Toledo City Council Public Safety Committee Meeting – April 16, 2026: Quarterly Updates and Public Outcry Over Police Incident
Toledo City Council Public Safety Committee Meeting – April 16, 2026
This meeting of the Toledo City Council Public Safety or Criminal Justice Reform Committee covered quarterly updates from the Fire and Rescue Department, the Municipal Court, and the Toledo Police Department. The most significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to public comment regarding a recent incident in which a 15-year-old girl was forcibly taken to the ground by a police officer during a jaywalking stop. The event drew over 20 speakers, with many demanding accountability, training reforms, and the reinstatement of a civilian police review board.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Brenda Gibson (resident): Expressed heartbreak over the video, noting that as a white woman she never had to be trained how to respond to police. Suggested a social justice class in schools to teach rights and de-escalation. Questioned why police called the girl back into the street after she had moved.
- Maurice Morris (former law enforcement officer): Criticized pretextual stops, stating they are often used as punishment against Black people. Cited statistics that Black individuals are 2–4 times more likely to have force used against them. Called for unification and accepted an offer to observe de-escalation training.
- Audrey Ramsey (spiritual leader): Asked the police chief what he saw in the video. Expressed fear for the summer and questioned how Black officers would have handled the situation differently. Shared a story of her 15-year-old grandson being stopped for jaywalking.
- Georgia Daniel (community activist): Demanded the officer be fired, all charges dropped, and a civilian board reinstated. Questioned what percentage of the city budget goes toward youth.
- Brother Washington Mohammed (co-founder of CSRN): Recalled the 2020 police accountability rally where police showed up with snipers. Criticized the former civilian review board as weak and stated his group has drafted a framework for an independent review board.
- Beatrice Daniels (mother of two Black daughters): Said she saw her own daughters in the video. Asserted that jaywalking does not justify aggression and called for stronger de-escalation training and accountability.
- Nicole (resident): Raised concerns about diversity in TFD and TPD uniforms. Asked about recruitment demographics. Cautioned against citizens taking matters into their own hands, referencing the Trayvon Martin case.
- John Bibbish (resident): Congratulated council for passing $500,000 for West Toledo police presence. Requested a specific project plan with timelines for its implementation.
- Aisha Shoemaker (mother of five boys and two daughters): Recalled being stopped and patted down by police without reason. Stated the officers in the video violated the code of conduct and that something must be done.
- Unnamed speaker: Argued the stop was a pretextual stop for a minor misdemeanor. Stated the children moved out of the way and noted the police had a yelp button they chose not to use.
- Alicia Lawson (business owner): Shared her experience with de-escalation in her own business. Expressed disappointment in the video and noted the young man with the girl might have been killed if he had run. Called for leadership to make a decision.
- Bactero (former civil service commissioner): Criticized the chief for not placing the officer on administrative duty despite collective bargaining. Called for civil service reform and better police-community relations.
- Janessa Bugatti (military brat): Said her heart was hurt but not broken. Wrote a poem about corruption. Expressed faith that the community and police can come together.
- LaShayna Alfred (social worker, CEO of Youth Change Behavioral Health): Shared that she has conducted cultural sensitivity training for police. Noted that one trainee had unresolved trauma that led him to want to target drug dealers. Argued that arrogance and pride collided with trauma in the video, and that having the wrong trainers can undermine even good curriculum.
- Sabina Rodriguez (mother): Recounted her son's arrest for disorderly conduct after using curse words, later charged with public intoxication which was not supported by jail. Said no accountability was taken after her son's equipment was destroyed. Urged action, not just talk.
- Nate Lawson (resident): Described receiving a "two strikes" speech at age 12 for being Black. Shared a recent ticket for obeying the law (impeding traffic). Called for more diversity in the police department and questioned how the officer passed his psych evaluation.
Discussion Items
- Fire and Rescue Department Quarterly Update (Chief Alison Armstrong): Current uniform staffing at 583. One separation year-to-date, 9 additional confirmed. A class of 20 begins July 31, 2026, graduating end of February 2027. Total incidents through Q1: just over 15,000 (1% increase). Utility firefighters responding to average 172 incidents per day; total rig responses average 314 per day. Busiest ambulance: Medic 3. Received four new Spartan engines; three ambulances on order (delivery Q1 2027). Planning memorial site update for fallen firefighters. Answered questions about station renovations (Imlay building needs roof), ambulance turnaround (600–800 days for new orders), and smoke alarm distribution (all stations have them; about 20–25 installed in Evansdale neighborhood after recent fire).
- Municipal Court Update (Ms. Falgiano): Mental health evaluations increased 50% in 2025 vs 2024 (from 73 to 110), with a 360% increase in not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity referrals. An MOU with Lucas County Common Pleas Court will supervise NGRI individuals in community for short periods (2–3 months). A hospital collaboration pilot project with St. Charles has placed 16 individuals, majority successfully returned to community. The Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) will no longer serve women due to budget cuts; an RFP will be published next week to replace inpatient residential substance abuse treatment services. The Harvard diversion program reached 52 weeks of enrollment, ahead of pace.
