San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 17, 2023
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San Diego Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 17, 2023
The Public Safety Committee of the San Diego City Council met on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 2 p.m. The meeting was chaired by Chair Von Wilbert and included Vice Chair Montgomery Step, Councilmember Campbell, and Councilmember Kempio. Also present were representatives from the City Attorney's office, the Independent Budget Analyst, and the Mayor's office. The committee approved prior minutes, discussed the San Diego Police Department's military equipment use procedure under Assembly Bill 481, and received an informational presentation on the San Diego Regional Cyber Lab.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously approved the committee actions from April 21, 2023.
Public Comments & Testimony
Non-agenda public comments were heard from several speakers, both in person and virtually:
- Janet Rogers (Safe Walkways) expressed concerns about the lack of enforcement of scooter rules, citing safety hazards and ADA violations. She also mentioned threats from Bird scooters.
- Chris Cole (District 2 resident) advocated for a gun-free Claremont, urging the council to make gun ownership harder and close gun stores.
- Terry Ann Skelly (parent and volunteer) thanked the committee for prioritizing mental health and fentanyl issues, but expressed concerns about cannabis marketing and youth drug use.
- Barbara Gordon (public health educator) raised concerns about cannabis products resembling children's candy and pushed for local regulations prohibiting child-appealing products.
- Blair Beekman commented on smart streetlight technology, suggesting the budget be reduced from $4 million to a lower range and focusing on fix-it projects.
- Kathleen Lippett (planning group attendee) spoke about police staffing and the need for a fully staffed police department, citing Department of Justice data on repeat offenders.
- Diane Grace (mother and grandmother) urged support for AB 1207, which would ban cannabis packaging and advertising appealing to children.
- Becky Rapp (parent and public health educator) opposed the cannabis business division's expansion plans, citing a quote from County Public Health Officer Dr. Nicole Esposito about a 120% increase in ER visits due to synthetic substances.
- Michael White, Layla Aziz, and Marcus Haynes (community members) advocated for reallocating $3 million to youth drop-in centers in Southeast San Diego, emphasizing the need for safe spaces and resources.
- A caller (phone number ending 7968) suggested creating an "appreciated and valued fund" to improve police morale and retention.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 (Returned to Staff): The committee noted that item 1 was returned to staff at the request of staff, to be brought back at a future date. Additional agreements with Poway and Chula Vista are also expected.
- Item 2: SDPD Military Equipment Use Procedure (AB 481): Captain Daniel Grebs of the San Diego Police Department presented the annual report required by Assembly Bill 481. Key points included:
- The department does not participate in the 1033 program (surplus military equipment).
- Military equipment spending accounted for 0.13% of the department's $594 million budget.
- Equipment is used primarily by SWAT teams, with examples of de-escalation incidents where officers did not return fire despite being shot at.
- No new equipment is requested except for replacement of two .50 caliber rifles (previously shot out) and three drones (models discontinued).
- The department remains in compliance with the city's surveillance ordinance for night vision, robots, and drones.
- Public comment from Blair Beekman emphasized accountability and open democracy. Councilmember Campillo moved to approve the item, seconded by Councilmember Campbell. The item passed unanimously.
- Item 3: San Diego Regional Cyber Lab (Informational): Chief Information Security Officer Darren Bennett, Ian Brazzle, and CIO Jonathan Benke presented the Cyber Lab's progress. Highlights included:
- A 2020 regional survey found that 84% of agencies had one or fewer cybersecurity employees, and 53% said cybersecurity was a collateral duty. A 2023 survey showed a 10% increase in consistent cyber training.
- The lab is funded by $900,000 in federal grants and offers training, tools, and resources to public and private institutions.
- Services include a website with free resources, a physical lab at Civic Center Plaza, and partnerships with the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center.
- Councilmember Campillo suggested expanding public outreach, and Councilmember Campbell requested that events be shared for newsletters. No action was taken; the item was informational.
Key Outcomes
- The committee approved the SDPD military equipment use procedure (item 2) unanimously.
- The committee received the informational presentation on the San Diego Regional Cyber Lab (item 3) with no action.
- Item 1 was returned to staff.
- The next regular meeting of the Public Safety Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 2 p.m. At that meeting, the interim Commission on Police Practices is expected to provide an informational presentation on its activities and the status of Measure B implementation.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the public safety committee meeting of May 17th, 2023 at 2 p.m. While members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or an internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Sarah, please call the roll. Thank you, Chair. Vice Chair Montgomery Step. Here. Committee member Campbell. Committee member Kempio. Here. Chair Von Wilbert. Present. And also attending the meeting is Lara Easton, Office of the City Attorney, Aaron Knoll from the Office of the IBA and Chloe Madison, Office of the Mayor. Chair. Thank you very much. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the speaker's lecture and at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner manner to ensure proper meeting management. Any in-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. To join the Zoom by webinar by tele or by telephone, please dial 1669-254-5252. When prompted, input our webinar ID 161-413-8702 pound sign. That information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever happens first. Please note that if you are watching TV via City TV 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you are a call-in participant, by dialing star nine on your phone. A quorum is now present, and I want to start by uh noting that we're going to be returning one of our agendized items to staff. It is my understanding that staff are requesting that item number one be returned to staff and come back at a future date. Is that correct? Can someone come up to the thank you? Good afternoon. Yes, that's correct. We're gonna uh return it. We also have two more agreements with Pow Way and with Chula Vista that will be coming back. Okay. Okay. All right, thank you. All right. Thank you very much. I want to get that out of the way so you all could go. Uh yes. Uh all right. Um, so now we're going to begin with the committee actions. We will now take up the approval of the committee actions of April 21, 2023. Sarah, please proceed with public comment. Thank you, Chair.
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