Do Fresno’s police reform ideas go too far? Far enough? Here are the new recommendations
The Fresno commission on police reform has made 73 recommendations for the Fresno Police Department related to everything from requiring officers on school campuses to deadly use of force.
The 40-member commission is set to vote on its report as a whole on Thursday, but the commission approved all 73 of the proposed recommendations. The City Council has the ultimate decision on what to do with the recommendations.
Other recommendations include updating policy to recruit and hire a more diverse police force and when officers should respond to non-violent calls for service.
Commission chairperson Oliver Baines, a retired Fresno police officer and former City Council member, said he stands behind the commission’s recommendations, noting the commission was under a time crunch and could only do so much.
“I get emails that say we went too far in some areas and people who say we didn’t go far enough. This is complicated stuff,” he said “I feel confident given the time and the diversity of the members, Fresno should be proud of what this commission did.”
“Most people, we found, are pro-police and pro-reform,” Baines said. “In doing this work, we have the opportunity to tell the truth about the history of policing. It needs reform. I know that, and I was a police officer.”
The commission’s deadline kept the members from being able to take many recommendations further, but it was a starting point, according to Ashley Rojas, a member who is also executive director of Fresno Barrios Unidos.
She said the commission sub-committee’s sometimes felt hamstrung by outdated information, and the shortness of the commission’s deadline didn’t allow for enough discussion on the Fresno Police Department budget.
“I’m hoping that with ongoing work we can set limits on how much of the general fund they can ask for,” she said.
The department’s budget has been a contention for many years. About half of the city’s general fund goes to police, and the amount continues to go up.
Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall is asking for a budget of $210 million — about $10 million more than last year — a request that has drawn strong criticism from residents who have pushed for a reduction in the city’s policing. The proposed police budget is $40 million more than two years ago.
Hall declined to comment on Tuesday, saying he’d reserve comments for the final vote of the commission on Thursday, according to Sgt. Jeff La Blue.
Rojas said she was also frustrated the commission gave what she said was false balance to the voices contributing to the discussion on reform. She said there was a devaluing of the voices of people directly affected by over-policing.
“People say there are two sides,” she said. “What they’re really talking about with this is people in positions of power and their oppression of other people and being comfortable where they are.”
Main points in the report
The final report includes these highlights in its summary:
- FPD officers should not be dispatched for calls relating to mental health or behavioral issues of a non-violent nature. The city should increase reliance on behavioral health and trained medical professionals to respond to such calls.
- The FPD use of force policy should state that deadly force may be used only for the protection of human life.
- The city should prepare an “Equity in Recruiting, Hiring, and Promotions Plan” to determine and adopt best practices for a diverse department reflective of the Fresno community.
- The city should not enter into contracts for policing with school districts. The city should encourage school districts to engage in investments that will provide a more positive experience leading to positive outcomes for students
- The city should explore additional opportunities to establish joint/shared use agreements with community groups to ensure that young people have safe places to be during non-school hours.
- The city should focus on building trust in south Fresno by investing more money in social support services and opportunities, including through a partnership with the Community Justice Center.
The plans to form the committee were announced on June 11 after an outcry from the community, including Fresno State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called for police reform in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Reassign police
There was an emphasis on freeing up police officers from doing tasks other than patrolling and responding to calls of violence, committee members said.
That includes changing the system to stop officers from responding to mental health calls, homelessness-related issues and requiring them on school campuses. Those issue could be handled by mental health experts or trained counselors.
“That’s just not the right use of their time,” Baines said. “They aren’t equipped to respond, nor should they have to be, but somebody has to.”
The final report references cities, like Portland, Minneapolis and Denver, where school districts have decided they don’t want police on campus. In contrast in June, the Fresno Unified School District decided to increase funding to have police on campus.
The commission on police reform decided it wants to end the relationship, assuming the final report is adopted.
Commission vice chairperson Sandra Celedon said the commission found an overarching theme that many uses of police officer time were not backed up by metrics or a clear philosophy for its reasons.
That included why police should remain on school campuses, the executive director of Fresno Building Healthy Communities said.
Data from the U.S. Department of Education also shows students of color are disciplined more often and more harshly than white students.
“There’s the belief that an officer is on campus to create safety,” Celedon said. “We know safety is created by investment in our students. This is a call to take responsibility and say we will no longer participate in negative outcomes of our children.”
Implementation
Commission members agreed the recommendations are just the start. The next step is getting the City Council and the next administration on board.
Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer declined to comment on Wednesday saying he hasn’t read through the entire report, which was made public Tuesday morning.
Fresno Police Officers Union President Todd Fraizer could not be immediately reached for comment.
Baines said true reform of the department won’t happen over night.
“I want to be really clear, this is only just the start,” Baines said. “Implementation is a challenge in itself.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
