2019 Caucuses: Resolution on Police Data Transparency

Print out the resolution below and bring it with you to upcoming political party caucuses! Have attendees vote to move the resolution forward to become part of the party’s platform! DFL Precinct Caucuses are Sunday, March 10th at 2:30pm; information about where to go can be found at www.stpauldfl.org. Information on other caucuses can be found on their respective party websites; no additional information was available at the time this was written.

WHEREAS racial and ethnic disparities exist at every phase of the criminal justice system including policing throughout our nation, state and city;

WHEREAS these disparities exist in citations, arrests, frisk and search, use of force and all other stages of policing;

WHEREAS these disparities negatively and disproportionately affect communities of color, poor neighborhoods and other vulnerable populations; and erode the wellbeing of our neighborhoods;

WHEREAS contact with law enforcement is the entry point to our broken systems of mass punishment, surveillance and incarceration;

WHEREAS we believe communities are most safe and healthy when free from harmful, disparate, or excessive policing practices and tactics;

WHEREAS we need data to hold our systems accountable and create critically needed change; and the City of Saint Paul and its police department need to make data open to build public trust and to guide their own practices, policies and reforms;

WHEREAS in a 2016 Council Resolution on Open Data, the City Council and Mayor stated “the City is committed to proactively publishing high value data as broadly as possible via an open data portal,” and that portal has been live for three years at information.stpaul.gov;

WHEREAS data transparency is a pillar of 21st century policing practices, and there is no accountability without transparency; and without an open government, there is no true democracy;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ____________ Party calls on the City of Saint Paul and its Police Department to make comprehensive and complete policing data open, transparent and easily accessible to the public.