Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor is creating a police review commission. Proctor says he’s responding to President Obama’s call for greater discourse between communities of color and law enforcement.
Commission Chairman Bill Proctor says his so-called Chairman’s Task Force on “Black and Blue” will look at local police policies and issues.
“As chairman of county government, I thought it proper and right, in a timely effort, to react and respond to the president’s call for a conversation that we might receive input on how we might make ourselves a better community," he said mid-Wednesday morning, outside of the Leon County Courthouse.
Proctor’s announcement was attended by local church and civic group leaders, along with candidates for local offices. Among them, Florida Democratic Party spokeswoman Allison Tant.
“We have a public health problem with guns," she said, citing the mass shooting a gay nightclub in Orlando, coupled with the deaths of police in Dallas, and two recent killings of black men.
"I firmly believe that if this were an environmental toxin or bacterial condition, virus that was making its way through our community with this level of death, over and over again, the brightest minds in our community would come together with all manner of experts to address this.”
Proctor wants a 12 member volunteer group to serve. The Task Force would be separate from the County Commission.
