HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitizen Review Board - Minutes - 05/18/2005Citizen Review Board Meeting
CIC Room, 300 Laporte Avenue
May 18, 2005
Present: Dennis Baker, Harry Edwards, Dave Evans, Maria Martinez, and Becky Richardson
Absent: Brian Carroll and Monica Garcia
Staff: Sgt. David Pearson, Sgt. Joel Tower, Greg Tempel, Assistant City Attorney, and Wendy
Hartzell, Secretary
Public: Elaine Boni, Human Relations Commission.
The meeting was called to order at 6:09 p.m. by Chair Dave Evans.
Absences: Written notice was received for all absences.
Voice Mail: No messages.
No public comment.
Minutes:
April 20, 2005, Minutes —As there were no corrections or changes, Becky Richardson
made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Harry Edwards seconded the motion.
There was no discussion and the motion passed 5-0.
Subcommittee Minutes — Case #2004-26 — Minutes are still outstanding for this case. Monica
Garcia sent Dave Evans a message stating she did not have notes from this case c order to
create minutes. Dave will check his notes and prepare minutes if possible.
Case #2004-23 — Dennis Baker made a motion to approve the subcommittee minutes from Case
#2004-23. Becky Richardson seconded the motion. There was no discussion and the motion
passed 2-0.
New Business:
Proposed Board Training Curriculum — Sgt. Joel Tower distributed an agenda for CRB
training over the next few months. He described the curriculum and answered Board members
questions. He stated he can make the topics longer or shorter upon request. He also reminded
members that the Citizen's Academy is available for Board members. The next mini -academy
will not be scheduled for quite some time. He stated that it is good for Board members to observe
in order to see officers in the beginning of their training and at the end when they can apply what
they have learned. Sgt. Tower said that if the Board needed to cancel a scheduled training, he
would appreciate having a week's notice.
There was a question as to whether Police Services was getting tasers because she had heard
that Larimer County was getting them. The SWAT team has two Tasers. They are in the process
of finalizing policies for their use. Becky Richardson asked what had changed regarding their use
said that the new lasers have an extended range and work better than previous models. He because the department was originally against them. Sgt. Pearson stated it was another tool and
stated that Police Services is very cautious about their use. There are many instances were there
is potential for legitimate use, but officers will not use them just because they have them. Medical
attention is usually not necessary. Dave Evans asked about the review policy and Sgt. Pearson
stated SWAT is working on a policy and the Tasers will not be deployed on the street until the
Policy is approved. There was more discussion about tasers, and Becky Richardson asked if
they had seen an increase in methanphetamine users. Sgt. Pearson stated yes and that lasers
can be a useful tool on someone who does not feel pain. There was discussion about more riot
training for officers. Harry Edwards asked if there was specific training for suspects who are
intoxicated, as 60% of the CRB cases deal with someone who is intoxicated. Sgt. Pearson stated
that many are intoxicated, it just depends on how the suspects responds and which protocols
they use. Specific training role plays were discussed, including handcuffing, checking for
tightness, and double locking. Protocols for handcuffing were discussed.
Transcript Discussion — the Board agreed to wait until the June meeting when Brian Carroll and
Lt. Broderick will be available.
Pending Cases — Sgt. Pearson stated he had one case that would be ready for distribution to the
Board soon. He stated it was unlikely that a transcript would be required. There are no other
pending cases at this time. A random drawing was conducted with the following result:
Subcommittee for Case #2005-02 -
1. Brian Carroll, Chair
2. Monica Garcia
3. Dennis Baker
4. Harry Edwards, Alternate
5. Maria Martinez
6. Becky Richardson
7. Dave Evans
Case #2004-26 — Final Memorandum received and distributed.
Case #2004-23 — Chief Harrison has this case and has received subcommittee memo. The final
memorandum should be sent out in a few weeks.
Council Liaison — It was stated that Diggs Brown will be the CRB's Council liaison. Dave Evans
stated that he will see him at the periodic review and will extend an invitation to him then to attend
a CRB meeting. Becky Richardson stated it might be helpful for the transcript discussion,
especially if doing transcriptions may be a budget issue.
Periodic Review — Harry Edwards and Dave Evans distributed the report compiled for the City
Council review on June 1. Members will send any revisions or comments via email. Becky
Richardson stated that it took a long time to fill the Board vacancy and she asked that this
comment be shared at the review. She suggested that a pool of candidates be created so
vacancies could be filled faster. Harry Edwards stated he would add this under Section 2. It was
also stated under Section 4 that Greg Tempel attends the subcommittee meetings and that he is
very helpful. Dave Evans said that he will try to find the spreadsheet that was sent out once that
included all cases reviewed by the Board. Becky Richardson also suggested making a comment
about public drunkenness and if a code change would be possible. Harry Edwards stated that
this was mentioned in Section 4. Dave Evans asked if members were comfortable with the scope
of the Board and if it needed to be expanded. It was stated that Brian Carroll had mentioned in
the past a concern about the Board's scope and subpoena power. Becky Richardson stated that
she did not want to be an investigator. There were no other concerns.
Adjournment: Maria Martinez moved to adjourn the meeting. Harry Edwards seconded the
motion. There was no discussion and the motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at
7:05 p.m.
Next Meeting: June 18, 2005, at 6:00 p.m. in the CIC Room, 300 Laporte Avenue.
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