 [COLUMBUS, OH] Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy will begin a tenure on the National League of Cities (NLC) Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. Councilmember Remy will play an essential role as a leader of the nation’s largest membership and advocacy organization for city officials. “I am honored to serve and represent the citizens of Columbus in this capacity,” said Remy. “The National League of Cities has engaged leaders from across the nation on implementing innovative, collaborative approaches to emergency responses and I look forward to the opportunity to listen and learn of best practices that may be applicable here in Columbus.” Among the multitude of challenges that cities across the country faced in 2020 were the calls to reimagine and rethink public safety in the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of local law enforcement. As cities have responded in various ways with calls to defund, reform and dismantle racist systems, pursue justice and equity, NLC has consistently recognized the need to support and uplift cities and their leaders. As a next step in the work, the NLC RPS Task Force -- comprised of approximately 20 elected city leaders representing various city sizes— will convene virtually beginning in January 2021. Between January and October, the task force will engage in dialogue through virtual meetings to develop recommendations that: - Set out a 21st century public safety agenda for America’s cities;
- Highlight and share promising public safety and justice reform practices in cities, and identify key areas and means for improvement and adoption;
- Amplify the voices of city leaders in the current nationwide discussion of public safety.
At the initial convening next week, members will consider and affirm a scope of work with three to five focus areas. The Task Force will consider a range of topics such as innovative or alternative responses to emergencies, violence prevention, law enforcement reforms, public safety budgets, jail reduction, racial equity, community engagement and local-state-federal partnerships. The National League of Cities advocates on behalf of local governments and state municipal leagues. The organization is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of local governance and advocating the interests of local communities. Member cities actively participate as leaders and voting members in the organization.
### |