Submitted by Phyllis Jones, SON Sr. Staff Writer
JOSH ROBERTS – – Josh Roberts shows an injury he suffered after being shot by a Rubber bullet while peacefully protesting police violence in Huntsville, Ala. on June 3, 2020.
Police brutality and the lack of empathy is a rising concern throughout our country. Racial tensions have increased significantly over the past several years, in regards to what appears to be “open season” against the African American community. As for as last summer’s Black Lives Matter protest in Huntsville, Councilman Bill Kling, Jr. (District 4) confirmed that the rubber bullets used against protesters were not from Huntsville Police Department. However, they were responsible for the tear gas. Because of these actions and others, he decided to solicit input from the citizens of Huntsville to address this matter and others similar to it. “I believe the police department has a done some good things, but I want to hear from the citizens on what they can do better,” Councilman Kling stated.
Huntsville has an approximate population of 200,000. Our crime rate is low, compared to other cities of our size. Councilman Kling shared that our land area is larger than the city of Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, not including the suburbs. Unknown to a lot of people, in addition to Madison County, our police department is also responsible for parts of Limestone County and Morgan County. With that being said, he understands that the department is stretched thin. At the same time, barriers need to be broken and more response to the community initiated.
Councilman Kling had the pleasure of conversing with eight individuals (Angela Curry, Chris Harris, Remuhlus Bowden, Harold Kemp, Pam Caruso, Jane DeNeefe, Dean Gilmore and Tyler Nafe) on how they felt about the response of the police department. The group of eight was a well diverse group, of which four are African Americans, three are women and six of the eight are individuals whom he makes regular contact with after the city council meetings. “These individuals have provided some good balanced information,” Councilman Kling reported. The committee’s concerns fell into the following categories: (1) Placing more emphasis on mental health services and training; (2) Community outreach; (3) Rebuilding community trust; and (4) More aggressive use of the internet. Categories one through three are self-explanatory. The fourth suggestion will allow citizens to post comments about what they see as a problem area and their suggestions for improvement.
The Citizens Police Report will be presented at the city council meeting Thursday – April 22, 2021 at 5:30pm. This report is separate from the report that Councilman Kling’s committee will provide. Details of his report, in regard to how to improve the police department, will be shared during the council meeting as well. Council members will not be informed of the contents of either report until Thursday’s meeting.
Councilman Kling, who has served the City of Huntsville since 1988, encourages everyone to either attend the meeting in person or online. He expressed that the time and effort from each committee member was most appreciative. “The multiple one-on-one conversations with committee members were quite beneficial. Our report is better than having the city to pay a consultant to identify an already known problem. These results are from people who live here.”
