Fresno’s police reform commission did its job. It’s time for politicians to do theirs
On a February morning in 2009, Fresno police responded to a call about a homeless man sleeping beneath a tree in an empty lot next to the AM/PM at Bullard and Blackstone.
What happened next would reshape police accountability in Fresno. Video of the two officers assaulting 52-year-old Glen Beaty — one repeatedly punched Beaty in the head while the other held him down — made national news and led to the formation of the city’s first police auditor.
Eleven years later, as the Fresno City Council decides whether to adopt all or some of the 73 recommendations suggested by the city’s commission on police reform, the 2009 incident remains relevant.
How so? Because if the City Council takes the commission’s report to heart, Fresno Police Department officers will no longer be dispatched for calls relating to mental health or non-violent behavioral matters.
Such as a homeless man dozing under a tree in a vacant lot and not bothering anyone.
Can we all agree there are better uses of a police officer’s time? And that cops may not be the public servants best equipped to handle a paranoid schizophrenic (as Beaty had previously been diagnosed)?
Even in a year as divisive as this one, it feels like we can.
“A large portion of FPD calls have a mental-health-related component, and that portion has continued to rise in the last few years,” the report reads. “There are significant concerns that officers are not the proper resource to serve as gatekeepers for both the criminal justice and mental health systems.
“These concerns are shared not only by advocates; (Fresno Police Officers Association) leadership and officers on the (commission) have expressed these concerns.”
Removing that responsibility from police officers and handing it to trained medical and mental-health specialists — as many cities have done — is a good starting point.
Even outgoing Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall concurs.
“They’re sick. They’re not criminals,” Hall said about non-violent calls involving drugs or the mentally ill. “They need services. More than (police) can provide.”
The issue of police reform is typically fought along familiar battle lines: advocates and activists on one side, police and pro-law enforcement groups on the other.
But what’s striking about the 69-page final report, cobbled together over 4½ months, is its inclusiveness.
This isn’t “Defund the Police” versus “Blue Lives Matter.” It’s 37 commission members and interested parties, including Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer, working together to form mutually beneficial solutions.
Move past ‘false dichotomy’
“An important observation made many community members almost across the board is a shared desire to move beyond the false dichotomy that pits community interests against those of the FPD,” the report reads.
“All Fresnans have a common interest in a safe and thriving Fresno in which everyone is treated fairly and equitably. Creating that reality will require a new level of trust between the community and FPD; building trust will depend in part on how the City and FPD engage with the neighborhoods that have historically been most marginalized.”
That’s very well stated and accurate. And, yes, it is possible with certain reforms.
Let’s not be naive. I fully expect FPD leadership, the FPOA and certain council members to fight tooth and nail against the formation of a new Civilian Oversight Board with significantly greater authority than the current Citizens Public Safety Advisory Board.
The commission envisions an 11- or 13-person Board, nominated by fellow residents or themselves, that represents Fresno’s racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. Each of the seven council districts must be represented by at least one member, and should include at least one former public defender; a former cop; a professor of criminology or sociology; and someone under the age of 21.
All meetings of the Civilian Oversight Board would be open to the public, and the body would work hand in hand with the Office of Independent Review, which would also see its powers enhanced.
This is a great idea — more police oversight only serves to increase community trust — whose time is long overdue.
From skeptical to hopeful
On the other hand, I don’t see any way the City Council adopts the commission’s recommendation to remove police officers from school campuses. No matter what the data say.
That decision should be up to the Fresno Unified Board of Education, whose members recently voted to increase funding for contracts with law-enforcement agencies. Should it not?
Back in July, I was skeptical about whether the city would take police reform efforts seriously. Pro-law enforcement sentiment runs deep in Fresno, and the political influence of the FPOA is too pervasive.
Today, I’m hopeful. Fresno’s commission on police reform has handed the City Council a detailed, well-thought out blueprint for change.
Now the onus falls upon our elected leaders to adopt most, if not all, of the 73 recommendations. Or else the last few months were little more than lip service and a waste of the community’s time.
