The meeting was called to order at 1:34 PM.

Commissioner Sanchez read the mission statement and Commissioner Hernandez read the land acknowledgement. 

There were no upcoming opportunities or announcements.

Jason Jones was present representing himself and mentioned the need for more affordable housing. 

Georgianna Staskey introduced herself as the new Deputy City Clerk. 

Mindy Riesenberg asked for two corrections to her name under Items 1 and 2. Commissioner Hernandez moved to approve the minutes. Commissioner Sanchez seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote. 

Mr. Rhode said that the proclamation was shared with the NAU Office of Inclusion. He shared that it is scheduled to be read at Council on 1/21/2025 and read at the MLK Day Breakfast on 1/20/2025. Dr. Mallett confirmed that he and Ms. Lewis saw it and asked for a change to the date at the bottom. 

Dr. Mallett wanted to acknowledge the other community groups that this could pertain to. Commissioner Reisenberg asked that the date be updated to show 2025 as the year. Dr. Mallett asked the commission to attend the event and shared that it will be the only event to commemorate MLK Day north of Phoenix. 

Chairwoman Kidd asked for a motion to approve both proclamations. Commissioner Reisenber made the motion. Commisioner Sanchez seconded. The motion was approved on a voice vote. 

Mr. Rhode introduced Chief Connoly and summarized that he was involved in a conversation on the Anti-Camping Ordinance in December and has graciously made himself available to the commission today. Chief Connoly introduced himself and went over his history growing up in Flagstaff and working in both Tucson and Phoenix. He said that Flagstaff is a high-functioning city and that he wishes for Flagstaff PD to be self-assessing and self-correcting. He also wants the department to be rooted in good public policy including a citizen review board and to have a trauma-informed mentality of care. 

Commissioner Reisenberg asked what community input looks like to the Chief and how CODA can assist. He responded that he would like diverse members of the community to serve on his disciplinary review board. He also said that in Phoenix he stood up 12 advisory boards containing a multitude of interest groups in the community. He also expressed interest in finding the pillars in the community and involving more youth through a youth police academy. Finally, he said that he wants to involve the community in conversations about immigration. 

Chairwoman Kidd said that she appreciates the Chief's transparency and leadership and expressed a desire to serve on one of the Chief's advisory boards, especially on the topic of immigration. Chief Connoly asked to tell a story about how after SB1070, he held a community meeting where he asked how many people had not reported a crime out of fear that they could be deported and he saw an overwhelming response. 

Commissioner Sanchez asked through the chat how CODA can help with implementing some of the policies that the Chief is seeking. Chief Connoly reiterated that he wants to further community engagement and would love for them to be a part of it. He expressed a desire to meet with people and asked for Mr. Rhode to give the commission his contact information. 

Commisisoner Reiserberg asked through the chat if there is a need for mental health education. Chief Connoly said that absolutely he does. He does not wish to incarcerate mental health but there are not enough resources in the community. He pointed to the constantly full Guidance Center and the need for a detox facility in Flagstaff. He also reiterated that he believes in diversion and deflection through the CARES Unit. He also said that they have a clinician on the floor of the 911 dispatch center to help address behavioral health calls. 

Commissioner Hernandez asked what the Chief's approach on the Anti-Camping Ordinance will be. Chief Connoly said that he has been sued by the ACLU and the business community on this topic. He said that for years they followed the guidance of the Boise decision and that following the Grants Pass decision, the Flagstaff PD will always lead with services. He said that they will not camp bust but that they will respond to calls from businesses or residences on camps. He said that they will lead with services but that he needs help. He said that he wants an office of homeless solutions. He pointed to the CARES unit and the ambassador program as groups that he is working with and that again reiterated that they will lead with services. He also said that there is a national challenge with property and that he will respect private property including carts and tents. He said that the PD will inventory and respect the property when arrests are made. 

