Click here to see Flagstaff Police Department Annual Report 2014
(Editor’s Note: Full disclosure, AmigosNAZ Editor / Publisher Frank X. Moraga is a member of the new Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee, serving in his role as chair of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC). He serves on the group’s executive committee. The following is the full media release from the committee.)
The Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Executive Committee chooses final members, prepares meeting agendas and makes arrangements for committee retreat, mission statement and strategic plan process
The new Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee is up and running.
Committee members were selected to represent a large cross-section of our community. Members include a representative of an agency that speaks up for abused and neglected children; representatives of organizations serving the African American, LGBTQ, Hispanic and Native American communities; university officials representing ethnic studies and mental health programs; local clergy and other individuals supporting the work of local religious institutions; individuals supporting the rights of immigrant parents and youth as well as appointed representatives from the Flagstaff Police Department. The committee consists of 14 members who have been selected to serve during the initial term of the organization.
Following an organizational development and selection process that has lasted nearly a year, the members will gather this summer for a retreat to develop a mission statement for the organization and create a strategic plan that will explore opportunities to enhance services and communication between the community and the Flagstaff Police Department.
“This committee is comprised of a good cross-section of the Flagstaff community, with folks representing not only a variety of different racial populations, but special-interest groups,” said Flagstaff Police Chief Kevin Treadway. “It is my hope that we may all work together to enhance relations between the police department and the community we serve, identifying ways the department can serve our community better….”
“I hope that individually and collectively as a committee, we can facilitate the continuing dialogue between our police department and our community. This will be done honestly, respectfully and in a non-adversarial manner in order to exchange information, questions and concerns from either our community or police department, with the intent to understand the ‘other’ and in good faith respond to issues,” said committee member Scott Deasy, an ordained Episcopal deacon at the Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff.
“Every organization can improve, so I would like the opportunity to work with fellow community members and the police department to improve not only the department but the lives of community members,” said Deb Harris, associate dean of students at Northern Arizona University and a member of the university’s Ethnic Studies Program Steering Committee.
The development of the independent committee resulted from discussions between community members and the police department following a revision of the department’s SB 1070 immigration policy in early 2014 to better align it with state guidelines. What followed was an informational meeting with the community, a $7,073 grant from the Arizona Community Foundation ($2,073 from the Flagstaff Community Foundation, $3,000 from the Flagstaff Medical Center Foundation and $2,000 from the Forest Highlands Foundation) in September 2014 to fully develop the committee and the receipt of a diverse array of applications for membership to ensure the organization would represent a wide range of voices in Flagstaff.
Members will work to improve the communications process between the department and the community, encourage community members to submit complaints without fear of retribution and provide a proactive informational forum to address community concerns when incidents and issues arise.
During the initial development of the program, the executive committee — which included the Northern Arizona Institutions for Community Leadership (NAICL), the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and the Flagstaff Police Department — sought to create a community liaison committee that allows for a wide representation of the community, as opposed to a citizen review board, which are often comprised of political appointments that usually meet only when specific incidents occur, take longer to resolve complaints and limit the interaction between individuals in the community and members of the organization.
Currently, there are only 200 civilian review boards in place nationwide, many put in place when the agency is experiencing significant increases in complaints and use of force. There are 18,000 police agencies nationwide, with many adopting the community liaison committee model.
Members of the Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee will be meeting before the end of summer to finalize the two-year and four-year terms of its members, develop the mechanism to meet individually and in group meetings with the public to listen to concerns and suggestions for improving procedures and relationships between the community and the Flagstaff Police Department.
Members of the committee include, in alphabetical order:
- Roxana Cardiel De Niz, Northern Arizona Institutions for Community Leadership (NAICL) Interim Organizer.
- Scott Deasy, an ordained Episcopal deacon at the Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff and co-chair of the Northern Arizona Institutions for Community Leadership (NAICL).
- Jessie Dominguez, president of the Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Association.
- Maria De Jesus Guillen, a director with the Northern Arizona Institutions for Community Leadership.
- Deborah Harris, Associate Dean of Students, Northern Arizona University and a member of the Coconino County African-American Advisory Council.
- Kathryn Jim, president of the Northern Arizona Pride Association, a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) nonprofit organization that has been in existence for the past 19 years in Flagstaff.
- Pit Kolodinsky, a longtime licensed psychotherapist and program coordinator of master’s degree programs in mental health counseling and school counseling at Northern Arizona University.
- Laura Longoria, a member of Arizona Dreamers in Action and an employee at North Country HealthCare.
- Frank X. Moraga, chair of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC), parent and community outreach coordinator for the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth and editor / publisher of AmigosNAZ.com.
- Walt Miller, Flagstaff Police Department Deputy Chief (Support Services).
- Marianne Sullivan, a Senior Assistant City Attorney with the Flagstaff City Attorney’s Office who acts as the legal advisor to the police department.
- Rose Toehe, a member of Native Americans for Community Action (NACA) and director of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Program.
- Kevin Treadway, Flagstaff Police Department Chief.
- Lina H. Wallen, a Coconino Court Appointed Special Advocate, president of NAACP-Flagstaff Chapter, a board member of the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth, the chair for Coconino Foster Care Review Board, and a board member of Coconino Victim Compensation.
To send information or suggestions to the Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee, send an email to KTreadway@coconino.az.gov, naic.iaf@gmail.com, sdeasy@aol.com or fmoraga@amigosnaz.com
Click here for the full biographies and statements of members of the Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions regarding Flagstaff Police Department Community Liaison Committee
For more local media coverage, visit:
Arizona Daily Sun: FPD launches community liaison committee
Arizona Daily Sun: More on members of FPD Community Liaison Committee
Arizona Daily Sun: Opinion: Liaison committee a welcome bridge to Flagstaff police
nazTODAY: Group Works to Better Police Relations