Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - November 8, 2021
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Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - November 8, 2021
The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission met via teleconference on November 8, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. (14:00 UTC) due to the COVID-19 state of emergency. A quorum was established with Chair Guerrero, Vice Chair Carter, and Commissioners Bliss, Elkarra, Zamora, and Falcon present. The meeting featured a detailed presentation from the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) on racial disparities in Sacramento Police Department (SPD) stops and use of force, updates from SPD, and discussions on ad hoc committee recommendations.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting Minutes dated October 11, 2021.
- Item 2: Received and filed the update on Teleconferencing Meetings During the COVID-19 State of Emergency, confirming continued remote meetings per city council resolution.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made on any agenda item.
Discussion Items
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Item 3: Center for Policing Equity (CPE) Presentation – Justice Navigator Assessment
- CPE presenters (Janie Schutz, Dr. Lucy Odigie Turley, and Shadell Wiggins) presented findings from an analysis of SPD data (2014–2019 for use of force; 2019 for traffic and non-traffic stops). Key findings:
- Use of force: Black people were subjected to force 4.4 times as often as white people, controlling for crime and poverty. Latinx people were subjected to force 0.7 times as often as white people. 43% of use of force incidents involved Black individuals (14% of population).
- Traffic stops: 38% of people stopped were Black. Black people were searched 2.7 times as often as white people but were less likely to be found with contraband (24% vs. 28%).
- Non-traffic stops (pedestrian): Black pedestrians were stopped 6.2 times as often as white pedestrians, controlling for external factors. 47% of non-traffic stops involved Black individuals.
- CPE noted that 50% of the use-of-force disparity and 54% of the pedestrian stop disparity were not explained by neighborhood crime or poverty rates, indicating need for further investigation.
- CPE recommended that SPD continue data collection, partner for deeper analysis, and engage the community in developing solutions.
- Commissioners (Vice Chair Carter, Commissioner Bliss, Chair Guerrero) expressed concern that similar findings have been repeated over multiple reports (2005, DOJ, and now CPE) and questioned whether reforms are producing measurable outcomes. Commissioner Carter specifically asked why officer race data was not included, as it is a common community question. CPE responded that the Justice Navigator is a standardized baseline analysis and that officer demographic analysis is available through their deeper-dive programs.
- SPD Deputy Chief Lester and Captain Chan outlined numerous reforms since 2016, including expanded training, policy updates, a transparency website, and a professional standards unit grown from 3 to 15 staff. They acknowledged the challenge of measuring outcomes and expressed openness to more data-driven approaches.
- CPE presenters (Janie Schutz, Dr. Lucy Odigie Turley, and Shadell Wiggins) presented findings from an analysis of SPD data (2014–2019 for use of force; 2019 for traffic and non-traffic stops). Key findings:
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Item 4: Commission Follow-Up Log
- The follow-up log was received and filed. Commissioner Bliss noted a pending joint letter with the Measure U advisory committee requesting raw CAD data, which will be agendized for the next meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar Approved (unanimous vote).
- Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations Deadline: November 18, 2021, by 5:00 p.m. for inclusion on the December agenda. Chairs were reminded to use the standardized format.
- SPD Communication: SPD will provide written summaries of their updates to OPSA for the record, per Vice Chair Carter’s request.
- Data Request: Commissioner Bliss’s request for CAD data will be addressed in a joint letter at the next meeting.
- Future Analysis: Several commissioners (Chair Guerrero, Vice Chair Carter, Commissioner Bliss) urged that ad hoc committees consider recommending continued partnership with CPE to include officer demographics and other deeper data to better understand and address persistent disparities.
- Ad Hoc Updates: All five ad hoc committees are working toward final recommendations. The LGBTQ+ ad hoc will hold another community input session. The mental health alternative response ad hoc is focusing on SPD policies rather than community-based organization recommendations.
- No public comments received on any item.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:25 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are. Good evening, everyone. The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. Oh, can you hear me okay, Mindy? We can. Okay, I'm coming up a little bit gargled on my side. Let me hear that too. You hear the garbling too. Yes. This is very muffled. I'm gonna give me just one second. I hope that fixed it. I'm gonna record this today. Good evening, everyone. The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission will please come to order. Will the Kirk please call the role to establish quorum? Thank you. Um Commissioner Marion appears absent. Commissioner Castillo Kring. Appears absent. Commissioner Bliss. Here. Commissioner Elkara. Here. Commissioner Jefferson. He's absent. Commissioner Escobar is absent. Commissioner Zamora. Present. Commissioner Falcone. Here. Vice Chair Carter. Here. And Chair Ghetto. Present. You have a quorum. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Public meetings. So we'll just get started with our usual notice. Public meetings are currently teleconference meetings only to align with local and federal guidelines and social distancing recommendations for the containment of the coronavirus. For staff commissioners and those logged into the meeting, please remember to keep your microphones muted when you are not speaking. We will be monitoring the raise hand feature in Zoom for commissioner comments. For members of the public that are tuning in, you are encouraged to submit public comments by using e-comment on the online agenda page. Members of the public participating via Zoom. If you would like to speak on an agenda item, raise your hand when the item begins. The raise hand feature will be disabled once the presentation has been completed. For items without a presentation, presentation completion will be considered when the chair finishes introducing the item. If you wish to speak on a subsequent item, you will need to raise your hand when that item begins. You will have two minutes per item to address the legislative body and may speak on up to four items. The clerk will call on you and allow you to speak.
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