The Community Police Review Board (CPRB) met on December 22, 2025, to discuss police department updates, the Independent Police Auditor's (IPA) monthly and annual reports, and community concerns. The meeting began with announcements including the resignation of board member Peter Franco and a statement from the Chair on the dismissal of criminal charges against former officer Jason Fletcher in the Stephen Taylor case. The board approved minutes from November 19, 2025, and received reports from the police department and IPA.
So I'll call the order of 601 and the first pledge of allegiance. I don't remember doing that. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, the United States of America, the United States of America, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, and liberty to justice. Thank you. So we've got two absences so far. I know Peter is going to be absent today, and I have an announcement to make in that regard. And we'll see if Tim makes it. So the first thing is that Peter has resigned, and he sent a letter to the mayor to that effect last week and they asked me to share that with you so let me just read it to you. Dear Mayor, please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation from my position as a member of the San Leandro Community Community Community Review Board. My resignation will be effective January 1. This decision is due to the increasing demands for my job to build up critical healthcare manufacturing facilities required to improve patient lives, which prevents me from being able to dedicate the required time and commitment to the board's important work. I am thankful for the opportunity to observe the city of San Leandro and its residents in this crucial capacity since June 2024. I fully support the mission of the CPRE and the work it does in cooperation with the independent police auditor to increase public trust and accountability. I will complete any bridge impending matters and I am available to assist with the smooth transition of information to the board and my success during my final weeks. Sincerely, Peter Franco. And we do thank Peter for his service and appreciate that he's taken this step. And now let's see, hopefully we'll have somebody on board. We're not too distant, I'm sure. We've got to organize here, we've got too much stuff to do. Chair, what does Peter represent? Excuse me? Distant? I'm sorry, he's the mayor at large. So another announcement I'd like to make at this time is given the fact that the death of Stephen Taylor five and a half years ago, the criminal case was just dismissed this past Friday, actually after our agenda came out, And the Stephen Taylor dance was obviously an important impetus for the creation of this very body. So I think it's important to acknowledge kind of what happened Friday and try to think about, well, how do we go forward as a community and from that. So I've written up a statement I'd like to share with you all. It's a personal statement. I don't expect that, you know, I'm not asking for your endorsement or any action, but let me just read it to you. The dismissalist pass variety of all criminal charges against former police officer Jason Fletcher for the killing of Steven Taylor after five and a half years is cause for great relief for the officer and his family. The opposite is true for the Taylor family who feel that justice has been denied. And so we faced the prospect of reopening the deep wounds in the community that resulted from that tragic incident. Unfortunately, the St. Leandro POA, Leisure Union, corroded that this decision was, quote unquote, vindication. It was not. Rather, the third DA with responsibility for the case concluded she could not win the case if it went to trial, in part by blaming the previous DA for mishandling the case. It also should not be that surprising. Over 1,000 people per year are killed in this country by police. In fact, a slight rise in that number since George Floyd.