Shaker Heights City Council voted Feb. 26, 2024 to retain a consultant to facilitate a community Listening Project this spring and summer.
Boston-based Strategy Matters will host events intended to encourage community-wide discussion on policing policies and practices, including discussion about any real or perceived bias in policing in Shaker.
“We are excited to partner with Strategy Matters,” said Colleen Jackson, the City’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “Their experience and expertise in community engagement and public safety consulting we felt best met our objectives for this project. They are excited to facilitate this project and agree that this process could be very beneficial to a community like Shaker.”
The Listening Project, expected to start in March, will involve educating the public on current police policies and practices, including the City’s Mental Health Response Program and the Police Department’s public records policies and procedures. The primary purpose of the Listening Project, though, is to provide an opportunity for the public to share feedback on policing in Shaker generally, as well as on the three focus areas (police policy and practice, the Mental Health Response Program, and public records).
Strategy Matters will host a combination of in-person and virtual public meetings to provide direct engagement of the community.
The consultants will prepare a final written report and present it publicly. The report will summarize the input from community members and provide analysis and recommendations for improvements to policies and practices that can be implemented to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourage positive interactions and relationships between the Police Department and residents. The final report will be posted on the City’s website.
Council has included in the 2024 budget $50,000 for this project. The Listening Project is one of the components of the Framework for Maintaining a Safe and Just Shaker Heights adopted by City Council in August 2023.