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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSC minutes 3-23-17Council Public Safety Committee March 23, 2017 MINUTES Members: Councilmember Carmen Mendez (chair) Councilmember Kathy Coffey Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Others: Sarah Augustine, DRC Director Melissa Hill, DRC Board of Directors The meeting was called to order at 3:02 p.m. Staff: City Manager Cliff Moore Capt. Jeff Schneider, Police Deputy Chief Mark Soptich, Fire Bronson Faul, Legal Scott Schafer, Public Works Randy Beehler, Community Relations Terri Croft, Police 1. Approval of minutes of February 23, 2017 It was MOVED by Gutierrez to approve the minutes of the February 23, 2017 meeting as presented. Motion was SECONDED by Coffey. Motion PASSED unanimously. New Business 2. Yakima Valley Special Investigations Unit Schneider presented a proposed interlocal agreement between the Yakima Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, and several local police agencies. The agreement would form a unit to investigate significant incidences of officer involved use of force. As Yakima Police Department is the largest agency in the area, we would need to partner with multiple smaller agencies to conduct the investigations. This agreement would keep agencies from investigating their own officers' use of force incidents. Coffey asked if the department was recommending the agreement go forward. Schneider advised yes, that is the recommendation. The agreement is the best scenario available to improve transparency in these major investigations. Coffey asked if, as the largest agency in the area, this agreement would tax the resources of the Yakima Police Department. Schneider did not believe it would cause any issues, as the types of incidents to be investigated happen infrequently. Mendez agreed that the agreement was good for transparency. She asked if the Yakima Police Patrolmans Association (YPPA) supported the agreement. Schneider replied that the union had not stated a position on the issue. He said that some individual officers had expressed some nervousness because it was a new procedure, however, ultimately, all the officer want is a quality investigation, which he believes this agreement will provide. Mendez asked how long it would take to implement the agreement. Schneider advised that it would be effective 90 days after all participating agencies signed the agreement. Mendez inquired about funding for the program. Schneider replied that there was no funding for the program. Mendez further asked about money set aside for outside investigations. Schneider clarified that there are two investigations that occur with a major use of force incident; the criminal investigation, which this agreement covers, and the administrative investigation, which is conducted by internal affairs. Mendez expressed the desire to continue the conversation of moving to fully outside administrative investigations. It was MOVED by Coffey and SECONDED by Gutierrez to forward the agreement to the full council with a recommendation to accept. Motion PASSED unanimously. Item will be placed on the April 4, 2017 council agenda. Old Business 3. Welcoming City community conversation Sarah Augustine, Director of the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties, and Melissa Hill, DRC Board of Directors, were welcomed to the meeting. Augustine presented revised proposal for the DRC to facilitate a community conversation regarding the welcoming city tensions. The proposal recommended a meeting in each district and would shift the conversation away from a "yes or no" on the welcoming city resolution and instead focus on the underlying stressors or tensions. After the district meetings are held, an agenda would be built to bring to the council. This process would create an opportunity for more open dialog rather than "open mike" type statements. Mendez stated that the committee members had met and reviewed the proposal. Although they felt it was a great strategy, they did not feel that the city should be responsible for the cost, especially at a time when the council is looking to cut costs. She understands that community sponsors are being sought to cover the cost of the proposal. Coffey discussed an alternative, which would be similar to the DRC proposal but would be held at the Convention Center with breakout discussion groups by city district at the beginning of the meeting, and then having all the groups come together at the end of the meeting for discussion. Gutierrez stated that the current discussion is not advocating for a welcoming or sanctuary city, but is for an inclusive public safety ordinance. She felt that when the issue was the resolution, it was appropriate for community discussion. However, the current issue is an ordinance, which is policy setting, and is a responsibility of the council. She expressed concern over what the public discussion would cover and that continuing discussion would put the validity of the ordinance at risk. She expressed further uncertainty to the logistics of a community discussion regarding the ordinance. Coffey stated that an ordinance is a law, and asked if ordinance was enacted and it is interpreted that the police didn't follow the ordinance, what the ramifications would be. Moore advised it would be similar to the current process for allegations of inappropriate officer conduct. Allegations would be reviewed, investigated, and officers subject to discipline if the allegation is sustained. There would not be criminal penalties for violations. Coffey was concerned over some of the ordinance language that she felt was open to interpretation. Schneider stated that the police department would want a clearly worded ordinance. Augustine advised that the DRC does not take a position in the matter and the forum would not be a "debate" with facts presented. The forum would be a community conversation. Moore said that the focal point of the issue has changed. At the time of the initial DRC proposal, the issue was a resolution that sparked discord in the community. The current issue is a city ordinance, which is a city responsibility, and it is difficult to ask the community for funding a discussion of something that is a city responsibility. There was additional discussion regarding the perception of the community on the issue, the need to be cautious and realistic regarding federal funding, and the need to refine the language of the ordinance. Augustine added that conflict comes from people having different interests and different points of view. Resolution comes from the opportunity to hear the differing viewpoints. She did not feel the underlying root of the concerns would go away any time soon. Moore advised he would discuss the issue with each council member in his one-on-one meetings with them to find out what direction they would like to see the council and staff take. Other Business 4a. Homeless Encampment Moore reviewed the opening of the homeless camp near the Wastewater facility. The camp had 52 people signed in on its opening night. The camp appears to be well organized and is working through some minor issues. Moore has met with the Greenway and Arboretum boards. A business outreach group has addressed concerns immediately. Mendez asked if the City was accounting for in-kind funds. Moore advised that the City is billing for some items, such as the installation of a pole for power. Mendez stated she would like to see any services the city provides tracked. She asked about the maximum capacity of the camp, as she understood it to be 50 people. Moore advised that was correct, and if there continue to be more people than the maximum capacity, a lease modification proposal may need to be brought forward. 4b. Student Paper Coffey inquired if the other committee members had read the study by Lea Kronenberg. Ms. Kronenberg is a graduate student at Evergreen College who wrote an analysis of gang issues in Yakima. The other committee members had not fully reviewed the paper. Coffey felt it was important to consider how to support the police and also support and guide youth in the community. 5. Audience participation There was no audience participation 6. Information items There were no information items 7. Recap of future agenda items Debrief of Kronenberg report Update on homicides Briefing on robberies 8. Good of the order Coffey asked what suggestions Schneider would have for the direction of the Public Safety Committee. Schneider advised that strong families deter most crime and anything that can be done to support strong families would help. There was further discussion on the benefits of community policing. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 4:03 p.m.