RESOLUTION NO.

2020-274

City of Asbury Park

County of Monmouth
State of New Jersey

RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN AD HOC ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO BE

KNOWN AS THE “EQUITY COMMITTEE” TO REVIEW

WHEREAS, the City of Asbury Park (the “City”) takes great pride in its diversity and
strives to maintain an atmosphere of honor, respect and dignity for every resident and visitor
regardless of age, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation or gender identification; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, the City has created and maintains a
Police Department which consists of a uniformed force, as set forth in more detail in Section 2-8
of the Asbury Park City Code; and

WHEREAS, the Asbury Park Police Department (the “APPD”) maintains policies and
procedures that address the proper protocols for handling police enforcement and discrimination;
and

WHEREAS, in light of recent national and local events involving law enforcement and
community protests, the City Council finds that it is in the community’s best interests to review
the APPD’s policies and procedures on police enforcement and discrimination and, if necessary,
to recommend modification to these policies and procedures; and

WHEREAS, in furtherance of this goal, the City Council has determined that it will
establish an ad hoc advisory committee, to be known as the “Equity Committee,” to review the
APPD’s policies and procedures on police enforcement and discrimination, to make findings as
to whether these policies and procedures are effective and fair, and to propose amendments to
these policies and procedures, if necessary; and

WHEREAS, it is intended that the Equity Committee (also referenced as the

“Committee”) shall be composed of a diverse group of individuals representing a wide range of
input, experiences and backgrounds, and that the Committee shall solicit community input,
resulting in findings and recommendations to be presented to the City Council; and the

WHEREAS, it is intended that the Equity Committee shall be convened for a short-term
period of time in order to perform its work and make its recommendations, over a period not to
exceed one hundred and twenty (120) days, unless extended by the City Council, following
which time the Committee’s work and existence shall cease and the Committee shall be
dissolved.
 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of
Asbury Park, in the County of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, as follows:

1. That an ad hoc advisory committee to be known as the “Equity Committee” is

hereby established in order to review the APPD’s policies and procedures relating
to police enforcement and discrimination, and to make findings as to the
effectiveness and fairness of such policies and procedures, and to recommend
proposed reforms, if necessary, and to report back to the City Council as a whole.

2. That the Equity Committee’s existence shall sunset one hundred and twenty (120)
days from the effective date of this Resolution, unless it is renewed for an
extended period by the City Council. At the conclusion of that time, the
Committee’s work and existence shall cease and the Committee shall be
dissolved.

3. That all City Departments, agencies, officers and employees shall cooperate fully
with the Equity Committee in performing the Committee’s work to the degree
possible and permitted by law.

4. That the Equity Committee shall consist of eleven (11) members as set forth
below, to be appointed by the City Council. It is intended that the Committee shall
be comprised of a diverse group of individuals in an attempt to seek a wide range
of input. Members shall include clergy, community leaders, representatives of the
APPD, City Officials and Administration, and individual residents of the City. All
appointees shall be residents of the City, or involved with a business entity, non-
profit organization, educational institution, religious institution or other agency
located within the City. The specific makeup of the Equity Committee shall
consist of the following:

a. Two (2) members of the City Council;

b. The City Manager or her designee;
c. Two (2) representatives of the APPD;
d. One (1) religious leader; and
e. Five (5) residents of the City.

5. After appointments to the Committee have been made by the City Council, the
Committee shall organize, determine a meeting schedule and commence its work.
Meetings may be held virtually. Due to the nature of the Committee’s work,
which may involve sensitive and confidential interviews, discussions and
material, and given the fact that the Committee is purely advisory in nature, the
Committee shall not be subject to the requirements of the N.J. Open Public
Meetings Act. However, upon the completion of the Committee’s work, the
Committee shall file a report with the City Council concerning its findings and
recommendations, and representative(s) of the Committee shall appear at a City
Council meeting to present its report.
6. The goals of the Equity Committee are as follows:

a. Ensure justice and equity for all in our community;

b. Engage in discussions on current policies and procedures
concerning police enforcement and discrimination; and
c. Recommend updates to clarify and implement new policies and
procedures as appropriate, in an effort to ensure fairness.

7. In order to achieve its goals, the Equity Committee shall solicit community input,
review pertinent data/materials, and prepare a report containing its findings,
which will be presented and distributed to the City Council and the public (per
Paragraph #5 above).

8. The City Council recognizes that use of force policies for local Police
Departments are established by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
However, the City Council recommends that a key component of the Equity
Committee’s work should focus upon the role and importance of community
policing, one that is sensitive to crime victims, residents, community leaders and
groups, the media and the City’s police officers. To reach that achievement, it is
recommended that the Equity Committee follow the four (4) fundamental
elements of the Obama Pledge, as follows:

a. Review the APPD’s use of force policies;

b. Engage the community by including a diverse range of input,
experiences and stories as part of its review;
c. Report the findings of its review to the community and seek
feedback; and
d. Make recommendations to the City concerning reform of the
APPD’s police use of force policies.

The goal is to identify best policing practices to increase trust between the APPD
and the community residents that it protects and serves and, specifically, the
development of policies and practices that support fairness, equity, procedural
justice, legitimacy, transparency and accountability.

9. That a certified copy of the within Resolution shall be provided to each of the
following:

a. Donna Vieiro, City Manager;

b. Michael J. Manzella, Deputy City Manager;
c. David Kelso, Asbury Park Chief of Police; and
d. Frederick C. Raffetto, Esq., Municipal Attorney.
 I, MELODY HARTSGROVE, City Clerk of the City of Asbury Park, Monmouth
County, New Jersey, DO HEREBY CERTIFY the foregoing to be a true and exact copy of
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-274 which was finally adopted by the City Council at a meeting held
on the 9th day of September, 2020

CERTIFIED BY ME THIS 10th DAY OF September, 2020.

MELODY HARTSGROVE
CITY CLERK

✓ Vote Record - Resolution 2020-274

 Adopted Yes/Aye No/Nay Abstain Absent
 Adopted as Amended Eileen Chapman Seconder    
 Defeated Yvonne Clayton Voter    
 Tabled Jesse Kendle Mover    
 Withdrawn Amy Quinn Voter    
 Second Reading John Moor Voter    