The Des Moines City Council took steps Monday toward ending racial profiling in the city.City Council members agreed to further discussion on part of a city ordinance banning racial profiling.The city council voted to bring implicit bias, deescalation and culture competency training for city members, as well as an outside team to research police interactions."One of the pushes from the community was that we start collecting data at every single police interaction -- and not just at arrests or citations," said Kameron Middlebrooks, chair of the Civil and Human Rights Commission.Members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement said they are happy with the city council's decision."It's a first step," Iowa CCI member Matthea Little Smith said. "There's other things that we need to do, (like) pretextual stops."During the city council meeting, Little Smith shared her concerns about profiling interactions she's seen with law enforcement."It doesn't happen just to young African Americans," she said. "It happens to all of them."The other two areas community members want to discuss include deprioritization of marijuana possession and creating a citizen's review board. They will have the chance to discuss that again with the city on Thursday during a joint session meeting.KCCI spoke to the Des Moines Police Department and learned it cannot comment on the ordinance until a decision is made.The police department sent its anti-discriminatory policy to KCCI, detailing the training and work done by supervisors to ensure equal treatment.

The Des Moines City Council took steps Monday toward ending racial profiling in the city.

City Council members agreed to further discussion on part of a city ordinance banning racial profiling.


The city council voted to bring implicit bias, deescalation and culture competency training for city members, as well as an outside team to research police interactions.

"One of the pushes from the community was that we start collecting data at every single police interaction -- and not just at arrests or citations," said Kameron Middlebrooks, chair of the Civil and Human Rights Commission.

Members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement said they are happy with the city council's decision.

"It's a first step," Iowa CCI member Matthea Little Smith said. "There's other things that we need to do, (like) pretextual stops."

During the city council meeting, Little Smith shared her concerns about profiling interactions she's seen with law enforcement.

"It doesn't happen just to young African Americans," she said. "It happens to all of them."

The other two areas community members want to discuss include deprioritization of marijuana possession and creating a citizen's review board.

They will have the chance to discuss that again with the city on Thursday during a joint session meeting.

KCCI spoke to the Des Moines Police Department and learned it cannot comment on the ordinance until a decision is made.

The police department sent its anti-discriminatory policy to KCCI, detailing the training and work done by supervisors to ensure equal treatment.