Petaluma establishes police oversight board and receives police review addendum

The Petaluma City Council approved a list of 23 recommendations for the city’s police department in a unanimous vote this week as an addition to its first-ever police audit, which also made official the creation of a city-managed police oversight board.

The Public Safety Advisory Committee – intended to serve as a community resource to improve community-police relations – and the recently released police audit began as recommendations from the city’s 28-member Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, which was formed in March 2021 in response to a statewide Poll was founded to outcry against police brutality against people of color.

The 20-page addendum, unveiled Monday, was created in response to a desire from City Council members and the public for more evidence related to use of force as described in the city’s first police audit, originally presented at a council meeting on March 18. It was introduced in March by members of IntegrAssure, the city’s independent police auditor.

Council members voted 6-0 for both items Monday in Mike Healy’s absence.

During the March meeting, council members and the public highlighted disparities between racially disaggregated use-of-force data and the city’s demographics.

Of the 119 incidents reported in the original audit involving both use of force and use of force, broken down by race, 129 involved people: 63 white; 43 Hispanic/Latino; 17 black; 3 Asians; 3 others. In the addendum, the Asian population is placed in the “Other” category for ease of reporting, said auditor Jeff Snaker of IntegrAssure.

In percentage terms, it is 49% white; 33% Hispanic/Latino; 13% Black; 2% Asian; 2% other.

According to 2022 Census Bureau data, the city of Petaluma is 69% white (non-Hispanic/Latino), 19% Hispanic/Latino, 1.3% Black, and 4.8% Asian.

The 23 recommendations in the addendum are issues that were “commonly identified by supervisors in their review process” and were discussed between Petaluma Police leadership and IntegrAssure staff.

Some areas for improvement include: use of handcuffs during detention and reasonable suspicion arrests; Communicating the arrest before handcuffing; Protocols on the Use of Force for Missing Minors; Criteria for activation of body-worn cameras; and deployment procedures for spike strips.

The addendum also includes 13 graphs of use-of-force data broken down by gender, race, Taser use, police K-9 use, whether or not they were a Petaluma resident, and other factors. It also contains the auditor’s rubrics used to review incidents.

42 people were involved in the shootings, and broken down by race they were: 23 white; 14 Hispanic/Latino and 5 Black.

Of the 54 calls that ultimately resulted in the use of force, 35 were white; 12 Hispanic/Latino; 6 Black; 1 other. The report further explained whether the calls were initiated by an officer or a member of the community, with 44 of those calls – or 81% – coming from the community.

The role of the new committee

The newly created Public Safety Advisory Committee will go through a recruitment process over the next two months before deploying its members in July, said Police Chief Brian Miller, who presented the item to council members Monday.

The committee “is intended to serve as a community resource for the City of Petaluma in formulating strategies, developing approaches to community policing, raising public awareness and addressing police-community relations,” a staff report said. It is also intended to be a forum for discussing community concerns, with the aim of representing “a wide range of viewpoints.”

The committee is expected to review and discuss the independent police auditor’s report, assist in the development of the Petaluma Police Department’s strategic plan, provide input on police policy, review the annual military equipment report, develop and review objectives strategic plan and suggests public safety programs and initiatives, Miller said.

“One of our four service priorities is a focus on community engagement, and we really see this committee as a channel to increase the opportunities for that engagement,” he said.

The committee would also provide feedback to the community, city staff and the chief. The group of up to six community members and a city council liaison (for a one-year term) will initially meet monthly, Miller said.

Criteria for joining include being a Petaluma resident or business owner for at least one year; not a current or former employee of the Petaluma Police Department or a relative or household member of the Police Department; not an attorney representing criminal or civil matters; there are no pending criminal proceedings; and able to perform all duties, the staff report states.

In the first group, three members serve four-year terms and three serve two-year terms. The consecutive terms of office last four years with a maximum of two consecutive terms – the same term limits apply to the existing committees, commissions and boards.

At one point during the City Council discussion, council members inquired about and suggested requirements for potential appointments, including age and term limits for youth, where members live and other aspects of a youth committee’s services to members.

City Attorney Eric Danly clarified that the staff was there to take direction from the City Council and that the bill did not include a youth member.

Amid the back-and-forth, Miller explained the department’s position.

“I think we welcome the active participation and engagement of a broad representation of the city as a whole,” Miller said.

Ultimately, the council voted to support the resolution without major changes, aside from some clarifying language as suggested by Danly.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for May 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 11 English Street

Reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @sawhney_media.