Can Fresno’s police force be re-imagined? Council and chief discuss defunding cops
Dozens of Fresno residents spoke Monday during a City Council budget hearing to call for a re-imagining of the city’s police force, saying an armed officer doesn’t need to respond to every 911 call.
The dialogue during the meeting echoed the conversation in many large cities around the country, like Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
Every public speaker of the more than 50 who spoke, aside from a few who used offensive language, advocated defunding the police department. For some, that means finding ways to use fewer officers for calls for services and, for some, it meant abolishing the police.
“We’re re-evaluating the scope of work,” resident Venise Curry said.
The Fresno Police Department budget is $201 million and about $184 million of it comes from the general fund, the portion of the budget for which the City Council has the greatest control. Police get about half of the general fund, which also pays for firefighters and other services.
The budget pays for 1,145 positions in the police department, which includes officers and civilians. That is 826 positions for sworn officers, but accounting for vacancies and long-term injuries, there are actually 671 officers available to work, according to Chief Andy Hall.
Hall said the department had 849 positions a decade ago. He also said 66 officers currently are funded outside the general fund through school districts, the FAX bus system and other sources.
Police union
Fresno resident Pedro Navarro Cruz, who is a community organizer with Communities for a New California Educational Fund, said he’s worried money donated to the elected leaders from the Fresno Police Officers Association could muddy the process.
“What’s worse is that they are stopping money from being available for the things our communities do need like quality education, parks that we can be proud of, health services, infrastructure or housing support,” he said. “They leave our city undeveloped and with unfinished neighborhoods.”
Many of Monday’s speakers argued money could be trimmed from the police department and used to provide more service to green spaces or fund programs like Advanced Peace, an effort to identify likely shooters and provide them alternatives to improve their lives.
Hall said he’s open to the discussion to take the calls for mental health-related events, homelessness, community policing events or other services out of the hands of officers. The problem is what to do in the meantime.
“Until we identify who that is, I don’t know who to give those calls to,” Hall said.
The department gets about 1,200 calls for emergency service a day plus 1,500 to 1,700 other non-emergency calls, Hall said. About a third of calls are related to mental health in some way.
Police officers are sometimes accompanied by social workers, but staffing doesn’t allow that in all cases, he said.
Chokeholds
Hall also said Monday he could not support an outright ban on chokeholds without further discussions.
“If it’s to save a life, I’d be concerned about totally banning something,” he said. “If I could get the officer to do that rather than shoot the person, I’d prefer that.”
Police vs. fire?
The discussion of the police department’s budget comes as the Fresno Fire Department is underfunded at $74.4 million. Chief Kerri Donis said the fire department is funded at the same level as it was in 1980, when the call for service was about half of what it is today.
The Fresno Fire Department has about 0.53 firefighters for every 1,000 residents. The national average is about 1.5 firefighters per 1,000 people, according to National Fire Protection Association.
Some callers Monday said they’d prefer police dollars went to the fire department.
City council
Councilmember Miguel Arias noted the FAX bus system started the year with 18 officers and in January was reduced to 12.
Arias said it’s an example of finding solutions that do not have to include police.
Arias and Mayor Lee Brand launched a commission with Councilmembers Luis Chavez and Esmeralda Soria last week. Arias said in his announcement that Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer and Fresno Police Officers Association President Todd Fraizer support the commission.
Councilmember Mike Karbassi said he’s looking forward to the commission’s recommendations but completely defunding police is out of the question.
Councilmember Garry Bredefeld agreed. “I don’t think the solution is to eradicate our police department,” he said. “That would just make more problems.”
Councilmember Nelson Esparza motioned to have the anti-gun violence program Advance Peace included into the new budget and it received a second. The council approved a $300,000 expenditure last year for the program but it was vetoed by Brand.
Other motions to be voted on later could take police officers off of homeless task force efforts, and city staffers were asked to work with the Fresno County Public Health Department to react to mental health without police unless officers are necessary.
Councilmember Esmeralda Soria said the city should capitalize on the new open dialogue being had around the country.
“We all have a responsibility to make things right and better,” she said. “It is our opportunity to redesign how our city will work for all Fresnans.”
The council is expected to approve a budget by June 25.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 6:54 PM.
