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In response to Councilmember Testa's inquiry, Police Chief Swing reported the carotid restraint hold is <br /> temporarily suspended because its use is currently being reviewed in state legislation. He noted it is a <br /> temporary suspension and not a ban as he wanted to provide the opportunity for thoughtful reflection <br /> on that before making a permanent decision. City Manager Fialho reported an upcoming staff report will <br /> include a review of state and federal legislation that has passed or is in process of being debated for <br /> City Council review. He noted City Council will have an opportunity to define the process over the next <br /> three months but noted the City is constrained by state and federal law. <br /> Councilmember Testa requested staff provide a review of oversight roles of City Council for the PPD. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT <br /> Mayor Thorne opened the item for Public Comment. <br /> John Sensiba expressed support for PPD but expressed concern that conversations to defund the <br /> police at a national level could be impacting conversations at a local level. He encouraged funding for <br /> mental health and other social services in Pleasanton. <br /> Aryan Ohri suggested increased police training, encouraged demilitarization of PPD, increased <br /> transparency, and more comprehensive background checks for police officers. <br /> Brad Hirst encouraged City Council to provide oversight to PPD and provide a sufficient budget to fund <br /> the department. He encouraged Police Chief Swing to hire only the best qualified and capable police <br /> officers. <br /> Steve Van Dorn, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, expressed support for PPD and encouraged City <br /> Council to adopt the 3-Step Action Plan <br /> Jill Buck recalled a positive interaction with police officers and expressed support for PPD. <br /> Paul Martens expressed support for PPD, opposes defunding of the police budget, and defaming of <br /> PPD. In response to Mr. Marten's previous comments, Councilmember Brown clarified her initial <br /> comments regarding her opposition to defunding PPD. <br /> Nadia Rehman encouraged City Council to ban no-knock police raids, change the use of force <br /> standards from reasonable to necessary, commit to not hiring police officers who were previously <br /> dismissed for serious misconduct, require mandatory blood and alcohol tests within one-hour of an <br /> officer-involved shooting, require independent autopsy for the deceased in officer-involved shootings, <br /> eliminate policers officer's ability to review evidence such as their bodycams, and prohibit destruction of <br /> personnel files and complaints. <br /> Arne Olson expressed support for PPD, contributed Pleasanton's low crime rate to good policing, <br /> expressed support for additional training for police officers, and expressed opposition to defunding the <br /> police. <br /> Ward Kanowsky encouraged City Council to review procedural change within the PPD and expressed <br /> support for the reallocation of funding towards mental health services. <br /> Nick Gonella suggested City Council consider adding a request for an independent review of PPD as <br /> part of the overall review, supports reallocating funds towards mental health professionals, and <br /> encouraged City Council to complete their review as soon as possible. <br /> City Council Minutes Page 3 of 7 July 14, 2020 <br />