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Council deadlocks on security‑detail policy after heated debate over costs and transparency
Summary
A proposed policy to authorize temporary security details for elected officials failed to pass after council members voiced competing concerns about officer authority, transparency, taxpayer costs, and an active detail protecting one councilmember; the item will return for further consideration.
A proposed policy governing security details for elected officials failed to win council approval on May 4 after extended debate over the policy's scope, cost, and transparency.
The draft policy, introduced by staff, would authorize the police chief to assign a security detail for an elected official for up to 30 days when a verified credible threat exists; any extension beyond 30 days would require Mayor and City Council approval. The draft also addresses confidentiality of investigations, termination of details, and financial limits where personal conduct is implicated.
Councilwoman Wells said the policy is needed because she has an active detail following threats to her and her family: "This policy is because I have security detail ... my safety and my family's safety were put at a risk," she said. Other councilmembers said they were unaware of the scale or cost of the protection and asked staff to provide records and contract details. One councilmember said taxpayers had paid "over $97,000" for the detail since late November, and asked staff for an update on the underlying investigation. Staff said information about open investigations can be withheld to protect investigative integrity, but confirmed the policy will return to the council agenda in June for further consideration.
During the regular session the item was called for a vote but did not receive the required number of affirmative votes to pass; the clerk recorded that the motion failed due to insufficient affirmative votes and at least one abstention. The council did not record a full roll‑call tally in the public transcript.
What remains: Staff said the policy will be brought back for a future meeting (noted to return at the first June meeting), with requests from council for clearer cost reporting, contract records related to private security or patrol agreements, and more explicit rules on when detail costs may be borne by an elected official rather than the city.
