CCMIN 09072021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Jill Buck expressed support for the Pleasanton Police Department and reported she is a proud graduate of the Citizens Police Academy. She expressed concern regarding the firearm discharge statistic. She stated Pleasanton is a safe city because of the hard work of PPD. John Bauer inquired what percent of emergency calls were not responded to in four minutes or less and whether it is reasonable to expect a 100% response in four minutes or less for emergency calls. He reported he and his wife met with Police Chief Swing and advised the meeting was productive, candid, constructive. He reported PPD posted reports on its website and advised if one reads all the reports, some very useful information surfaces regarding how the PPD investigates its policies and if any officers broke the law. Rishabh Raj expressed that while he believes the biannual report to the City Council is a step in the right direction, it is not transparent enough about the use of force and personnel investigations. The only reports available to the public so far are three instances of police brutality in Pleasanton. He believes the public must be able to verify whether the PPD is appropriately disciplining their officers for violating policy. He stated the City Council is too burdened to oversee an entire police department and the alternatives are too biased and weak to be effective. Mayor Brown closed public comment. Councilmember Narum echoed Councilmember Arkin's request of a table year -by -year on complaints, the number of violations, and the outcome to ensure they are being managed. In response to Councilmember Narum, Police Chief Swing reported he has not released any information when a complaint or violation is sustained in his time as a Police Chief and advised he needs to make sure he is well -versed on what is allowed to be released under the Police Officers' Bill of Rights Act and other relevant statutes. City Attorney Sodergren clarified the disposition of specific complaints can only be released to the complainant and noted only a summary disposition is released. Peace officer personnel records and investigations are strictly governed by State law and the City does not have flexibility under those provisions. He explained there have been recent changes mentioned previously under SB 1421 but absent those exceptions, it is a very detailed process to obtain those records. The Police Officers' Bill of Rights Act provisions are incorporated into PPD's policies which are available to the public on their website. City Manager Fialho clarified the distinction between what the City Attorney explained and what Councilmember Arkin requested which is if the data can be aggregated generally to demonstrate trends. He noted Police Chief Swing will find out if he can illustrate that for City Council year to year without identifying the case, the instance, or the officer. Councilmember Narum advised she would like to see that information if it is legally possible and believes it would be helpful for the City Council to see how low the actual number of complaints are relative to the touches PPD has with the public. Councilmember Narum commented the report is a great first start. She requested future reports include a summary of the department's training initiatives beyond the State requirements. Additionally, she requested to see a summary of legislation that has either been approved or potential legislation that will have an impact on how PPD does its job in future reports that may even help the City lobby for PPD. Councilmember Narum reported there have been many positive strides made as a community and as a department and expressed excitement that the Police Chief's Citizen's Advisory Board is underway. She believes the Crisis Response Program will help with the mental health situation. She looks forward to reviewing the MOU for the SROs and noted the roles and expectations of the SROs must be understood by the City, PUSD, and the community. She expressed support for City Council Minutes Page 10 of 16 September 7, 2021