Schedule set for three City of Walla Walla town hall meetings to address topics relating to local policing

WALLA WALLA—City of Walla Walla officials have finalized plans for a three-part virtual town hall series to address topics relating to local policing including a local officer’s tattoo, police practices, policies, and funding. The meetings will be conducted online via Zoom, and the schedule will be as follows:

Thursday July 9 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. — Presentations by City Manager Nabiel Shawa on City budget and police funding; City Attorney Tim Donaldson on legal issues surrounding Officer Nat Small’s tattoo; and Police Chief Scott Bieber on Walla Walla Police Department policies and practices. We intend to provide the information in English and Spanish. There will not be public comment during this meeting.

Thursday July 23 at 6:30-9:30 p.m.—This will be the opportunity for public input and comments. Individuals who wish to comment must sign up on the City Council website. The form can be found at: http://www.wallawallawa.gov/government/city-council starting July 10 and must be completed and submitted by 5 p.m. on July 17. By requiring speakers to sign up, the City seeks to have balanced input on the issues. If more than 60 people wish to speak, the speakers will be chosen randomly while maintaining a balance between the differing sides.

Thursday Aug. 13 at 6:30-8:30 p.m.—Discussion and possible action by Council.

The City will provide a link to the three Zoom virtual meetings on the City Council web page. Recordings of the meetings will be available on the City’s Public Meetings showcase on Vimeo.