Thank you very much.

I now call this meeting at the Sacramento Law and Legislation Committee to order at 1105 a.m.

Um Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Thank you, Councilmember Dickinson.

Councilmember Plucky Baum.

Council Member Jennings.

And Chair Maple.

I am here.

And then please join me in our land acknowledgement.

If I can find the form here, there we go.

Please rise if you are able.

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous People and Tribal Lands.

To the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Bewok, Puton Wintoon peoples, and the people 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 today in the active practice of acknowledgment and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's history, contributions, and lives.

Remain standing, salute and pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you very much, and pardon my um tardiness here.

We're meeting at the mayor's office.

Um for those uh who are in the room and you wish to make a public comment on any item.

You can get a slip from the back of the room, fill it out, and bring it up to the front to our wonderful team here.

Um you'll have two minutes to address the committee for each item.

Um, and so that everyone has an opportunity to address the committee.

We just ask that you follow by the rules of decorum, which are listed on the back of the speaker slip and in our rules of procedure as well as on our website.

Um, and this meeting is being streamed and can be viewed as well on the city website.

So for now, we will start first with the consent calendar.

Um, do we have any um public comment on the consent calendar?

Um, I do have one speaker slip from Mr.

Bliss, but I believe it's on item four, not the consent calendar, correct?

Okay, thank you.

Any members of the committee wish to pull any items for discussion or have any comments to make?

I have a motion.

I have a motion and second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

All right.

Any abstains or no's that passes unanimously, and that was us on to item four.

Welcome.

Uh, good morning, council members.

Clayton Buchanan, Captain with the Sacramento Police Department.

Um, thank you for having us this morning.

Um I'd like to give you a brief overview of this year's military equipment use annual report and policy, and then answer any questions that you guys may have.

Um I wouldn't, I want to begin by providing your report back from the community meeting that was held um on July 16th at Oak Park Community Center.

This meeting was hosted by the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission in collaboration with the city staff from Yipsey IT and the police department.

The police department provided the committee with an overview of this year's annual report and policy and then answered any questions.

Most comments from the committee were supportive of this year's annual report policy.

Members of the county police review commission were present and they thanked uh the police department for being transparent regarding military equipment use requirements.

Um the meeting was recorded and it's available on the police department's transparency page for anybody to view.

Um getting into the report, I'd like to uh begin by discussing additions and changes that we have made to the report this year.

Most of the changes that we have made this year are based on recommendations from council, commission, and the community.

This is the first report that we were able to provide comparable usage data.

Charge of comparative data uh include military equipment use of each uh district, PD, and council, police districts and council districts, reasons for use, demographics, demographics of subject involved in military uh use and age of subjects involved in military use.

We also added appendix C.

Pendic C covers questions that the police commission wanted us to answer when we intended when we when we intend to put purchase new equipment.

Another new item that we added was the call initiation initiation comparable data.

This data provides a snapshot of why or how officers became involved in in interaction.

It covers calls for service, which was the largest incident type, follow-up for a call for service, officer initiated, which were only 35 this reporting period, and outside agency assistance.

The last change I'd like to discuss is the linking to policy's the annual report and policy.

We have provided a link to the policy page of our Transbury Transparency website.

This was a recommendation from the community last year.

Uh getting to some of the usage's details.

Um, like this is the you guys have seen the report.

It's a hundred over 120 pages, so this is a very high overview of it.

Um, during the current reporting period from May 1st, 2024 to April 30th of 2025, the repartment responded to approximately 142,000 calls for service and handled uh 57,000 approximately 57,000 officer initiating contacts.

At approximately the 200,000 police responses, military equipment was involved on 398 of those.

During those 398 incidents, 1205 pieces of equipment were utilized.

This number could be confusing to the de to due to the detailed way that we statistically track the use.

Example, if I have a pepper ball, if I use a pepperball launcher and discharge 40 pepper balls, that would be 41 uses on one call.

Um the uncrewed aerial system was the highest utilized piece of military equipment at 557 with armed vehicles being the second highest at 165, which is representative of approximately 60% of all the usage.

There was an increase in uncrewed aerial systems due to pilot a pilot project that we conducted with the police and fire with a drunk first responder program in district two.

So you'll see a jump on those comparable data charts for that.

Um during the 398 instances where military equipment was used, there was only 12 reportable use of forced incidents.

The youngest person involved in a reportable use of force incident was 27 years old.

Um this year we have some proposed acquisition acquisitions.

Uh we intend, um, this year our attended purchase are mainly to replenish items due to them being expended or they have reached the end of their shelf life.

And we're also asking for a new model of a U uncrewed aerial system, is which is our only new purchase.

The intended purchase have already been budgeted for, and we're not asking for any additional funding.

Continued improvement.

We're always looking to improve our annual report and policy.

We recently received the auditor's report back in the military equipment use.

We agree with the auditors' findings, and our we are working towards implementation of those.

We are working with the city attorney's office on finding a legal solution to create a new timeline that does not put us in a time crunch every year because this is we see this problem.

So we're trying to fix that, and we're in the works on getting that corrected.

Um this morning I also talked with uh the chair of the police commission, Kim Carter Martinez.

Um, she voiced that she did not have any concerns with that the annual report or policy, but she wanted to allow the commission members to view the um community meeting and then provide comment or feedback to us after that.

We'll take that feedback and if we could work towards implementing it next year's report, we will.

And then I have questions or do you guys have questions?

Let's end up my presentation.

Alright, thank you very much.

Um, and just also want to thank you and the chief.

Um, I know I had some questions around um I last year we that um the council requested that the police review commission have the opportunity to review the report before we pass it at council.

Um, my hope was that we'd be able to do that again this year, but I do recognize I know the timeline issues that have been happening, and I know that you're working with the city attorney's office to figure that out.

Um, and I really do appreciate you um contacting uh the chair of the commission who's also happens to be my commissioner.

So uh do you appreciate that very much.

Um, so with that, what I will do is why don't we go to public comment first and then I'll open it up to questions and comments.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh members of Law and Ledge, uh, I would just point out uh that assembly bill 41, uh, which is currently in government code, section 770 through 775, uh, requires that a governing body only approve a military equipment use purchase uh purchases and policy if it meets four minimum requirements.

The military equipment is necessary because there is no reasonable alternative that can achieve the same objective of officer and civilian safety.

The proposed two, the proposed military equipment use policy will safeguard the public's welfare, safety, civil rights, and civil liberties.

Three, if purchasing the equipment uh is reasonably cost effective compared to available alternatives that can achieve the same objective of officer and civilian safety, and four prior military equipment use comply with the military uh with the military equipment use policy.

Uh that was the fact in effect of a time, or if prior uses didn't, that corrective action was taken.

Right now, uh, based on the staff report, there are no less than five uh SACPD is requesting over five hundred thousand dollars to buy more military equipment, including those two drones, with both of which are valued at 47,000 dollars each.

Um, in a time when the U.S.

economy is almost certainly entering recession, and the city is already expecting to enter its third budget deficit uh for the fiscal year.

I think it's a fiscally irresponsible, waste of resources to even consider purchasing new equipment when the department already has 88 or 83 drones uh in its inventory and at least five different agencies across the county that would more than happily uh come uh step into support with their own drones if it were actually necessary.

Uh with that said, there also needs to be examination of the incidence of use uh given that the last two reports that have uh shown demographic data have found that black residents, black sacramentans are the primary are the single largest targets uh for military equipment deployments across Sacramento.

Uh given that I think it's important that the police, thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Chair, I have no more speakers.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you.

Any other speakers, Madam Clerk?

I have no more speakers.

Okay, and I would like to open it up to questions or comments.

Council for Dickinson.

Thanks, Chair.

I I uh I was curious um about the uh drones and then and actually I support um uh use the use of drones.

I I think they can be much more cost-effective uh and and um useful in a in a variety of applications, but but it it does catch one's eye to see that the two of them cost 47,000 each, and then uh there are, for example, uh others, but uh some that are 887 dollars each.

So can you can you elaborate a little bit on uh the yes guess what I've done?

Yeah, I'm not gonna pretend that I'm a drone expert, so I'm not gonna try to go too far into it, but I know we go through the regular procurement processes when we but when we purchase any of this equipment.

And you may see some on there for 885.

We have variable sizes of drones, and I think that is where our price difference comes in, right?

Because we have pocket drones that are this big that we utilize to um make entry when we could break a window and so forth, um to for that.

But like we don't have as far as the reason, like when we talk about procurement, it's the same city procurement process we have to go through if it's over a certain value, we have to give bids.

So um I'm I I could follow up with you and find out why, but I d off the top of my head, I could really can't give you a solid answer, sir.

I I I appreciate that.

I I would be interested in some of I I don't know if there's a additional technical capability they have or something.

Um uh and I certainly understand your point about there are lots of different variations of drones.

Um, but that's that's uh a sizable uh that's a sizable figure for um for a drone, it seems to me, based on casual observation.

Um so I would be interested in what are the capabilities uh of that that drive that that price point.

So that'll be you for uh full analysis from the team.

Great, thanks.

Thanks, Chair.

All right, and I had some similar questions.

So whatever you come up with, um please send my way as well.

Okay, absolutely.

Thank you.

Um any other comments or questions from committee members?

Okay, well, then I'll just end by saying um, you know, it's my my my hope and my request for um the next time around.

I know that we're under a tight timeline with the with the state law, and um when we need to submit this to council, so I don't want to hold that up in any way.

Um, but it is my request that moving on to next year that you continue to work with the city attorney's office and find a way that we can get the commission's review of this as well, because I certainly take into account um my commissioners' feelings and and and the commission in general about how um I would love their feedback, and I think other members of this body would too, and so just how we can work towards that would be amazing.

Yeah, and just for a note on that, they've had access to the reports in the middle of June.

So they've had a chance to look at it, and we've I've asked several times of questions and comments, but I think what the the delay is from the community meeting to now, right?

They want to see what the community had to say.

And I think that's what we need to fix.

But I think the timeline's gonna fix that.

The two options we submitted to city attorney, I think it's gonna solve all these these problems we're having right now.

And I think that's fair too, because um, you know, I think about myself as I go into this.

You know, I want to know what is the community saying at these required meetings.

I want to know what the commission is saying.

Uh obviously what my constituents think as well.

And how it just so happened at the community meeting happened to be in my district this um this time around.

And so um, okay, I really appreciate it.

I, you know, I think that there are some, you know, some fair concerns raised about how does this look in context to you know the the economy that we're in, the budget situation that we're in as a city and so on, but also recognize that you know this money is already budgeted in the police department budget, so you know, being really clear with the public that we're not you know asking for additional funds, we're using funds that are already allocated for um either replenishing and um and I just uh I really appreciate the the changes that are made every year.

I mentioned this last year too.

I know it's been very iterative, and um every single year uh you guys have been willing to come and say okay, we're and sometimes it's been we make a change and then we change it back because we realize that that change didn't work.

So just thank you for being willing to work with the community and with us on that.

So with that, does this need a motion or uh yes it does?

We need a motion to approve and forward to council.

All right, a motion.

And a second.

All right, all those in favor, please say aye.

All right, any opposed or saying all right that passes unanimously.

Okay, and with that, we will now move on to any committee questions, any one, two, three, four reports, comments, seeing none.

Okay, any um public comment for matters not on the agenda.

We have one.

I have one speaker key on bliss.

Welcome.

Two minutes really just isn't enough time to get it all in.

Um honestly the shortening window for approval is something that has been known for years, and uh just to point out this was I mean, you the chair pointed out uh that this was uh pretty much the same circumstance that happened last year, where the department came forward barely two weeks after uh the community meeting trying to uh uh rush this through to city council for approval, even though uh the policy was first approved back on September 12th, 2021, and according to the city attorney's office that was supposed to be the uh annual deadline for when this policies are approved, and there are plenty more meetings both between uh law and uh between city council uh to get to that point to allow uh your appointed commissioners, your uh like your community experts to actually weigh in on this matter, which is what the uh uh last year was actually happened, and then we were able to produce our recommendations, eight recommendations, uh, which still the department has not responded to.

But um uh I noticed that this shortening window of approval is something that the city auditor actually raised as well uh in the recent audit for the military equipment use report.

And I think this reinforces the commission's rationale for recommending that council adjust and align this annual review process uh with the city's fiscal year to provide more time, which was our eighth recommendation for military equipment use from last year.

Um, and another thing to note too uh simply approving this report and then allowing the department to just purchase this equipment from its policy actually uh is questionable in its legality, and how uh given that the AB 41 is very clear that military equipment purchases are supposed to be reviewed and approved by the governing body, your uh the city council each time it goes up.

It can't just be brought uh done in botch, which actually this uh the county uh board of supervisors just learned uh in its process when it delayed uh military equipment purchases for the sheriff's department back in June.

So something to consider you for your comments, Chair.

I have no more speakers.

Yeah, and just and thank you for your comments, and just a reminder, obviously, this will be going to um the council as well.

So looking forward to um public comments about that and and recommendations.

And I see that we had another public commenter, so happy to happy to take that.

Come on up.

I'm Zion Zion Taddis.

Welcome.

Hi, sorry.

I'm seeing to this, but uh, I came for completely a different thing.

So the problem I'm having is really with the planning department uh not making the build building honors accountable right now.

I have two businesses not be able to open because of the planning department making us accountable, small businesses to get all the codes right, but not making sure the building owners are not being accountable before they rent to make sure they do the basic things, like the electrical the plumbing, the the I spent so much money on my two businesses.

Now I'm stuck because they say, Oh, I uh I'm behind rent.

The reason why I'm behind rent because the city failed me.

The planning department just to give me just one electrical uh pass, six months to get the plumbing five months.

So, how this law they work, it took them over two years just to give me uh corn instruction permit to pass the construction site.

So I just need to put in motion that to make the building owners accountable, just like you make the housing people before they rent housing, they have to have the basic things.

How we don't make the building owners that before they lease us, they at least do the basic things.

We're spending so much money on people somebody else's building because the city is making me accountable.

And instead of making and then I'm stuck, I have to get it done.

And now I lose.

But the building owners, they just keep the building, so that has to be changed.

So we need some type of legislation and policy to make the building honors, the business building honors before they rent us to have the basic necessary things.

So that's what I wanted to say.

Because otherwise, we always small businesses like me, we're always losing and building somebody else's building with our money while they're making us accountable.

Well, because we thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Okay.

Thank you, Madam Clerk, and thank you to our speakers and everyone who came out today.

We are now adjourned at 11 24 a.m.