Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - March 13, 2023
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Sacramento Community Police Review Commission Meeting - March 13, 2023
The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission (SCPRC) held its regular meeting on March 13, 2023, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included discussions on adding military equipment use policy to the workplan, adopting the 2022 recommendations, and reviewing the follow-up log. Commissioners expressed frustration over the absence of a Sacramento Police Department liaison and raised concerns about new procedural rules that may limit the commission's independence.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved the meeting minutes from February 13, 2023, by a unanimous voice vote (7-0, Commissioner Marion absent).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Courtney Poole (on Item 2): Expressed full support for adding the Military Equipment Use (MEU) policy to the 2023 workplan, stating that prior SPD-hosted community dialogues were harmful and that the commission is better positioned to facilitate meaningful community input.
- Barry Boyd (on Item 5): Offered two cents on the data retention recommendation, suggesting a definitive end date rather than an open-ended period tied to ongoing investigations, to prevent indefinite storage.
Discussion Items
- Item 2: Discussion on Possible Supplemental Material for the 2023 Workplan (MEU Policy): Commissioners deliberated on incorporating the MEU policy into the workplan. Vice Chair Bliss detailed concerns about SPD compliance with AB 481, including the lack of independent oversight and clear use limits. Commissioners agreed on the need for a third-party facilitator for community meetings, data transparency (e.g., annual reports with demographic and cost details), and SPD liaison participation. No vote was taken; the discussion will inform the workplan.
- Item 3: Overview of Sacramento County’s Community Review Commission (Oral Presentation): This item was continued to a future meeting because the scheduled presenter had a family emergency.
- Item 4: Follow-Up Log: Commissioners reviewed and provided direction. They removed outdated items (e.g., NACO conference) and added new requests, including a legal opinion on whether the commission has jurisdiction over the SPD chief hiring process (per City Code § 2.110.030), and presentations on budget transparency, quarterly complaint activity, and search-and-seizure reviews.
- Item 5: 2022 Recommendations: Vice Chair Bliss presented proposed recommendations from the Budget Transparency and Surveillance ad hocs. Budget recommendations included a standalone transparency policy, an open data portal, an active personnel roster, vacancy reporting, and a data transparency ordinance. Surveillance recommendations covered limits on data storage (≤2 years), N-CAR camera activation triggers, zero-tolerance for system tampering, and termination of the ShotSpotter contract due to cost-effectiveness concerns (citing $4.3M contract and low arrest yields). A motion to adopt all three sets of recommendations (budget, surveillance, MEU) passed unanimously (7-0). The recommendations will be included in the annual report and forwarded to the Personnel and Public Employees Committee (P&PE) and City Council.
Key Outcomes
- SPD Liaison Absence: The commission expressed strong frustration over SPD’s failure to provide a liaison for several months. Chair Castillo-Krings and Vice Chair Bliss will draft a letter (in their individual capacities) to the Mayor and Council; the issue will be agendized for the next meeting.
- Workplan and Rule 17C: Commissioners discussed the new requirement that the annual workplan must be approved by P&PE before work can commence, raising concerns about delays and loss of autonomy. The City Attorney will provide a memo clarifying the process, including implications for small working groups and mid-year agenda items.
- Legal Opinion Request: The commission formally requested a legal opinion on whether the hiring process for the SPD chief falls under its purview.
- Future Presentations: The commission will request SPD to present on upcoming MEU policy changes and OPSA to present on quarterly complaint activity and the search-and-seizure review.
- Meeting Adjourned at 8:46 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, Chair. Staff is ready when you are. Great, good evening. And welcome to the March 13th, 2023 meeting of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. It is really good to see everybody. Welcome. Good to be back in person. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the role and establish a quorum? Thank you, Chair. Commissioner Carter. Present. Commissioner Carter Martinez. Present. Commissioner Espinosa Salazar. Commissioner Guerrero. Present. Commissioner Johnson. Present. Commissioner Marion. Is absent. Vice Chair Bliss. Here. And Chair Castillo Kringles. Here. Thank you. We have quorum. Great. I would like to remind the members of the public and in chambers that if you would like to speak on the agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip when the item begins. For a member of the public who wishes to join virtually, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. And then make sure you're use the raise your hand feature. For if you're calling, um, if you're online, please raise your hand at the bottom of your screen. If you're using a mobile app, you can raise your hand by tapping on raise hand uh option on the more tab. If you're calling via telephone, uh raise your to raise your hand dial star nine, then to unmute or mute dial star six. Speakers will be called by the last four digits of their phone number. We're changing things up just a little bit when it comes to public comment to provide greater community participation in our commission's work. We will allow more time for the members of the public to give comments, and we ask the clerk to keep up the the to keep the cue of the public comments open until the last speaker has concluded concluded their comments. For matters not on the agenda, the public will have five minutes to speak once they're called upon. For matters listed on the agenda, the public will get three minutes to speak once they're called upon. Okay, and then we will now proceed with today's agenda. The first thing we will do is the land acknowledgement and the pledge of allegiance. Please rise for the opening and acknowledgement in our honor of Sacramento's indigenous people in tribal lands, to the original people of this land, the Nissan people, the Maidu, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plain Meek Walk, Pati Winton peoples, and for the peoples of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today an active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's histories, contribution and their lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. There's a couple of training opportunities that the Sacramento community the Sacramento PD has actually extended to everybody. There are now that COVID is not necessarily behind us, but that we're able to do things more openly. There are opportunities for us to do additional trainings to do write-alongs, and so that is an invitation that the police department has extended to the commission and just a uh other opportunities for us to join them.
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