A work group in Arlington is recommending that the county create a civilian review board to oversee the police department and take other steps to improve policing in the wake of the racial justice protests that swept the country last year.

The Police Practices Work Group spent seven months researching better policing practices and speaking with members of the community about what they want to see change. The 15-person group split into four different committees to address civilian oversight of its police department, traffic enforcement, police response to mental health crises, and alternative conflict resolution strategies. They shared their recommendations at a virtual public meeting Monday and in an 80-page report released the same day.

“We wanted to take a look at some of our police practices, not starting from a point where we say things are bad, but saying we do some things well but there’s also room for improvement,” County Manager Mark Schwartz said during the meeting.

Police departments across the country have taken initiative from last summer’s protests against police brutality and racism to assess their own practices. In D.C., a Police Reform Commission is currently exploring possible changes to the Metropolitan Police Department, while in December a working group in Prince George’s County released its initial list of recommendations on police reforms.

In Arlington County, officials sped up the deployment of body-worn cameras last year, but the work group’s report recognizes broader systemic disparities in policing that have had a negative impact on minority communities over the years — and offers ways to address them.

The report recommends the county establish a civilian-run body with subpoena power to oversee the Arlington County Police Department, develop a sliding scale for traffic fines based on income, fund and support organizations in minority communities, ensure department policies are anti-racist, and reevaluate how and when residents use 911 to call police.

The report says the county should promote a shift in the use of 911 services “from one that captures every community need to one in which valuable police resources are used in emergency and public safety matters.” It also suggests that the county prosecute racially motivated 911 calls.

“We don’t want our citizens fearing calling the police in their time of need,” says Arlington NAACP Branch President Julius Spain. “We just want to make sure that you can’t pick up the phone and call because you see a strange person of color walking in your neighborhood.”

The work group additionally recommends the county expand red-light and speed cameras as a means to reduce interactions with police and minimize race-based disparities, increase housing for people experiencing homelessness, and focus on educating people on systemic racism.

Long-term recommendations include integrating community-police relationship programs that address distrust of law enforcement, anti-racist campaigns to educate the public on racial equity and social justice, recruitment of diverse county leaders, and anti-racist training for police.

Spain says the organization is pleased with the recommendations in the short term, though he would have liked to see the anti-racist community campaigns and training for police moved up on the priority list. But he says he’s most excited about the civilian-run body to oversee the county police department.

“The civilian review board for the NAACP is priority number one,” Spain says. “If I had to prioritize another branch I would say mental health, alternative dispute resolution, and then perhaps traffic in that order.”