What should a police oversight program look like in the city of Davis?
That topic brought about 50 people Thursday night to the Davis Senior Center for the first in a series of community meetings about the future of police oversight in Davis.
Many came to speak, others to listen.
Click to view slideshow.To them, consultants Barbara Attard and Kathryn Olson — hired by the city in November to solicit community input and recommend an oversight model that best fits Davis — posed a pair of questions:
What are the police issues in Davis that oversight should address? What factors are important to a successful oversight program in Davis?
One common desire was for an oversight process with “teeth,” comprising a diverse membership of independent civilians bestowed with investigatory, subpoena and disciplinary powers when it comes to handling police-related complaints, and an ability to release their findings to the public.
Speakers also found importance in selecting members who are chosen by election or some other form of consensus, rather than by someone in a position of power, such as the mayor or police chief.
Hazel Watson speaks about local homeless people not having a voice, and fearing the police. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo
“I do not want the people we are watching to appoint the people who watch them,” Luanna Villanueva said.
Several spoke of the need for an oversight model that is accepted by the police, and that is not antagonistic or puts officers on the defensive.
Others, meanwhile, posed their own questions they’d like to see answered: What will be the qualifications to participate in an oversight role? To whom will the members report? And, down the road, how can the community measure the process’ success?
Hazel Watson cautioned against establishing qualifications that “perpetuate the system, because the people that are qualified are going to support the status quo.”
Another resident, Stephanie Parreira, suggested an oversight model that includes people who have been affected by police brutality, and a process in which acts of brutality by officers are automatically investigated.
“Nobody should have to submit a formal complaint about that,” Parreira said.
Some also shared their personal experiences, speaking of family, friends, students or other acquaintances who have felt targeted by police due to their race, ethnicity or homeless status.
Donna Russell talks about the difficulties her African-American son had with police in Davis. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo
Donna Russell, whose son is African-American, said he was harassed repeatedly by police while attending UC Davis and living in the community.
“He now lives in another country where the problem doesn’t exist, and he feels safe,” Russell said. “I essentially lost my son.”
Which oversight model Davis ultimately chooses depends upon the recommendations issued by consultants Attard and Olson, who are expected to present their findings to the Davis City Council by April 30.
Common models elsewhere have included investigative, auditor/monitor, review board or oversight commission, police commission or inspector general — or, a hybrid of those roles.
Regardless of the process, the consultants said its members should be knowledgeable about police practices and criminal law and procedure, impartial and objective, able to engage the community and communicate with police stakeholders, and able comply with confidentiality laws and evidentiary standards.
“The purpose is to inspire legitimacy, both for the agency and the oversight program,” Attard told the group.
The conversation about police oversight in Davis dates back more than a decade, when citizen complaints of racial profiling soared during the tenure of then-Police Chief Jim Hyde. The resulting upheaval led to the establishment of several police oversight measures, including the hiring of police auditor Bob Aaronson.
Consultant Barbara Attard speaks and listens at the first community meeting to discuss a Davis police oversight process. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo
Earlier this year, Aaronson announced he would not renew his contract when it expired in June. Then came Picnic Day 2017 and the controversial Russell Boulevard brawl involving a crowd of civilians and three plain-clothed police officers, each side accusing the other of instigating the fight.
Renewed demands for stronger police oversight arose from that incident, in which five African-American and Latino people were arrested. Police Chief Darren Pytel launched an internal investigation into the officers’ actions, which has been completed but the report’s findings not yet publicly released.
A second community meeting to solicit input is scheduled for January. In the meantime, Attard and Olson also will be meeting with smaller interest groups who may not feel comfortable speaking publicly about their concerns.
They’ll also be collecting historical information about policing in Davis, meeting with officers and accompanying them on ride-alongs.
Residents also can submit comments and concerns online via a website that will be dedicated to the input process. The link, once available, will be posted on the city’s main website, www.cityofdavis.org.
Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald urged those in the crowd to be mindful of those they didn’t see in the room that night, and to reach out and encourage them to be a part of the conversation.
“I want to make it safe for people to speak up and not be ostracized or blacklisted,” she said. “We can’t give up, because if we give up, it continues.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
Aparna Komarla speaks at the police oversight community meeting. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo