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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitizen Review Board - Minutes - 10/20/2004Citizen Review Board Meeting CIC Room, 300 Laporte Avenue October 20, 2004 Present: Dave Evans, Harry Edwards, Monica Garcia, Maria Martinez, Brian Carroll, Becky Richardson Absent: None Staff: Lt. Jim Broderick, Dave Pearson, FCPS, Greg Tempel, Assistant City Attorney, Jenny Kidd, Secretary Public: Elaine Boni, Human Relations Commission Absences: None for October meeting. Monica Garcia will not be present at the November 17 meeting. Voice Mail: No voice mail messages were received. The meeting was called to order at 6:06 p.m. Minutes: July 212004 Minutes - Dave Evans asked group to review minutes for accuracy. Brian Carroll made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Marla Martinez seconded the motion. There was no discussion and the motion passed 6-0. September 15, 2004 Minutes - No changes were needed. Harry Edwards made a motion to accept the minutes. Becky Richardson seconded the motion. There was no discussion and the motion \, passed 6-0. Subcommittee Minutes - The 2004-03 sub -committee minutes for Its June 1, 2004 meeting were distributed and reviewed. Brian Carroll made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Monica Garcia seconded the motion and the motion passed 6-0. New Business: The Human Relations Commission's (HRC) special Police Complaint Taskforce's representative Elaine Boni explained how and why their group was formed: to enable a diverse sampling of stakeholder groups (such as Crossroads Safehouse, Disabled Resources, Hispanic outreach centers and homeless shelters) to provide input to City Council regarding their view of what the role of the CRB should be. Two meetings were held with this group before they submitted their unedited comments to Council on September 14. Elaine added that there was not necessarily consensus among the taskforce for each of the recommendations. Elaine reported that City Council thanked the taskforce for presenting the information and did not indicate what their next step will be. The main points the HRC taskforce submitted to Council: 1. How the complaint process can be simplified. This included suggestions about simplifying the format of the complaint forth; reducing the verbiage in the packet; allowing citizens to request edited IA documents; and reducing the intimidation factor they felt was inherent with the IA investigation process. 2. Make the complaint process more accessible for all. Translate materials into Spanish; have packets physically accessible for disabled citizens; have complaint packets available in other locations besides City offices such as Holy Family Church, Salud Health Center, shelters, and the ( Islamic Center; and have information available on the internal, via City website. 3. Reduce fears about the complaint process. Some taskforce members expressed concern that their disability could be publicly disclosed; others feared retaliation by the police; some suggested that an unbiased advocate be present throughout the review process. 4. Protect the confidentiality of the process. The complainant's information is public but the Officer is anonymous - perhaps this needs to be changed to protect all involved parties equally. 5. Problems with the process itself. One suggestion was that CRB members be elected from the various districts, to support diverse representation; CRB should have investigatory powers; professional sensitivity training should be provided for IA staff and CRB members. In response to Elaine's presentation, Harry Edwards suggested a more collaborative relationship between the HRC (taskforoe) and the CRB, allowing them to fully understand what the CRB is charged with and how they go about their business. Elaine responded that Greg Tempel and Lt. Broderick had been very helpful in providing the HRC with pertinent information and that she plans to stay involved even though the taskforce will no longer be meeting on this topic. Becky Richardson added that she personally did not have an interest in taking on an investigative role. Harry Edwards explained that the HRC or any member of the public can attend CRB sub -committee meetings unless and until the subcommittee goes into executive session to consider confidential or sensitive information. Pending Cases — Case #2004-13 A back-to-back extension was requested for this case. Upon motion by Becky Richardson and seconded by Brian Carroll, it was determined that there was good cause for the extension. There was no discussion and the motion passed 6-0. Case #2004-15 Another back-to-back extension was passed through a motion by Becky Richardson and a second by Harry Edwards, who both felt good cause for extension had been demonstrated. There was no discussion and the motion passed 6-0. The CRB later drew for the case and the random order is as follows: 1. Monica Garcia 2. Maria Martinez 3. Brian Carroll 4. Harry Edwards 5. Becky Richardson 6. Dave Evans. Case #2004-23 An automatic extension is in place until mid -November. Dave Pearson mentioned he wanted to have the letters ready to go once the extension expired. Case #2004-26 Another automatic extension is in place. The case will be drawn for in the near future. Case 2004-01 Findings were reviewed with no comments. Work Plan — Lt. Broderick reminded the CRB that work plan is due on November 30. Harry Edwards had copies made of the 2004 work plan. This item will be on the November 17 CRB agenda. Old Business: CRIB Ordinance change — Greg Tempel explained that the changes to the ordinance were passed on the second reading on the City Council's Consent Agenda on October 19. The changes will become law on October 29, 2004. Miscellaneous business: Lt. Broderick reiterated Chief Harrison's sentiment that the CRB's observations and recommendations are critical to the Chiefs findings. Lt. Broderick stated that the Chief considers CRB's recommendations in determining his findings and if any policy or training needs to be changed. Harry Edwards asked Lt. Broderick to please pass along the CRB's appreciation of the Chiefs input back to the CRB. Communication must go both ways. The group next discussed the "confidential" notation at the bottom of the Chiefs decision letter to the CRB. Lt. Broderick stated that there was no intent to keep the Chiefs findings reports confidential. Greg Tempel clarified that this is a public document and should not contain the word confidential. The IA Investigation, on the other hand, IS confidential. Dave Pearson explained that the complainant also receives a letter detailing the Chiefs findings. Greg Tempel clarified that some information in the IA report, such as police records, could be accessed by the public, but not through the CRB process. Dave Evans suggested that someone talk to the Chief about information submitted to the CRB - which information is confidential, and which information is not. This issue will be discussed at future CRB meetings. Dave Evans and Jim Broderick are working on a matrix to help track both findings and eventual outcomes from CRB cases. This item might be added to the work plan. Cases through 2004 (and possibly 2003) will be included in the matrix. C Lt. Broderick reported that interim City Manager Darin Attebery would like to meet with the CRB informally at the November meeting. Mr. Atteberry is interested in hearing any concems the CRB may have. Lt. Broderick stated that a review of the use of lasers in currently being conducted by police departments throughout the Front Range. FCPS is examining the issue from the standpoints of policy, usage, deployment, officer training, and community impact. Lt. Broderick suggested that the CRB might want to examine the finished proposal to increase CRB awareness of yet another less -lethal tool. Brian Carroll added that a function of the CRB might be to examine the variables used for the study, but that the CRB was not empowered to make a judgment either way. Lt. Broderick mentioned it would be more of an educational session than a decision -making exercise. Brian Carroll reminded the CRB that some of them had undergone taser training in the past. Greg Tempel stated that the revisions to the aforementioned ordinance will not have any relevance on policy review processes. Becky Richardson informed the group about the upcoming, by -invitation -only focus group, scheduled for November 2 and 3 at 7:00 p.m. Becky will be attending. Any others who wish to contribute their thoughts regarding how to make FCPS better should RSVP to Esther Pritchard at Police Services. Adjournment: Harry Edwards moved to adjourn the meeting. Brian Carroll seconded the motion. There was no discussion and the motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m. Next Meeting: November 17, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. in the CIC Room, 300 Laporte Avenue Chair 3