Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - February 13, 2023
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Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - February 13, 2023
The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission (SCPRC) held a regular meeting on Monday, February 13, 2023, beginning at 6:01 PM and adjourning at 7:57 PM. The meeting was held by teleconference due to the COVID-19 emergency. The commission addressed a consent calendar, discussed several policy items, elected leadership for 2023, adopted new rules of procedure, approved a work plan, and received a presentation from the ACLU on use of force policy. Commissioner Michael Marion arrived at 7:19 PM; Commissioner Z. Wayne Johnson was absent.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 – Approval of Meeting Minutes (December 12, 2022): Approved by a vote of 4 in favor (Bliss, Carter, Castillo-Krings, Guerrero), 2 abstentions (Carter Martinez, Espinoza Salazar), and 2 absent (Johnson, Marion).
- Item 2 – 2022 Quarter 4 Police Complaint Activity Report: Pulled from the consent calendar at the request of Vice Chair Bliss. It will be moved to the March 2023 meeting agenda for a formal presentation by the Office of Public Safety Accountability (OPSA).
- Item 3 – SCPRC Follow-Up Log: Pulled from the consent calendar at the request of Commissioner Guerrero. The log was discussed as a discussion item; commissioners agreed to review and update the log for the March meeting, removing outdated items and adding numbering.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during any of the public comment periods.
Discussion Items
- Follow-Up Log Discussion (Item 3): Commissioner Guerrero led a review of the log, recommending removal of several items that had been completed or were no longer relevant (e.g., RIPA report outreach, auditor presentation, Brown Act request, ACLU presentation request, materials emailing, resending minutes). The commission agreed to return with a cleaned-up, numbered log at the March meeting.
- Overview of Sacramento County’s Community Review Commission (Item 4): The scheduled oral presentation did not occur because the County chair was not available to join the meeting.
- Selection of Chair and Vice Chair for 2023 (Item 5): Commissioner Guerrero moved to re-elect Graciella Castillo-Krings as Chair and Keyan Bliss as Vice Chair. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (6-0-0, with Marion and Johnson absent).
- Council Rules of Procedure Review (Item 6): City Clerk Mindy Cuppy presented an oral report on recently updated city council rules of procedure that apply to all boards and commissions. The report was received and filed.
- SCPRC Rules of Procedure (Item 7): The commission discussed and voted to repeal all previous rules and adopt the proposed new rules of procedure. The motion passed 6-0-0 (Marion and Johnson absent).
- 2023 Work Plan (Item 8): Chair Castillo-Krings and Vice Chair Bliss presented the proposed work plan, focusing on three areas: (1) review and prioritization of past recommendations (2018-2021), (2) military equipment use (MEU) policy review and public engagement, and (3) SPD accountability and organizational culture. Commissioner Guerrero successfully moved to amend the work plan to include the 2022 recommendations. The amended work plan was approved by a vote of 6-0-1 (Commissioner Carter abstained; note: the official minutes record a 7-0-0 vote with Marion present, but the transcript shows Carter abstaining). Commissioners then volunteered for working groups: Carter Martinez for SPD accountability, Guerrero for recommendation review, and Bliss for all three.
- ACLU Presentation for 2021 Annual Report (Item 9): Elisa Victory, staff attorney for the ACLU of Northern California, presented on use of force law, AB 392, SB 230, and recommended policy improvements for Sacramento PD. She highlighted the need for explicit prohibited uses of force, affirmative de-escalation duties, and proportionality considerations. Commissioners asked questions about zero-tolerance policies for chokeholds and model language from other jurisdictions. The presentation was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Leadership Elections: Graciella Castillo-Krings re-elected Chair, Keyan Bliss re-elected Vice Chair for calendar year 2023.
- New Rules of Procedure: Adopted by a 6-0-0 vote.
- 2023 Work Plan: Approved with an amendment to include 2022 recommendations. The plan prioritizes three areas: recommendation cleanup, MEU policy, and SPD accountability.
- Follow-Up Log: To be updated and renumbered for the March meeting.
- Quarterly Complaint Report: Agenda for March 2023 meeting with an OPSA presentation.
- SPD Training Update: Commissioner Guerrero requested that Sacramento Police Department provide a briefing on how training has changed since adopting the higher deadly force standard under AB 392. This request will be added to the follow-up log.
- Rook Armored Vehicle Discussion: Vice Chair Bliss made extensive comments about the recent city council approval of the Rook (armored vehicle) and requested that the topic be agendized for the March meeting for a full commission discussion. The chair agreed.
- General Orders Update: Vice Chair Bliss requested that the police department provide a list of all general orders updated between January 1, 2022 and February 13, 2023.
- Public Comment: None received.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are great. Thank you so much. Let's get let's get started. Good evening. Welcome to the Monday, February 13, 2023 Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call role to establish a quorum? Thank you. Commissioner Bliss. Present. Commissioner Carter. Present. Commissioner Carter Martinez. Present. Commissioner Espinosa Salazar. Present. Commissioner Guiaro. Present. Commissioner Marion is absent. Commissioner Williamson is absent. And Chair Castillo Kring. Present. Chair, you have a quorum. Thank you. This meeting is virtual. And for members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you have joined the meeting and you wish to speak, raise your hand to provide a public comment when the when I confirm that the public comment is up. If you are online, please click on the race hand on the bottom of the screen for a mobile app in the mo. You can raise your hand by tapping the raise the hand option on the more tab. If you are calling by telephone, raise your hand by dialing star nine, and then to unmute or mute dial star six. Speakers will be called on the last four digits of their phone number. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. We will now proceed with today's agenda. We are first going to do the land acknowledgement. So please rise for the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land, the Nissan people, to the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plain Mi Walk, Pat Patwin Winto peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancher Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the native. Maybe we, I'm sorry, may we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk besides us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for the Sacramento's indigenous peoples' histories, contribution, and lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, moving on. First of all, I just wanted to acknowledge we have a couple of new commissioners. Maybe it would love to have an opportunity for them to introduce themselves to the commission. Welcome. Really excited to have you participate. As many of you know, unfortunately, we had some turnover, some of the actual um appointments were lapsed. And so we have new commissioners though. And I'm gonna go ahead and turn over to Commissioner Carter Martinez. Uh good evening, everybody. My name is Kim Carter Martinez.
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