Kalamazoo Public Safety Policies and Documents Now Available for Public Review
The new website includes policies, union contracts, recruiting plans, budget, and training information
Kalamazoo, Michigan – The City of Kalamazoo has published Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) policies, training and recruiting documents, budget information, and union contracts and other information for public review on a new website which can be found at www.kalamazoocity.org/kdpstransparency.
These documents are provided along with other relevant information such as links to submit a FOIA request, information about the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeals board, and crime statistics.
More than 100 of KDPS’s policies and procedures are immediately available for review. These include the most commonly requested policies covering topics such as use of force, search and seizure, handcuffing and restraints, bias in policing, body-worn cameras, and reporting.
Documents also include contracts with the Kalamazoo Police Supervisors Association and the Kalamazoo Public Safety Officers Association, the two unions that represent Public Safety Officers.
Published recruiting and training information includes topics covered in the Advanced Police Academy provided by KDPS, which provides further training on topics and information unique to the City of Kalamazoo. Fire Academy and Medical First Responder training courses are also available. Additionally, the KDPS hiring process, the Department’s recruiting plan for 2020-2022, and a summary of the KDPS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program are available for download.
The KDPS budget is available for public review using the interactive OpenGov platform. This allows for more detailed views than are available in the City budget document that is published annually.
This new web page will be updated frequently and will include updates related to the City Manager’s Action Plan that was introduced on June 15. The plan includes a policy review as well as a review of the actions taken by KDPS in response to protests and civil unrest that occurred between May 30 and June 2. It also calls for additional training for Public Safety Officers and City of Kalamazoo staff on history, racism, and equity, and a review and update to the traffic stop study which was completed in 2013.