Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - January 8, 2018

The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission met on January 8, 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:36 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. All ten commissioners were present except Erandi Zamora. The meeting covered routine approvals, the re-election of the Chair and Vice Chair, an annual update on the Sacramento Police Department's compliance with the city's Use of Force Policy, strategic planning for 2018, and the first monthly presentation of police complaint activity reports.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Meeting Minutes (December 11, 2017): Approved with one abstention from Commissioner Sabeniano, who had not attended that meeting.
• Approval of 2018 Regular Meeting Calendar: Approved following discussion. Commissioner Hoyt expressed concern about only nine formal meetings scheduled, noting the commission has substantial work. Staff explained that summer months are reserved for community outreach and that special meetings can be called if needed. The calendar was approved as presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comment cards were submitted; no members of the public addressed the commission on matters not on the agenda.

Discussion Items

• Selection of 2018 Chair and Vice Chair: Commissioners unanimously re-elected Basim Elkarra as Chair and Mariana Sabeniano as Vice Chair for the 2018 calendar year, with duties beginning at the next regular meeting. Several commissioners expressed support for the incumbents' continued leadership.
• Update on Use of Force Policy (Oral Report): Captain David Risley presented the annual compliance report required by the City Council’s November 29, 2016 policy. Between January 1 and December 31, 2017, there were six incidents: five officer-involved shootings and one death in custody. For each of the policy’s nine elements, he reported full or partial compliance. Partial compliance areas included deployment of less-lethal weapons, crisis intervention training (CIT), first-aid equipment, and video release timelines. A detailed discussion followed regarding the layers of review for use-of-force incidents (sergeant, lieutenant, outside lieutenant, captain, professional standards unit, and Office of Public Safety Accountability). Commissioners asked about training evaluations, intervention policies, and the possibility of attending police training sessions—Captain Risley and Director Tournour confirmed that commissioners are welcome to observe CIT and academy classes. The report was received and filed.
• Discussion on Strategic Planning for 2018: Director Francine Tournour introduced the item, noting that the commission would consider forming an ad hoc committee to review the video-release portion of the Use of Force Policy. Commissioners shared numerous ideas for the year ahead, including: holding meetings in the community, inviting outside experts and researchers to present best practices, creating subcommittees to dive deeper into topics, exploring police dealings with immigrant communities, examining resources allocated to sexual assault/domestic violence cases, improving outreach to diverse populations (Spanish-speaking, Southeast Asian, youth), and collaborating with existing task forces such as the gang task force. Commissioner Falcon emphasized the importance of public accountability and meaningful community engagement. Staff will work with the Chair and Vice Chair to develop a concrete plan and will continue discussion at the next meeting.
• Presentation of December Police Complaint Activity Report (Oral Report): Director Tournour presented the first monthly report of complaints received by the Office of Public Safety Accountability. In December 2017, there were 8 community-generated complaints with 12 allegations, broken into formal (3 complaints, 3 allegations) and informal (5 complaints, 6 allegations) categories. Additionally, 3 departmental complaints (10 allegations) were noted. For formal complaints, the race of complainant and officer is reported; for informal complaints, only complainant race is provided—a practice questioned by Commissioner Hoyt, who argued it might obscure perception-based data. Staff explained that informal complaints often involve no policy violation or are procedural, making officer race less relevant. Two informal cases from July 2017 were closed in December after renewed contact with complainants. Commissioners requested adding the date of complaint filing to track aging cases and asked whether police department “inquiry” data could be included in future reports. The report was received and filed.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar: Approved (motion by Member Guerrero, second by Member Carter; one abstention).
• Chair and Vice Chair: Basim Elkarra (Chair) and Mariana Sabeniano (Vice Chair) re-elected for 2018 (motion by Member Falcon, second by Member Hoyt; unanimous).
• Use of Force Policy Update: Received and filed. Commission will consider an ad hoc committee to review video-release provisions.
• Strategic Planning Discussion: Received and filed. Staff and leadership will develop an action plan; discussion to continue at the next meeting.
• December Complaint Activity Report: Received and filed. Staff will explore adding police department inquiry data and more detailed information for closed formal complaints, subject to legal constraints.
• Next Steps: The Chair will appoint ad hoc committee(s) as needed; the next regular meeting was scheduled for February 12, 2018.