Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Inaugural Meeting - August 14, 2017
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Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Inaugural Meeting - August 14, 2017
The newly constituted Sacramento Community Police Review Commission held its first (special) meeting on August 14, 2017, from 6:02 pm to 7:17 pm in the City Hall Council Chamber. The 11-member commission received training on its scope of authority, the Brown Act, the role of the Office of Public Safety Accountability (OPSA), and the Police Officer Bill of Rights (POBR). The commission adopted a regular meeting calendar through January 2018 and elected a Chair and Vice Chair for 2017.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were on the agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Muriel Strand (City Farms neighborhood resident) spoke during item 3 (Scope of Authority). She introduced herself, noted she had attended previous commission meetings, and recommended two books: "When Police Kill" (Professor at Berkeley) and a book on unwarranted policing (law professor in New York). She emphasized data gaps and the impact of the war on drugs and war on terror on policing.
Discussion Items
- Introductions and Background (Item 1): All 11 commissioners introduced themselves, noting their backgrounds and reasons for serving. Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Rick Carr (District 8) addressed the commission, emphasizing the importance of their work, the need to build trust, and the commission's role in improving police-community relations. Deputy Chief Ken Bernard and OPSA Director Francine Tournour also introduced themselves.
- Approval of 2017 Regular Meeting Calendar (Item 2): The commission voted unanimously (11-0) to adopt a regular meeting calendar through January 2018. No meeting will be held in September 2017 as nine commissioners will attend the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) conference in Spokane, Washington.
- Training on Scope of Authority (Item 3): Senior Deputy City Attorney Jeff Massey presented the commission's powers and duties as defined by Sacramento City Code Chapter 2.10. He explained limitations from state law (e.g., confidentiality of complaints) and the city charter. The commission's purposes are: (1) providing community participation in reviewing and recommending police policies and practices regarding police conduct; (2) monitoring implementation of policing initiatives. Powers include reviewing quarterly complaint reports and annually reporting to Mayor and City Council.
- Training on the Brown Act (Item 4): Assistant City Clerk Wendy Klock-Johnson provided an overview of the Brown Act, emphasizing transparency and open meetings. She defined meetings, serial and hub-and-spoke meetings, and the need to disclose outside conversations. She discussed special vs. regular meetings and public comment rules.
- Information on OPSA Role (Item 5): Francine Tournour explained the Office of Public Safety Accountability's history (since 1997, expanded 2004), its role supporting the commission, and required commissioner training (ride-alongs every six months, sit-along with dispatchers annually, force option simulator). She outlined future agenda topics, including the Mayor's "Officer Next Door" initiative, data sharing (annual report covering 2016 and first half of 2017), and the police use-of-force video release policy.
- Information on Police Officer Bill of Rights (POBR) (Item 6): Tim Davis, President of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, explained the POBR (Government Code §3300) established in 1976, which provides due process rights for officers during investigations. He noted confidentiality provisions in Penal Code §832.7 and that the commission will receive statistical data (not identifying individual officers) for trend analysis. Commissioner Elkarra asked about attendance at future meetings; Davis confirmed he would attend regularly.
- Selection of 2017 Chair and Vice Chair (Item 7): The commission unanimously selected Basim Elkarra as Chair (moved by Commissioner Sabeniano, seconded by Commissioner Guerrero) and Mariana Sabeniano as Vice Chair (moved by Commissioner Guerrero, seconded by Commissioner Elkarra). Their duties begin at the next regular meeting.
- Commission Comments: Commissioner Guerrero asked about lessons from the previous commission. Director Tournour noted the prior commission's work on accountability and diversity measures, and encouraged the new commission to build on those recommendations and engage their communities. Commissioner Elkarra inquired about holding meetings outside City Hall; staff indicated potential workshops could be arranged for 2018.
Key Outcomes
- Motion passed (11-0) to approve the regular meeting calendar through January 2018.
- Motion passed (11-0) to select Basim Elkarra as Chair and Mariana Sabeniano as Vice Chair for 2017.
- The commission will not meet in September 2017; next regular meeting is scheduled for October 9, 2017, at 6:00 pm in Council Chambers.
- All oral reports (Items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) were received and filed.
- Commissioners are required to complete ride-alongs, sit-alongs, and force option simulator training; forms for ride-alongs were distributed.
Meeting Transcript
Yes, that's an eventing weekend, yes. Oh, that's what we call it. It's an eventing weekend. So I can't see that. So it's quite the big Oh, but how sweet are you? So you look out and show her to use Uber Ubers. My eighty-nine year old brown, she can styles up a ride. How are you, sir? So I will be floating between chairs. We will call this first meeting to order for the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. So I'm gonna talk about a few of the rules. This is considered a special meeting because we have not adopted the calendar as of yet. So uh therefore there will be no public speaking towards the end of the meeting, but generally we would have public speaking at the end, two minutes, and speaker slips are normally in the back. This meeting is recorded and it is also live streamed. If you have any cell phones or any devices with sound, please put those on mute or off position. We're gonna have a couple speakers that are not on the agenda that just want to say hello and a thank you. So we will um take care of that initially, but first we are going to do roll call. So we have Wendy Hoyt, Sam Kinsey Present. Mariana Sabignano here, Asim Alcara. Here Johnny Coleman. Here. Karen Savage Sangwan. Present. Mario Guerrero. Present. Eddie Escobar? Present. Arandi Zamora. Present. Richard Falcone. Present. And Renee Carter. Present. So we do have a quorum for this first meeting. Uh and we would like to start off with the Pledge of Allegiance, and then we will have our first few speakers. Mayor, would you mind starting us off? With the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So thank you. I hear there is a two-minute uh limit on public speakers. This is what I've heard. Good evening. Um, I want to thank Councilmember Carr, first of all, for all of his work and helping uh to put uh this newly constituted commission together legislatively, even before I got to City Hall. And I want to just take a moment to thank you, Francine, and to thank all of the new commissioners for uh agreeing to this very, very important public service. This is public service. As you know, these issues have been prominent, not just in Sacramento, but throughout the whole country. There's a lot of interest in your work here. Last night here at City Hall, I spoke at the civil rights rally around uh the incidents in Charlottesville, and I was I was interrupted uh frequently by people who were unhappy with some aspects of the quality of life involving the police department in the city of Sacramento. And though it took me back for a minute or two when I had another moment to reflect on it, I recognize that right or wrong, that you know there are a lot of people in pain out there, and that you know it's my job as mayor to listen to everybody and to bear some of it, and to recognize that people are looking for a chance to be heard, always to be heard. And this is a very important venue for the people of this community and the men and women who represent us in uniform to be heard and they be heard in a safe way, in a respectful way, and then to have you grapple with the issues and make honest and detailed recommendations to us as to how we should how we should affect the public policy of this city.
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