- Toledo Police Department Quarterly Update (Chief Mike Trendley): Crime reductions: homicides -33%, robberies -37%, theft from motor vehicles -23%, auto thefts -6%. Persons shot three higher than last year. Burglaries up 17% (first increase since 2011). Incidents (calls for service) up 8.24% to 44,028 through March. Current staffing 604; class of 20 starting April 24 will not offset expected 35–40 retirements. 87 officers eligible for retirement now, 105 by October. West Toledo community station lease expected in May at Jackman and Sylvania. Discussed ICAT training (associated with 28% reduction in use of force in Louisville) – now part of academy and in-service. Responded to questions about training updates, de-escalation, and youth development training (will look into juvenile training covering milestones).
- Police Incident Discussion: Council President Williams clarified her statement about Black parents teaching children to comply, emphasizing the burden is unfair. She read a statement from Councilwoman Dr. Brittany Jones calling the incident abuse and excessive force. Council members expressed concern about officer conduct, training adequacy, and community trust. Chief Trendley stated internal affairs investigation is prioritized and a decision expected within a week. He said the officer was reassigned to a different district (not suspended) per policy and collective bargaining. Councilman Driscoll asked about coordination with finance on retirement projections and suggested reviewing jaywalking law and the civilian police review board.
Key Outcomes
- Police Investigation: Chief Trendley confirmed internal affairs investigation will conclude within a week. The involved officer was reassigned to a different district, not suspended.
- Referrals for Information: Council members made multiple requests for data by referral, including: list of fire station renovation needs and costs (Chief Armstrong), data on juvenile training and disability training (Chief Trendley), demographics of new recruit class (Chief Trendley), map of jaywalking tickets over three years (Chief Trendley), and any prior disciplinary records for Officer Routson (Councilman Driscoll).
- Future Actions: Council President Williams expressed commitment to work with the community on reforms, possibly including a "safety city" to teach interaction skills. Councilman Driscoll called for a review of jaywalking decriminalization and a discussion on the civilian police review board. No formal votes were taken.
- Contract and Program Updates: The court will issue an RFP for substance abuse treatment services to replace CTF's women's program. The Harvard diversion program continues successfully. The fire department memorial project will seek community donations.
Meeting Transcript
I want to call towards Legal City Council. Public Safety or Criminal Justice Reform Committee meeting of four 16, 2026. Clerk, please call the role. Hobbs. Here. Williams, Kramer, here. McVearson, Meldon, Morris, Saranto. Here. Also present, Driscoll and Gaddis. All right, we're gonna have our quarterly updates. First up is Chief Alison Armstrong. Thank you for being here today. Thank you, Chairman Hobbes, Vice Chair, President Williams, members of the committee. Alison Armstrong, Chief of the Fire and Rescue Department with me today, Assistant Chief John Kaminsky, here to present a very brief overview of the fire and rescue department. Current uniform staffing is at five eighty-three. Uh year-to-date separations. We've only had one so far, nine additional confirmed upcoming, and we expect about ten more. Um so our class of twenty will just offset retirements. And that class begins seven thirty-one with a graduation end of February of twenty-seven. Total incidents through the first quarter, just over fifteen thousand, which is just a slight one percent increase of what we were in twenty-six over the same time period. But I want to note that uh utility firefighters are responding to an average 172 incidents per day. Total responses at the bottom, that would be total rig responses because some incidents have more than one responding, and that's an average of 314 rig responses each day. Uh busiest ambulance is Medic 3 over on Bush with over a thousand responses. Uh then engine 23, which is in West Toledo, and then rescue seven, which is on Franklin near Bancroft. And then our tower ladder is off of Central Avenue. And we have three of those in the city, so they primarily respond only to structure fires or extrications because of the specialty equipment that apparatus has. One of those is a HVAC upgrade, uh which they have a boiler system now, and and we need to put air conditioning in, and I think forced air is what we're looking at, but um that's held up because we're waiting on a waiver um from the government that has yet to come through. Also doing some concrete work at 21s, that is a station that's about a hundred years old and waterproofing there, which we've struggled to get bit out. Uh for our fire vehicle replacement. We just received four new Spartan engines, those are all in service now. Uh and the other engines has a trick-a-down effect that you know they'll go in the reserve status uh and we move vehicles around based on mileage and year. So we have three ambulances on order right now. Delivery date is the first quarter of 27, and then we're also preparing to send two more ambulances for a remount, which means they'll take our existing rig and basically redo everything on it, new chassis, new box, and the the turnaround time for that is shorter, about six to nine months, depending on how involved it is once they they get in there. Um last thing, which I'm very excited to mention is that we're putting together a plan to update our current memorial site uh over across from fire headquarters. Uh we've tried this a couple of times in the past and for various reasons uh the project didn't move forward. So um looking to do that, and once I have some more information, I'll release it. But you know, basically the idea behind it is is to get donations um from various places within the community to support that. Uh with that, I'll take any questions. Councilman Saratsu. Thank you. Uh Chief Armstrong, could you give us uh um idea of how much work, how many fire stations still are gonna need uh major remodeling uh renovations and so forth. I I think at the stations we've tackled most of the major projects. I can give you a list of our upcoming projects by way of referral. Okay. Uh but also I'll say this, you know, Imlay is a building that is shared by us and fleet, and um you know that building needs work, it needs a roof, and so you know, we're gonna have to have some conversations about what that looks like and a plan to move forward. Okay. And which building was that you're MLA. Okay. Our shop. All right, I'll I'll make a referral.
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