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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITIZEN REVIEW BOARD - MINUTES - 02/12/2025 Citizen Review Board REGULAR MEETING February 12, 2025 – 5:30PM 222 Laporte Ave, Colorado River Room (Main Floor) 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:33 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – Shamera Loose, Veronica Olivas, Melissa Rosas, Elizabeth Grant, Amy Hoeven b. Board Members Absent – Mike O’Malley (excused), Michael Ruttenberg (excused) c. Staff Members Present – Lieutenant Jeremy Yonce, Assistant City Attorney Sara Arfmann d. Guest(s) - None 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Public Input – None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. January 8, 2025: Melissa Rosas moved to approve, which was seconded by Amy Hoeven. Motion passed. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Voicemail: None b. E-mail: None c. Introduction of FCPS Executive Staff and New Internal Affairs Sergeant FCPS Executive Staff and the new Internal Affairs Sergeant introduced themselves to Citizen Review Board members and provided a brief background of their time with the City. Staff members included: Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda, Deputy Chief Greg Yeager, Assistant Chief Kristy Volesky, Assistant Chief Adam McCambridge, Communications Director J. Gilmore, and Sergeant Jason Curtis. Board Member Question: How does the number of internal complaints FCPS receives compare to the number of complaints from citizens? FCPS rarely receives a complaint, and those that are received are primarily internal complaints, which shows that FCPS employees hold each other accountable. FCPS has recently hired a second Internal Affairs investigator because the administrative burden for these complaints is high. Board Member Question: If FCPS receives an internal complaint that an officer is bullying another officer, does FCPS have the staff psychologist talk to the aggressor, in addition to providing support for the victim? Each case is different, and FCPS always offers psychological resources to everyone, regardless. In a situation in which an officer was bullying another officer, the supervisor would decide if they need to be disciplined, or receive further training. They would not be ordered to speak to the staff psychologist, but they may be required to engage in additional trainings that involve the Mental Health Response Team. Board Member Question: Why are shifts sometimes eliminated? The shift that was eliminated was a cover shift for a pilot project that was designed to mirror the calls that FCPS typically receives over the course of a day. It was difficult to staff the shift, and so eventually, the officers were allocated to other shifts that had more need. Board Member Question: If a certain area of town is experiencing a large amount of bike thefts or house burglaries, does FCPS do community outreach in that area or have translators that come in to translate into other languages? FCPS has specific divisions that engage the community in different ways; for example, with messaging about the dangers of fentanyl, FCPS hosts events, and posts information on social media. In spring, when people tend to leave their windows and doors open more often, FCPS will send out reminders to lock them when leaving the house, to avoid burglaries. Translation is something that FCPS is discussing more, but in the meantime, they encourage the use of readily available apps like Google Translate. For Emergency Services, FCPS dispatchers have a translation service that they use. Things like complaint forms, and the Police Manual are available in both English and Spanish. Board Member Question: Does FCPS review all of their available literature that has been translated to ensure that they have current information? FCPS reviews and updates these documents on a regular basis. They also engage with community groups that are influential in other-than-English speaking communities who review literature and provide feedback about inconsistencies in translation of information relayed. FCPS encourages all to bring any errors in literature to their attention to ensure that it can be corrected in a timely manner. Board Member Question: Is there someone at the agency who is in charge of making sure that FCPS is in compliance with CALEA? Yes, Lieutenant Jeremy Yonce. Board Member Question: How will AI interface with leadership and training? One company that is leading the charge is AXION, who is pushing AI in their software called “DraftOne”. Bodyworn cameras that officers wear have the ability to listen and see to events, in order to generate a police report with the details. It is only a learning tool, and an officer still has to input the names, locations, and citations, and sign that they have reviewed the information that was populated. Another tool that may be useful once it is developed is the use of goggles, when using tasers, to ensure that the target area is more specific. Officers are also able to train using a VR Headset, which is useful for both training and recruitment. Board Member Question: Is there an application for Drone technology? Dispatchers may soon have access to a program that would launch a drone over an area where, for example, a car accident had occurred, before an officer is able to get to the scene. This may lead to hiring less police officers and more administrative staff like crime analysts. Board Member Question: Is FCPS seeing less call volume right now? Are people more nervous to contact the police because of possible immigration issues? Call volume has increased since this time last year, but it would be foolish to say that people aren’t showing up to school, to church, because they are afraid. FCPS’s goal is to ensure that accurate information about these issues is out there. They are going after people with warrants, but Fort Collins has not seen any sweeps for people, other than innocent people who may be associated with people who have warrants. Board Member Question: Another issue is an increasing homeless population. Are there plans to move people from here to there, or is it more about maintenance of the existing population? FCPS wants to have a plan for when maintenance is no longer needed. The Mental Health Response Team was pulled from patrol, as a pilot program. Right now, there is enough work with maintaining that FCPS has not had to ask themselves what will happen when MHRT is no longer needed. Board Member Question: Is there coordination between FCPS and rangers from Natural Areas? Yes, they work daily together, as FCPS is required to be present to perform search warrants on tents, which are considered homes. Board Member Question: How can the community help with the recent fentanyl/drug increase in Fort Collins? Drugs have gotten too cheap, so the City can make changes as the laws in the state change. The vast majority of the drugs that come into the country come in legally. Awareness and education will be the most important ways that the community can help. Board Member Question: Does FCPS handle the marijuana dispensaries in Fort Collins, as far as compliance, and will they also handle issues related psilocybin? For psilocybin, it cannot be sold for another year. FCPS does handle compliance for the dispensaries, but the retail stores are making a lot of money so they are usually pretty good about remaining in compliance with the law. A much bigger issue is the gray market. Board Member Question: How do often does executive staff meet with people from other agencies or states? Executive staff meet weekly with people who are in parallel positions, both throughout the City and in other agencies. They also network through trainings and can use the resources of other agencies because of this. Board Member Question: If a stolen bike is found abandoned, who is responsible for collecting it, FCPS or the Bike Co-Op? FCPS contracts with the Bike Co-Op to retrieve abandoned bikes, because it can be difficult for officers to track down every reported bike. People can reach out to the Bike Co-Op to report abandoned bikes. The issue is that few bikes are actually registered, so even reporting it can be of limited help. Board Member Question: Proposals were passed for recruitment of police, and FCPS has not received that yet. Does FCPS have a plan for the funds if they receive them?