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<br /> <br />Commission later this summer, and would be hiring a staff member to assist the community <br />with inclusive initiatives. <br /> <br />B. 2020 Traffic Stop Data – Tony Paetznick, Director of Public Safety and Trevor <br />Hamdorf, Deputy Director of Public Safety <br /> <br />Director Paetznick reviewed the 2020 traffic stop data with the Commission. He reported the <br />City voluntarily began collecting this data in January 2017 along with 10 law enforcement <br />agencies in Ramsey County. He stated this was initiated to create greater transparency and <br />context for the public. He commented further on the five points of data that are collected for <br />each traffic stop. He provided the Commission with comparative data for 2017, 2018, 2019 <br />and 2020 noting total traffic stops were down in 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequent <br />stay at home orders. <br /> <br />Deputy Director Hamdorf commented further on the traffic data and explained how he <br />charted calls as day or night. He described how race was perceived by ambient light that was <br />available to officers. He stated it was more difficult for officers to determine race in the <br />evening hours. <br /> <br />Director Paetznick discussed the City of New Brighton population through the United States <br />census data. He estimated the population to be 23,427, which was an all-time high. He <br />described how this population was broken down racially. <br /> <br />Discussion included: <br /> The Commission noted there was a disparity due to the fact that more black people <br />were being pulled over in New Brighton when taking into consideration their <br />percentage of the population in the community. However, the Commission <br />understood this data does not reflect if those pulled over live in the community. <br />Director Paetznick understood there was a disparity and commented further on the <br />conclusions that could be drawn from data. He explained he has encouraged his <br />patrol supervisors to talk with their officers regarding the data. <br /> The Commission discussed implicit bias. <br /> The Commission believed the data presented provides the City with an opportunity to <br />dig into the data further. <br /> The Commission thanked the Public Safety Department for being transparent and for <br />working to not let implicit bias sway their decisions. <br /> The Commission supported the department gathering City of residence data for all <br />traffic stops. Director Paetznick indicated this would be difficult data for the <br />department to gather given the system that was in place. <br /> The Commission commented on the number of traffic stops that were occurring along <br />the Silver Lake Road corridor. <br /> The Commission asked how traffic stops were generated. Director Paetznick <br />explained the City has collaborative efforts with Ramsey County (TZD) beyond the <br />City’s regular patrol strength. He commented further on the direction he gives to his <br />officers regarding traffic safety issues and noted there were certain intersections that <br />were hot spots for motor vehicle crashes. He explained officers were naturally in the <br />area where crimes occur, stating this was driven by complaints. Further discussion <br />ensued regarding neighborhood demographics.