• Actively conduct traffic enforcement on a daily basis.
• Strictly enforce Oakwood parking regulations.
• Be highly visible to the public.
• Reduce the number of traffic crashes caused by moving violations.
• Focus on school zone enforcement during months when schools are in session.
• Conduct proactive radar enforcement at selected locations.
• Monitor intersections where accidents and signal violations frequently occur.
• Promptly address citizen complaints and concerns regarding traffic laws and violations.”

This issue is very personal to me. In 2001, as a private citizen, I read the original articles in the Dayton Daily News as described by Mr. Jacobs and Dr. Hurley in their report.

I was very impressed by the way our former City Manager, Michael Kelly, dealt with this issue. He addressed the matter in a very professional manner, with total transparency. Because of his example, Michael Kelly is the reason I decided to commit to public service.

A primary outcome of the 2001 event was that Oakwood began collecting and reporting detailed data on policing activity, particularly focused on race. For the past 17 years, as a member of City Council, I have read the monthly reports from the Public Safety Department to the City Manager. The reports list the law enforcement, fire, EMS, training, and officer activity in categories including traffic violations cited, warnings, field investigations and arrests. This data is sorted by race/ethnicity.

I see nothing in the reports to suggest any explicit or implicit bias against any race or ethnicity. As City Manager Klopsch reported to the Dayton Daily News, “In my nearly 18 years as city manager, I struggle to recall a single instance when a person, of any race, contacted me to express concern about any matter related to a traffic stop or other traffic enforcement incident.”

Nor have I.

Nonetheless, City Council has an obligation along with city staff to analyze the findings of this report. I commit to be as transparent as we were 18 years ago in addressing this matter. To that end, we seek the cooperation of the authors of the report to review their data and methodologies in order to complete a proper assessment. This will enable us to determine if any changes to our policies and procedures are warranted. As with all public services that we provide, we continuously look for opportunities to improve. While we are already conducting regular training on implicit bias and related topics, we are open to considering additional training as may be warranted. We are also open to discussions about the use of random license plate checks to determine how our policies and procedures compare to law enforcement best practices.