Tempe Public Safety Task Force Meetings Will Be Streamed: VIDEO

TEMPE, AZ — The first meeting of Tempe's new public safety task force was closed to the public, but the city assures residents future meetings will be streamed.

The task force released video of its first meeting, which took place Tuesday. The decision to close the first meeting initially drew criticism because preventing people from attending or otherwise accessing the real-time discussions and deliberations of a public body is a violation of the Arizona Open Meeting Law.

The task force was established by Tempe Mayor Corey Woods in August to focus on policies, data, hiring, training, and how the city engages with people of color and those with mental illnesses.

The Tempe Police Department has come under fire in recent months after a white officer held a Black hotel employee at gunpoint while searching for a suspect who was believed to be armed. The city also settled with the family of Antonio Arce, a 14-year-old who was fatally shot in the back by an officer while holding a toy gun in 2019, to the tune of $2 million.

“Just as there is a robust national discussion on this topic and examinations happening in many cities across our country, so too is it time for Tempe to have collaborative discussions in this vitally important area,” Woods said at the time.

The task force has 22 members from different industries, including citizens, police officers and politicians. Tempe's interim Police Chief Jeff Glover is also a member. The group will determine a strategic plan to move forward following six "focused conversations," according to the task force's first meeting agenda.

The next meetings will be held Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 10, Dec. 2 and Dec. 21. The task force will then present its plan to the Tempe City Council in January.