Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Commission

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About

Mission

The mission of the Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Commission (LETAC) is to make recommendations to City Council which would promote improved understanding and relationships between the police department and the public.

Goals

To accomplish this, the Commission will:

  • provide a conduit for the concerns and needs of both citizens and the police department to be shared and discussed with City Council;
  • analyze and provide feedback to City Council with other policy recommendations; and,
  • assist City Council with budget, appropriation, and resource allocation recommendations utilizing data-driven audits of law enforcement performance.

Background

At a Special City Council Work Session June 16, 2020, City Council directed staff to move forward with forming the new advisory committee tasked with bringing policy recommendations to City Council, the Mayor and the Colorado Springs Police Department.

On June 23, 2020 City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to create the Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Commission. It was approved by a vote of 8 to 1. On July 13 City Council passed the second reading, approved by a 8 to 0 vote. 

Contact

LETAC@coloradosprings.gov

719-385-5540

Upcoming Meetings

Regular Monthly Meetings

The Commission typically meets on the first and third Monday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Please check the Agendas and Minutes tab for upcoming meetings.  Members of the public may attend in person or remote via Microsoft Teams:

In Person: City Hall, 107 N Nevada, Suite 200 (Pikes Peak Conference Room)

Microsoft Teams*: Check agenda for link to join

*Microsoft Teams Meetings – Anyone requiring captioning must join via software instead of the browser.  Currently capability does not exist on Teams to join via the browser.  In other words, you must download the Windows App when or prior to joining. In accordance with the ADA, anyone requiring an accommodation to participate in this meeting should make the request as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

2022 Meeting Schedule

Monday, January 10, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, January 24, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, February 7, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, March 7, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, March 21, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, April 4, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, April 18, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, May 2, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, June 6, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, June 20, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Tuesday, July 5, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, July 18, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, August 1, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, August 15, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, September 19, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, October 3, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, October 17, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, November 7, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, November 21, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Monday, December 5, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Initiatives

Listening and Learning Initiative

2021 1st Quarter Topics

Communication (January 19 / February 1)

  1. How could CSPD’s approach to communication with the community more effectively build and maintain trust between law enforcement and citizens?
  2. What improvements (website, online, face-to-face, etc.) are being made to increase CSPD transparency?
  3. What data about Colorado Springs policing do members of the community have an interest in but are not readily available now?

Racial Bias (February 16 / March 1)

  1. To what extent does racial bias influence policing in Colorado Springs, and how is it best addressed?
  2. To what extent are CSPD interactions with racial minorities different than those with racial majority populations?
  3. What training is in place to minimize bias? What evidence do we have that such training is effective?
  4. What screening occurs at the level of recruitment to promote equitable treatment of citizens and minimize bias?

Crisis Response (March 15 / April 5)

  1. What approaches to crisis response (procedures, policies, models, etc.) have been adopted by CSPD? How do we know they are effective?
  2. From the perspective of overall public safety, how do we effectively allocate resources between traditional policing (which would require an armed response to a call for service) and crisis response (which would not)?

Use of Force (April 19 / May 3)

  1. Are the use of force policies and practices sufficient to best meet the needs of our community?
  2. To what extent are mechanisms for accountability sufficient to promote public safety?
  3. When law enforcement investigates itself, how do we ensure there is minimal conflict of interest?

 

​NOTE: LETAC also approved the convening of additional monthly Listening Sessions to augment the ‘Listening and Learning’ process. Citizen comments at these sessions may lead to consideration of additional topics and/or re-prioritizing of those listed above.

View adopted Listening and Learning Q1 topics (PDF)

Adopted Listening and Learning Framework

Learn about LETAC's process for the listening and learning initiative

Commissioners

Deb Walker, District 1

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 24, 2024

Deb Walker currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at The Independence Center in Colorado Springs, a nonprofit that is the local home of civil rights for people with disabilities. Prior to this, for six years she was the executive director of Citizens Project an organization that advocates for equity, inclusion, and justice in the Pikes Peak region. In that role she became involved in policing transparency and accountability advocacy. She feels strongly about equipping community members to understand the issues affecting them and activating them to speak out on issues they care about. 

