Bloomington city leaders plan to move five police officer positions to social service positions within the department.
In a zoom call Thursday, they talked about actions the city will take for racial justice.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton says these efforts will also include a request that the Board of Public Safety form an advisory committee to study what public safety efforts should look like long-term.
Police Chief Mike Diekhoff says keeping the reallocated positions in the department is important, as it is one of the few departments operating 24 hours.
“We get called all the time," he says. "Unless we have 24-hour seven day a week that ability for someone to respond to deal with something then it still falls back to us.”
City officials also spoke about plans to conduct antiracist training for elected officials and department heads.
The city has not accepted that offer and has created a qualifications process to field trainer applications.
Members of the Black Lives Matter Bloomington Core Council say the city’s policy plan is an example of why city officials need anti-racist training. The Council says that the City's plan won't work because it exists within a system that perpetuates racist practices.
