This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Jan. 8 marks 12 months since James Barker, who was armed (if you can call it that) with a snow shovel, was shot and killed, 17 months since unarmed Dillon Taylor was killed and 18 months since Geist the dog was killed — all by Salt Lake City Police officers.

These tragedies created concern, conversation and caused us to ask hard questions about why, when and how police use force. They also compelled many to call for action.

In response, former Mayor Ralph Becker held three community dialogue sessions. Community members described their worries about the police, bad experiences and hope for change.

Unfortunately, the Becker administration failed to follow up. Where there should have been a written summary of concerns and suggestions for policy changes, there was nothing.

What happened instead is that the community members attending the dialogue sessions got to know each other and, frustrated by the lack of action, started meeting to map out ways to create more humane and just law enforcement.

This diverse group, some of whom had never engaged in political activity, began researching the issues and discussing policy solutions. The national conversation on law enforcement issues also helped inform their work, resulting in identification of three main areas of concern: transparency (publicly available information), accountability and training.

Increased transparency with regard to how police engage with community members will help build trust between the public and law enforcement. We need demographic information regarding who is "stopped" by the police, why and the outcome. How often is force used, with whom, and under what circumstances? The police department collects tons of data. We just don't have access to it, and therefore no information other than anecdotal, with regard to what's happening systemically.

One of main tools we have to hold police accountable is the Police Civilian Review Board, established in its current form during the Rocky Anderson administration. It's time for a review of the board through an independent audit that assesses its structure, function and effectiveness. Legitimate questions have been raised about whether the board can really exercise any power when the volunteer community members who serve on the board are advised by the Salt Lake City Attorney's Office — which also represents the police department. How do you best structure this kind of oversight body? What have we learned? What needs to be changed or strengthened? It's time for a community check-in on these issues.

Our community has real concern about how police are trained and supervised. It's clear to anyone who has ever had an encounter with a police officer, personality and demeanor matter. Most of us would prefer talking with a calm, friendly, professional police officer who knows when to back off (or up). Of course, this is hard to quantify both in terms of hiring criteria and training curriculum. But we need to try. There is a national conversation about how police should be hired and trained that Salt Lake City can benefit from. We need to answer questions about how much and what kind of training is needed.

And we need to start by examining of the adequacy of what we're doing now.

Taking these first steps — to examine how to improve the transparency, accountability and culture of policing in Salt Lake City — is essential and achievable. Our new city leaders are thoughtful and progressive, and as they take office and get to work, it would be so helpful if they put Salt Lake City's law enforcement policy issues at the top of their list.

As James Barker's partner organizes a one-year memorial demonstration calling for change, it is well past time to take the first steps.

Deeda Seed is a community activist and former Salt Lake City Council member.