preventing violence through community-driven violence intervention; and addressing economic insecurity so that families can meet their basic needs.

Brown said the city has hired The Saunders Company to conduct surveys, focus groups, and will engage people who are typically too busy leading their lives to be heard, but who are directly impacted by the council’s decisions.

Other highlights of the meeting were a commitment to bring in mental health professionals to take those calls, and crisis training for officers to help them to make calm, rational, and professional decisions.

The city plans to hire Winfred Arthur Jr., PhD, for $80,000 to perform an independent audit. This will examine recruitment and testing of police officers, including a mechanism for new recruits and seasoned officers to share concerns about attitudes and actions of other officers without fear of retaliation.

It will also spend more than $3 million on a new ADAMH center, establishing an alternative crisis response system over many years.

Hardin concluded the meeting by saying that he’d been in contact with city officials in Eugene, Oregon. Their program pairs medics and crisis workers with substantial training in mental health, conflict resolution, substance abuse, and suicide threats.

This program cost $2.1 million annually in 2017, but saved Eugene’s police department $8.5 million and handled 17% of the calls, freeing up their police officers to handle cases that required them.