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Home My WebLink About22316 1 ORDINANCE NO. 22,316 2 3 AN ORDINANCE TO CREATE THE LITTLE ROCK PUBLIC SAFETY 4 COMMISSION; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER 5. PURPOSES. 6 7 WHEREAS,violent crime increased across the United States over the last few years because of factors 8 ranging from the COVID-19 Pandemic to the increased proliferation of illegal guns in communities, and 9 the City of Little Rock("City")experienced higher crime rates in 2020, 2021 and 2022; and, 10 WHEREAS, the H.O.P.E. Initiative is a special initiative under City of Little Rock's Violence 11 Reduction Strategy that targets community violence through a holistic approach; and, 12 WHEREAS, the H.O.P.E. Initiative, which stands for Holistic Outreach and Prevention in Every 13 neighborhood, will focus on addressing and transforming the harmful conditions that perpetuate the 14 symptoms of violence and crime in City of Little Rock("City"); and, 15 WHEREAS, a H.O.P.E. Advisory Council, chaired by City Director Ken Richardson, was officially 16 created in April 2022 to develop and make recommendations on addressing violent crime in the Little Rock 17 community and the societal factors which result in such crime; and, 18 WHEREAS, on November 29, 2022, the H.O.P.E. Advisory Council presented its final 19 recommendations to the City of Little Rock Board of Directors; and, 20 WHEREAS, it was determined that a permanent commission of the City should be created to 21 recommend public safety solutions to address violent crime; and, 22 WHEREAS,one of the H.O.P.E. Advisory Council's primary recommendations was the creation of a 23 Public Safety Commission; and 24 WHEREAS,the City is already striving to improve the health, safety, education and quality of life of 25 children,youth, and families in the City by means of its Commission on Children, Youth, and Families by 26 focusing on the issues of juvenile justice, public health, early childhood issues, domestic violence, and 27 substance abuse; and, 28 WHEREAS,additional efforts are needed to focus more specifically on the violence and crime that is 29 present in the City and ways to reduce crime and to protect the City's neighborhoods; and, 30 WHEREAS, a Public Safety Commission will be able to develop multi-faceted violence reduction 31 strategies to reduce the incidents of violent crime; and, 32 WHEREAS,the Board of Directors has the authority to create a Commission and appoint its members 33 pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 14-47-131(a)(West 2020). [Page 1 of 4] 1 NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY 2 OF LITTLE ROCK,ARKANSAS: 3 Section 1. The Public Safety Commission ("Commission") is hereby created subject to the terms and 4 conditions set forth in this ordinance. 5 Section 2. Finding. The Board of Directors finds that it is important to have a Commission that will 6 meet to make specific recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the broader issues of social, 7 economic, and environmental conditions that affect public safety and result in violent crime. 8 Section 3. Goals. The goals of the Commission are as follows: 9 (a) To contribute to the overall safety and security of communities in the City of Little Rock 10 by recommending policies,programs and initiatives to the Board of Directors that work to 11 reduce crime; and, 12 (b) To promote community engagement by fostering strong relationships between Law 13 Enforcement and Little Rock communities; and, 14 (c) To inform the Board of Directors and the public about holistic efforts to address violent 15 crime in the City of Little Rock. 16 Section 4. Membership. The membership of the Commission shall be selected as follows: 17 (a) Seven(7)members shall be appointed,one(1)from each of the Ward Districts established 18 for election to the Board of Directors; further, if at any time there is an increase or a 19 decrease in this number of Ward Districts,this provision shall automatically be changed to 20 reflect such change; and 21 (b) Six (6) members to be appointed at large, one (1) of which may be a person who has 22 successfully utilized Re-Entry Services. 23 Section 5. Terms. Each member of the Commission, except the initial membership, shall serve one 24 (1), four(4)-year term. The initial Commission appointees shall draw lots as set forth below to determine 25 the initial term for each initial seat. After a Commissioner's term has expired, or a replacement has served 26 the balance of the initial term, a successor will be selected for a four(4)-year term as follows: 27 (a) Four(4)persons shall be selected to serve a term of one(1)-year, and upon the completion 28 of this term,their successors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of four 29 (4)years; and, 30 (b) Four(4)persons shall be selected to serve a term of two(2)years,and upon the completion 31 of this term,their successors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of four 32 (4)years; and, 33 (c) Two(2)persons shall be selected to serve a term of three(3)years,and upon the completion 34 of this term,their successors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of four 35 (4)years; and, [Page 2 of 4] 1 (d) Two(2)persons shall be selected to serve a term of four(4)years,and upon the completion 2 of this term,their successors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of four 3 (4)years. 4 Section 6. Bylaws and Officers. The Commission is permitted to adopt Bylaws, and to elect as 5 Officers a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a Secretary, as deemed necessary to fulfill its obligations. 6 Section 7.Powers and Duties. The Commission shall have the following powers and duties: 7 (a) To create and amend its Bylaws;and, 8 (b) To recommend solutions which address the underlying issues that cause crime to the Board 9 of Directors; and, 10 (c) To hold public meetings and forums as necessary; and, 11 (d) To make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding proposed legislation at the 12 local, state, and national levels which address violence reduction strategies for 13 communities experiencing violent crime; and, 14 (e) To create committees to address specific issues deemed important to the Commission. 15 Section 6. Compliance with City Policies&Procedures. The Commission shall conduct its business 16 in a manner that compiles with the policies and procedures of the City of Little Rock, complies with 17 Arkansas State Law including, but not limited to,the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, and complies 18 with any and all applicable Federal Law. 19 Section 7. Life of the Commission. The Commission shall continue to operate until such time as it 20 may be abolished or merged at the discretion of the Board of Directors. 21 Section 8. City Staff. The Commission shall be staffed by the Mayor's Office,the Little Rock Police 22 Department and the City Attorney's Office. 23 Section 9. Severability. In the event any title, section, paragraph, item, sentence, clause, phrase, or 24 word of this ordinance is declared or adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration or 25 adjudication shall not affect the remaining portions of the ordinance which shall remain in full force and 26 effect as if the portion so declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional was not originally a part of the 27 ordinance. 28 Section 10. Repealer. All laws,ordinances,resolutions,or parts of the same,that are inconsistent with 29 the provisions of this ordinance, are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency. 30 Section 11. Emergency Clause. The consistent community input on prevention, intervention, and 31 treatment solutions addressing community violence is essential to the public health, safety, and welfare the 32 residents of the City of Little Rock, and the creation of this Commission in order to continue to monitor 33 these matters and make recommendations or reports to the Board of Directors is crucial to the development 34 and implementation of such solutions;an emergency is, therefore, declared to exist and this ordinance shall 35 be in full force and effect from and after the date of its passage. 1Page 3 of 4] 1 PASSED: October 2,2023 2 ATTEST: APPROVED: 3 4 ye a/ / eig ./� 5 Shaqueena McDowell,Assistant City Clerk rank Scott,Jr.,Mayo 6 APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM: 7 8 at • 9 Thomas M. Carpenter,City Atto ney 10 /I 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 // 28 // 29 // 30 // 31 // 32 // 33 // 34 // 35 // [Page 4 of 4]