Community member Jason asked if there is a timeline for implementing the accountability board. Chief Connoly said that he is hoping to have the Native American Peoples and the Dissability Board up and running by February. He also said that he is working on a crime plan that will be comprehensive. Jason recommended reaching out to Fawn Toya on the Indigenous Board. Jason also shared his experience in an instance where he felt that a sergeant acted incorrectly and said that this can be difficult to reform. Chief Connoly said that he wants to build some new conduits for accountability where there are systems of accountability for the policies. This would include publishing a disciplinary matrix that is available to the public. He also asked the community and the commission to hold him accountable. He also asked Chris to share his e-mail once again. 

Chairwoman Kidd asked if the Chief has tapped into the local schools for the Youth Advisory Board. Chief Conoly said that he has talked with FUSD, CCC, and NAU and is establishing relationships with all of them. 

Jason asked what he thought the Chief's opinion is on what the best thing was being done in the community and what the next step is. Chief Connoly said that he is not in a campaign to reinforce the City's Anti-Camping Ordinance. He also asked if the commission had toured the shelter and encouraged those who had not done so to take a tour. He expressed support for converting hotels to more beds and expanding the capacity of the Guidance Center. He also wants to understand the user experience through the whole system. He said that looking at addiction and behavioral health are the biggest factors that the community needs resources to address. He said that when you can provide meaningful options for these two items that you see improvement in homelessness. 

Jason pressed the Chief on what is being done as opposed to what he would like to be done. Chief Connoly said that he would like to get these issues outside of the realm of Police work. the Chief mentioned that transportation is a barrier and pointed to the lack of shuttles back and forth to the reservation. He also reiterated his desire to establish a detox center.

Mr. Rhode introduced Alicia Henry and Ben Nicholas from the Flagstaff Queer Coalition. Ben Nicholas shared a conversation with the Traffic Engineer where the City is refusing to allow such an installation until the State of Arizona adopts new federal standards. Alicia expressed that they did receive support form a few members of Council in their last conversation. 

Chairwoman Kidd mentioned that they are also looking at alternative sites that are not crossings. Ms. Henry said that she supports all representation but would want to involve other stakeholders. She also pointed out that the City did install a brick sidewalk that would not meet these standards.

Commissioner Hernandez said that Council can supersede the engineers. Ms. Henry said that this is why they met with Council. Mr. Rhode clarified that the City Attorney has expressed that it would recommend Council to not approve anything at this current time. Mr. Nicholas clarified that he is a transportation engineer and that while the UMTD has been updated, the City and state have not adopted a version with this change. 

Mr. Rhode gave an overview of the possible steps forward: 
1) The City can wait until the City and State of Arizona adopt the more recent changes to the UMTCD before proceeding. Or, 
2) CODA can continue the conversation while looking at alternative sites that are not in lanes of vehicle traffic. 

Mr. Nicholas chimed in to say that he does have a few alternative locations in mind. Ms. Henry said that they would reach out to Flag Pride to discuss these alternative locations. Mr. Rhode asked if Ms. Henry knows of any other groups that should be brought into this project. She did not have any names to pass along. Mr. Rhode then asked if they wanted to have him run their alternative locations by the Transportation or Legal Teams of the City. Mr. Nicholas said that he wanted to run them by a few other people first. 

Mr. Rhode shared that CODA has previously suggested Aspen Alley. Ms. Henry requested that their original presentation be forwarded to them. He agreed to do so. He also said that he would try to facilitate next month's meeting so that both Flagstaff Pride and the Flagstaff Queer Collective are able to be present. 

Commissioner Sanchez said that there is no update on the Oral History project yet. She asked Mr. Rhode if he has had any discussions with the Library yet. He said that he does not yet. 

There was no update from the Council Liaison. 

Mr. Rhode reported that there is one vacancy that will be filled in the next few weeks and directed the commissioners to send any comments they have to Councilwoman House. He also shared that he will not be present next month as he will be on his honeymoon. 

Deputy Chief Staskey shared that Councilman Garcia will be making the appointment for the vacancy and that she will leave her contact information for the commission. 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:04 PM