council considers reforms

hours long meeting

Jean seltzer.

Lexington city council's public safety committee began a detailed review of the city's police department..... its collective bargain agreement and other details.

It's what city leaders have called a "fact-based review."

As abc 36's christy bollinger tells us, citizens heard everything from a condemnation of police brutility to mistakes in demands made by protesters.

That's tonight's top story at 6.

L3: top story white council considers reforms lexington 16-21 vice mayor steve kay - city of lexington 1:15-1:20 chief lawrence weathers - lexington police department take pkg: cg - take vo:a long, tough, and important conversation began tuesday among lexington councilmembers, the city's attorney, the police department, fraternal order of police and the public.

Several topics discussed were no- knock warrants, body cameras worn by officers, the collective bargaining agreement..

And police bill of rights.

Take sot: :12 "essentially what you put before us is a set of regulations that the state has imposed on us, that we do not have the opportunity to change ourselves."

Take vo: something mentioned often... a lot of protesters' demands, are out of the hands of city government..

And local law enforcement.

Like changes to the police officer bill of rights, which is state law, and changes to the city and police union's collective bargaining agreement.

Take sot: :13 "i don't know that there is that that anything can be done on a meaningful level to the agreement, without having some underlying basis in the state law done first."

Take vo: protest organizers have told me they believe these claims are just a deflection... that city officials are trying to absolve themselves from any responsibility.

But in a review of those demands, police lieutenant jonathan bastian noted several of them weren't based on the lexington police contract.

A lot of the discussion focused on no knock warrants..

And the immediate moratorium to them..

Except in life-and-death cases.

The department's current policy was discussed in detail.

Take sot: :12 "are we perfect.?

No, but we realize what our job is anytime you do a no knock search warrant it's designed and specifically used to prevent loss of life."

Take vo:a councilmember brought up how that wasn't the case for breonna taylor in louisville... calls the moratorium a "temporary fix".

Take vo: the chief says he was open to greater review of the policy..

In regards to body cameras, the chief says over 400 are assigned to wear them..

But some in the department aren't required to.

Take sot: :10 "some of the people in administrative and non enforcement positions aren't gonna use them that much and there's a cost associated with them and if they're not using them why are we paying for them?"

Take vo: the bargaining process was an important topic... specifically the disciplinary article in the contract.

Note, the disciplinary process is handled by a police review board... that's made up in the bargaining process.

Take sot: :12 "with the exception of the board the disciplinary article that is basically incorporating the existing state law.

You're going to have to change the state law ultimately to get that done."

Take vo: bastian says the f- o-p does not accept police brutality.

Christy bollinger, abc