The Town of Carrboro is recruiting members to a new Community Safety Task Force.
In the interest of developing new approaches to public safety beyond policing, the task force will include five to seven residents of Carrboro. The Town Council seeks residents with professional expertise and/or lived experience in the criminal legal system, human services delivery, social work, public health and harm reduction, community building in marginalized populations, or related content areas. The membership of the task force will also include two to three council members designated by the Town Council.
The task force will provide recommendations to the Town Council for additional services to enhance community safety and well-being that rely on prevention and intervention strategies as alternatives to policing and the criminal legal system—including but not limited to community nonviolence and de-escalation training programs; domestic violence intervention and prevention; youth-oriented programs; on-call crisis response that would allow certain calls for police assistance to be handled by other trained professionals, such as social workers or crisis counselors; and other related approaches.
Background
The Town Council passed a Resolution on Next Steps in Advancing Racial Equity in Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Carrboro on June 18, 2020. In this resolution, the Council expressed its intent to establish a task force on public safety, “in the interest of developing new approaches to public safety beyond policing.” The Council recognized that “investments in public safety and in programs and services that keep communities healthy and safe must advance racial equity, be grounded in community demands, and be informed by authentic engagement with grassroots and community organizations.”
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