City Government, Community, Police Department, Public Safety

Hayward Policy Innovation Workshop on policing and public safety

February 24, 2021

A drawing of a diverse community

The City of Hayward is inviting community members to follow and serve as advisors to an eight-week Policy Innovation Workshop that is part of the Hayward Public Safety Community Outreach Project on policing and public safety in Hayward.

The Public Safety Community Outreach Project was initiated last summer at the direction of the Hayward City Council in response to the local and national outcry over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and concern over use of force and racial inequity in public safety.

The eight-week Policy Innovation Workshop on Community Safety is taking place between February and April 2021.  It pairs community members with staff to collaboratively brainstorm, research and test possible policy alternatives that respond to community concerns expressed over the summer and feedback gathered through the Community Outreach Project.

A first of four Workshop sessions was held online among Workshop participants the evening of Feb. 18, and materials used and generated during the meeting as well as a recording from the workshop are available here on the Policy Innovation Workshop webpage.

Workshop findings, lessons and results are intended to be completed and presented to the City Council prior to its budget deliberations for fiscal year 2022, which begins on July 1, 2021.

Community members interested in serving as advisors to Workshop participants are invited to fill out this Community Advisor interest form.  Advisors may be contacted by teams of Workshop participants to provide feedback on draft policy concepts and participate in tabletop exercises to test the feasibility of concepts and identify trouble spots.

The final three Workshop sessions are scheduled to take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 24, Wednesday, March 10, and Wednesday, April 7.  While the Workshop sessions are not public meetings, recordings of the sessions and session materials are being posted afterward to Workshop project webpage.