From City Councilman Matt Kelly:
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Report on the Police response to the protests of May 31st and June 1st is posted on the city website along with a community questionnaire. Council members suggested some changes and some have been incorporated in the online survey. I believe community input is very important as we work to move forward and I would encourage you to fill out the questionnaire.The concerns I expressed were that the questions were focused on how the report is perceived and its role in meeting Council goals, and not on the events themselves. Questions related to the events of May 31st and June 1st were focused on the police response. It is understood that was the purpose of the report,Finally, we need to look beyond just events and consider the issues which sparked them and have been identified as a result. While there may not be agreement on what issues are valid, or how to deal with them, they should be part of the community discussion to help us come together as a community.To this end, I have drafted a questionnaire covering the points above. I am not a fan of multiple-choice questions because they do not reflect the reasons behind the answer. When I have used them I have given you the opportunity to comment. I will keep the survey open till the end of March and will post the results.As always, feel free to pass on any other comments, questions, suggestions, concerns, or criticisms you may have related to this or other issues facing the city. Also, feel free to forward this e-mail or visit my Facebook pages–Matt Kelly or Fredericksburg Forum.
