Police AccountabilityWhat is police accountability?
Simply stated: All sworn officers will be held responsible for their actions and treat members of the community in a respectful and lawful manner – without regard to race or ethnicity. Particularly, sworn officers will not abuse their power and use more force than necessary, nor will they exhibit bias against any group of persons.
Elected officials must be held accountable for establishing policies and procedures to effectively ensure that their officers meet the highest standards to “protect and serve” members of the community.
Unfortunately, Sonoma County has a long history of deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers and of inmates at the Sonoma County Jail. The killings of 8 people by law enforcement in less than 2½ years and the deaths of 3 inmates in the county jail in 1997 lead to investigations of the 13 law enforcement departments in Sonoma County by both the 1997-98 County of Sonoma Grand Jury and the United States Civil Rights Commission Advisory Committee, which held fact-finding hearings in Santa Rosa in February, 1998. Both boards made recommendations to be implemented. Both recommended the creation of citizen review boards. Our local leaders ignored them. The high rate of killings at the hands of local law enforcement and deaths at the Sonoma County Jail has continued. In 2007 alone, local law enforcement officers killed 4 people, 2 of whom were mentally ill, and 4 inmates at the Sonoma County Jail have died.
The 1997-98 Sonoma County Grand Jury Recommendations included:
- Release of accurate and timely information to the public after a serious incident involving sworn officers should be instituted in all departments.
- The Board of Supervisors, town and city councils must take a stand on the creation of advisory committees and/or civilian review boards.
The United States Civil Rights Commission Advisory Committee Recommendations included:
- The cities of Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Sheriff require the immediate creation of civilian review boards. The civilian review boards created should have budgetary independence, separate office locations, conduct independent investigations, have the power to compel police officer testimony, provide an appeal process, and report directly to elected officials and the community in open session.
- The departments should increase training in the handling of suspects who may be experiencing a psychiatric, drug, or alcohol episode.
- The departments should increase training to assist officers in diffusing situations and de-escalating violence. The departments should encourage and expand the use of mediation techniques.
- City officials should ensure commitment from law enforcement command structure for alternatives to the use of deadly force and provide resources to the departments for implementation.
- The sheriff’s department, with the input of the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chief’s Association, should establish a special unit to respond countywide to situations where the suspect or victim may be experiencing a psychiatric episode.
- The Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chief’s Association should consider the addition of at least one non-law enforcement community member to its organization.
Other cities in California established civilian review boards to hold hearings about alleged incidents of police misconduct and those hearings were open to the community and to the press.
In 2006, the California Court ruling in the Copley Press case seriously restricted the public’s right to know and to allow civilian review boards to function. Today, if an officer shoots a citizen and the family wants to know if misconduct was involved, it is kept secret.
Last year, Senate Bill 1019, which would reverse the Copley Press decision, passed the California Senate and is now in the Assembly Public Safety Committee. Between now and then, we must work to make sure the bill is voted out of committee to the Assembly floor.
We must hold all leaders and elected officials responsible. We pay taxes. We register and we vote! Act now! Send a free fax supporting SB 1019 to your representative in the California Assembly.
10 Principles for Effective Civilian Review Board
Recommendations of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Advisory Committee
Frequently Asked Questions About Copley Press and SB 1019
OpEd: ACLU: Citizens Review of Police Shootings Needed published 3/29/2007 Press Democrat
OpEd: What Do The Police Chiefs Fear? published 2/18/1998 Press Democrat
1997-1998 Sonoma County Grand Jury Findings and Conclusions