Residents demand police accountability after chief conditions meetings on attendee list

Residents and city officials pushed Monday for greater police accountability after the Springfield Police Department’s leadership told council it would not meet with a community group if a particular member attended. Faith Coalition for the Common Good invited the chief to a community town hall scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Lincoln Library to discuss police conduct and community trust.

The invitation came from Kawani Barney, a community organizer with the Faith Coalition, who asked that “chief Bell” and a representative from the police union participate in the Sept. 29 town hall at Lincoln Library’s Carnegie Room to “foster open dialogue” about conduct and explore “pathways toward transformation to justice,” Barney said during the Committee of the Whole meeting.

The matter quickly drew aldermen into the discussion after Alderman Gregory recommended the city consider engaging the independent Massey Commission’s work on city policing and said he would work with colleagues to draft an ordinance for council consideration. “I am prepared to work with my caucus members … to figure out how we do this and what an ordinance looks like to present before this council,” Alderman Gregory said.

Tiara Standage, executive director of Intricate Minds and a community leader with the Faith Coalition, told the committee she has been excluded from police meetings and condemned the department’s refusal to appear at community events if certain people attend. “The police should not get to decide when they are held accountable,” Standage said, adding that footage of an officer’s use of force had resurfaced and that leaders must face the community’s questions.

Chief of Police (Springfield Police Department) told the committee the department had offered to meet with the Faith Coalition without the particular person present and that the coalition had not responded to proposed dates. The chief also said the department previously entered into a diversionary agreement with that individual and that, in the department’s view, the relationship “probably wouldn’t work” for ongoing collaboration.

Several aldermen pressed the chief and administration to reengage. Alderman Williams said department leaders should meet with any citizen groups and noted concern about allowing staff to “pick and choose who they meet with.” Alderman Conley and others offered that Assistant Chief Leach is trusted in parts of the community and asked the department to continue meetings with community stakeholders, including the Faith Coalition, while working to include people at odds with police leadership.

Multiple public commenters — including Standage, volunteers with Intricate Minds and members of Good Trouble Alliance — recounted incidents they said showed repeated excessive force by officers and urged the department and council to attend the Sept. 29 town hall to answer questions and accept recommendations. Kawani Barney said the event, “Dismantling Police Violence: A Community Conversation,” will be 5:30–7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Lincoln Library.

The debate also referenced the ongoing Massey Commission review and state-level reforms. Commenters pointed to recent state measures and previous local incidents as context for community demands for transparency and accountability. Alderman Gregory asked that the city remain engaged with the Massey Commission’s forthcoming recommendations and consider a city-level independent review.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the town hall invitation or on a specific directive to the police department. Several aldermen said they would follow up with the chief and community leaders to try to ensure the department is represented at the Sept. 29 event and to explore ordinance language to strengthen independent oversight.

Ending — The Faith Coalition and community leaders said they expect police leadership to accept the invitation; Standage and speakers said they will continue to press for direct answers from SPD. Alderman Gregory said he will circulate a proposed ordinance concept to council members in coming weeks and urged continued dialogue between police and community stakeholders.