D’Ontay Roy, District 2

1st Term – April 12, 2022 to Sep 26, 2024

D’Ontay Roy is a 21-year Air Force Veteran. He has spent over 12 years in Colorado Springs serving in various positions such as a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Coordinator, Suicide Prevention Counselor and a youth/High School football Coach. He holds a degree in Integrated Leadership Studies from Central Michigan University. He strongly feels the need of bridging the gap between law enforcement and community members to make Colorado Springs a safe place to live and grow.

Brent Windebank, District 2

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 24, 2024

Brent Windebank is a proud Colorado Springs native, coach, researcher, and university student. Improving public safety, giving voice to marginalized community members, and being solution-oriented are some of his priorities while serving Colorado Springs on LETAC. Whenever he has free time, he can be found hiking, fishing, volunteering at his church, playing volleyball, or connecting with other community members at a local coffee shop!

Dr. Luis Velez, District 3

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 27, 2022

Dr. Luis Velez served in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps;  a Vietnam Veteran 1969-1970.  He holds a Doctor of Management (DM) degree from Colorado Technical University awarded in 1999; a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from UCCS awarded in 1989; and a Bachelors (BS) degree in Sociology from the University of Southern Colorado awarded in 1979.  He served a total of thirty eight years in Law Enforcement; CSPD 1975-2006, and PPD 2011-2017; and he was the former Chief of Police in both Colorado Springs and Pueblo, CO.  He has lived in Colorado Springs for 46 consecutive years.

Rachel Flick, District 3

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 27, 2022

Rachael Flick, LPC, NCC, is a trauma therapist and licensed counselor. Her late husband, El Paso County Deputy Sheriff Micah Flick, was killed in the line of duty, arresting a suspected car thief. Rachael is a single mother of twins, a speaker, podcaster, author, and community advocate. Rachael is working to bridge the gap between the public and the police through communication, transparency and cultural transformation. 

Jim Mason, District 3

1st Term – April 12, 2022 to Sep 26, 2023

Terry Martinez, District 3

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 26, 2023

Martinez worked at several area schools during his 31-year career in education, serving as a principal, assistant principal and teacher. Martinez serves on the Judicial Review Commission for the 4th Judicial District and on the El Paso County Parks Advisory Board.  

Janice Frazier, District 4

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 27, 2022

Janice “JJ” Frazier has been active in the Colorado Springs community for many, many years.  She is a graduate of Widefield High School and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Operations from Colorado Technical University (CTU). She has had a distinguished 40-year career in public education with Widefield School District 3 and Colorado Springs School District 11, in Colorado Springs, CO, and the Detroit Public Schools in Detroit, Michigan.  As Chair of the Board of Directors, she has led the Urbanites Leading the Pikes Peak Region, formerly known as the Urban League of the Pikes Peak Region since 2012.  Currently, Ms. Frazier serves as Chair of the Law Enforcement and Accountability Commission (LETAC) in Colorado Springs.

Steve Kern, District 5

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 27, 2022

Steve Kern is Vice Chair of LETAC. A thirty-year resident of Colorado Springs (all of that time in Council District 5), Steve was a teacher at Palmer High School until retiring in 2017. Steve chairs KRCC’s Citizens Advisory Board. He co-teaches a course at Colorado College in Philosophy for Children, which trains facilitators to engage children in philosophical conversations. He is also a member of the advisory council for “Becoming Your Personal Best,” an educational initiative of the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum focusing on developing resiliency skills for teachers, students, and communities. The father of two adult children, Steve is married to Nancy Henjum, an executive coach and leadership consultant.

Joe Aldaz, District 6

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 26, 2023

President & CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Aldaz also serves on the boards of the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC and Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado and is active on the Pikes Peak Community College Hispanic Advisory Council and Institute for Veterans and Military Families Diversity & Inclusion Council.

Felicia Embry, District 6

1st Term - Sep 22, 2020 to Sep 26, 2023

Embry is the owner/operator of Thelma Lou’s Innersoul Food catering company and runs her own financial consulting firm.

Joseph Cheung, District 2 (Alternate)

1st Term – April 12, 2022 to April 8, 2025

Nikki Hernandez, District 3 (Alternate)

1st Term - April 12, 2022 to April 8, 2025

Chiquita Isom, District 2 (Alternate)

1st Term - April 12, 2022 to April 8, 2025

News

Agendas and Minutes

2022

2021

2020

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