Dear Mayor , Councilpeople , , and , Senator and Representatives and ,

My name is and I am a taxpayer and resident of . I am getting in touch because I am deeply troubled by the treatment of Black Americans by police in police departments nationwide. I would like to know what kinds of safeguards our town's police department has in place to prevent incidents of racism by police. Furthermore, given the failing record police departments nationwide, I encourage you to restrict the budget of our local police department and reallocate the difference towards more effective community safety and health agencies.

Are PD required to wear body cameras to record their responses to calls on video? Does the department perform any kind of anti-racism training for officers? Are new recruits screened in any way to prevent the hiring of racists, for instance through looking at social media posts?

How does internal affairs investigate and respond to reports of discrimination by police officers? Are PD held liable for misconduct in a serious way, or are they merely given paid leave for the duration of an internal investigation? Are any controls in place to protect the public from abusive officers, such as withholding pensions for officers with an excess of public complaints or a history of excessive force, or barring them from seeking employment in other police departments?

If these safeguards are not in place, they certainly should be, and I do not support my local taxes paying to fund a police department that perpetuates racism and violence. Services I would rather see funded include: mental health professionals, crisis de-escalators, support for those suffering domestic abuse and addiction in our community, to name only a few.

Thank you for your attention to my concerns. I hope to hear back from you soon.

Signed,