Mayor Terry Tornek (Photo – Jason Hardin Ⓒcoloradoblvd.net).

In a message posted on his Facebook page, Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek addressed the topic of police reform in Pasadena amongst other issues, promising to “personally commit to doing all that I can as Mayor.”

By News Desk

Here’s Mayor Tornek’s message in its entirety:

As Mayor of Pasadena, I have received an unprecedented number of communications over the heinous killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

I hear your strong calls for change

I hear your strong calls for change loud and clear, and I want to thank you for standing up and being heard. I personally commit to doing all that I can as Mayor to respond to the calls for justice and fairness that you have demanded.

The marches, demonstrations and protests, led by the energy of our youth, have made it clear that our City and our Nation have been galvanized in a way that I haven’t seen since the Civil Rights and Anti-War movements of the 1960’s.

Here’s what I am hearing:

• Some of you have asked me to sign a national police reform commitment like the President Obama Pledge or the “8 can’t wait” list.
• Many of you have demanded that we adopt a civilian police oversight Commission.
• Some of you have asked that we amend our policy on the use of deadly force to better reflect AB392 legislation.
• Others are urging the “defunding” of the Police Dept., shifting resources to human services programs instead.

I understand more is needed

I support many of the ideas expressed in these requests and I have forwarded them to Police Chief John Perez to see how we measure up. We have taken steps to address most of these concerns through recent reforms, but I understand that more is needed and that we must move quickly.

City Council Public Safety Committee

We will begin the process immediately at the City Council Public Safety Committee meeting on June 10th. We will examine all of these suggestions, listen carefully to what you are saying, expose where we fall short and report back to you with a plan of action for change.

Pasadena has made real progress on the road to treating all of its residents fairly.

We have more to do

I know that we have more to do and I appreciate all of you speaking out and showing how much you care. We can make positive change together.
I promise not to let you down.

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