Police reforms have become a national discussion in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man killed while in the custody of white police officers in Minneapolis, MN. Salina City Manager Mike Schrage says the incident continues to drive the conversation.

 

Schrage was a guest on the KSAL Morning News Extra and says area leaders can’t just point to a map and say this didn’t happen in Salina and ignore it.

 

Schrage adds that more conversation, not less is one of the keys to finding solutions.

 

Message from City Manager Mike Schrage: Issued June 1, 2020

The injustices that we continue to witness are pervasive, persistent and extremely alarming, and they continue to erode the public’s confidence in police officers nationwide. We cannot view them as isolated events that have happened in other communities as if Salina is insulated from what is going on around us. I certainly don’t claim to have a simple solution to such a complex and long-standing issue, but we are committed to proactively reviewing what we are currently doing and what we can do better. I sincerely believe that the City of Salina and the Salina Police Department remain very motivated to do the right thing, and that we are open to review and improvement. Police Chief Nelson and I have spoken, and our focus will be on continual review and assessment of our training and organizational culture, as well as insuring that there is proper accountability throughout all levels of our organization. This can also serve as a starting point for us to identify ways to increase and sustain community dialogue. The recent tragedies that have taken place are justifiably reasons for continued frustration that just further divide us. Salina is such a strong community in so many ways. I am hopeful that we can concentrate our efforts on coming together to improve our performance and our relationships.

Mike Schrage, City Manager