Councilor Harrison unveils two ordinances on officer identification and facial coverings; oversight commission backs unarmed response
Loading...
Summary
Councilor Harrison said she submitted draft ordinances that would require officers operating in Ann Arbor to wear visible identification and would prohibit facial coverings while operating in the city, with the city administrator tasked to prepare a 30‑day analysis. The Independent Community Police Oversight Commission reported eight citizen complaints and said it supports unarmed‑response collaboration; it also announced a May 19 symposium.
Councilor Harrison told the Ann Arbor City Council on April 6 that she has completed drafts of two ordinances aimed at increasing accountability for officers operating in Ann Arbor: one would require any officer operating in the city to wear visible identification, and a second would prohibit officers from wearing facial coverings while operating in the city, both subject to limited exceptions.
Harrison said she had worked with the City Attorney’s Office, the Ann Arbor Police Department and community stakeholders on the language and that Council Meeting Rule 15 requires the city administrator be given 30 days to prepare a report on fiscal, staffing and operational impacts and potential enforcement mechanisms. “The wait is almost over,” Harrison said, urging patience while the required analysis is completed.
Earlier in the meeting Stephanie Carter, chair of the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission (ICBOC), joined by videoconference to report that the commission currently has two vacancies and had received eight citizen complaints as of the end of last month, five of which the commission has reviewed and three of which remain under review. Carter said the commission voted to support the council’s February adoption of a resolution strengthening the city’s position against certain forms of federal immigration enforcement and noted that ICBOC has for several years supported some form of unarmed response; she said the commission supports collaboration with Washtenaw County on unarmed response models.
Carter also announced the commission’s second annual social justice symposium scheduled for May 19 at New Hope Baptist Church and invited the public; she said Chief Anderson will be featured and will discuss his experiences in Ferguson.
What this means
If Councilor Harrison’s ordinances proceed after the administrator’s report and return to the council, they would create municipal rules governing identification and facial coverings for officers while operating in Ann Arbor, subject to any carve‑outs or enforcement approaches the administrator recommends. The meeting record shows support from the oversight commission for unarmed response but does not record a council vote on Harrison’s ordinances at this meeting.
Next steps
The city administrator will prepare the required 30‑day analysis under Council Rule 15; the ordinances will return to a council agenda for discussion and potential introduction once that analysis is complete.
