CCMIN 11162021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Vaneesha Dave, President of the Grassroots Law Project's Pleasanton Chapter and student at Amador Valley High School, thanked the Council for listening to student voices and adding their suggestions into the MOU. She suggested adding language stating school site administrators or staff should only request SRO assistance when necessary to protect safety or when required by the law. SRO assistance should not be requested for a situation able to be handled by PUSD's disciplinary procedures. Her suggestion comes from the City of Oakland's 2014 MOU. She added SROs should make every effort to handle non -school -related law enforcement issues outside of school. She requested handcuffs not be used by officers unless there is an immediate threat. Mayor Brown closed the public hearing. In response to Councilmember Narum, City Manager Fialho stated what has been suggested by commenters is generally in alignment with what is proposed in the MOU except the requests put more barriers and restrictions on how SROs interact with administration. He stated this was discussed internally. He noted they have heard the community, Council, and PUSD with the intent of creating a very light footprint of officer interactions with students, especially when concerning discipline. He added there may be unforeseen circumstances causing an officer to be involved and there are concerns over eliminating some of the "never's" and similar language because it puts people at risk. He reported staff is comfortable with the MOU as written plus the amendments shared by Chief Swing. He stated if edits go beyond what is proposed, staff recommends going back to further analyze the suggestions to determine if they can be supportive. In response to Councilmember Narum, City Manager Fialho stated staff would be uncomfortable with some of Mr. Lopez's suggestions. He stated the idea the City's mental health clinicians will always be the primary point of intervention is a great aspirational goal, but they only have one to cover all of the schools. He added the intent is crisis response will be a wrap-around service to the use of the SROs, but there may be circumstances where they are not available. He stated a better policy discussion for the Council to have with PUSD is to challenge them to find the right clinicians to be on campus when the City cannot. He stated the City will follow State and federal law every time with HIPAA and FERPA. He added staff feels it is important to make office space on campus available to SROs. Chief Swing clarified he misspoke earlier and the law dictates a minor cannot waive the consultation with an attorney before an interrogation. He clarified SROs sometimes have paperwork administrative responsibilities and a dedicated office space maximizes the amount of time SROs can spend on campus. Councilmember Narum moved that the City enter into the MOU with PUSD for the SRO Program, incorporating the four amendments recommended by staff. Councilmember Narum thanked all who spoke on the issue and noted there are a lot of stakeholders. She stated the PUSD survey reported a clear majority wanted SROs to continue with modifications addressed in the MOU. She stated the MOU defines goals, roles, adds clarity, and creates accountability. She noted the MOU is a living document and can be changed once the crisis response team's juvenile clinician is in place. She noted the positives of the program, including building relationships with students. She stated the SROs are role models who sometimes inspire students to look at a career in law enforcement. She added anything which can be done to reduce the 5150s and 5585s is positive. She thanked Mayor Brown and Councilmember Arkin for their work with PUSD. Councilmember Balch seconded the motion. He stated he is confused about how the SROs are framed in an overtone of suspicion and mistrust. He expressed hopes the Grassroots Law Project's members see the City has done a lot to address concerns and clarify ambiguity with the MOU. He stated it has been a great program for 20 years which demystifies law enforcement for youth and builds trust. He added if there is an emergency on a campus where seconds count, an SRO will be familiar with the campus whereas a dispatched general officer may not know where the cafeteria is, for example. He City Council Minutes Page 12 of 19 November 16, 2021