On Tuesday, Antioch City Councilmembers Monica Wilson and Tamisha Torres-Walker announced during a press conference they would be introducing three new police reform items to be discussed in the near future.
The items for future discussion include:
- K9 deployment policy
- Early intervention strategy to track and monitor use of force by officers
- Cell phone policy on city issued phones
According to Wilson, the items will be discussed in a study session during the Police Oversight Committee, which all five members are the Antioch City Council. No timeline was provided on Tuesday.
Here is a transcript of what was stated during the approximately 10-minute press conference + media questions:
Monica Wilson, chair of the police oversight commission, said the following:
“My colleague and I are here today because we feel its critical for Use of Force legislation be introduced for a vote now. I will be convening a meeting to develop these policies. We say in the recent East Bay Times article that talked about various of abuses that may have been caused by Antioch Police Department. To me, that is unacceptable. How can we expect our community to work with us to both prevent and solve crimes if we are not holding ourselves accountable. Although I am proud of the reforms that we have implemented to date, there is no denying that we continue to have a lot of work to do as the issues within the department have been unchecked for decades. I have full faith and confidence that Chief Ford will make the Antioch Police Department one of the best in the nation. However, for him to be able to do that, he is going to have to have the full support of the city council as it our job to provide him with the necessary tools to be successful at his job. With that in mind, councilmember Torres-Walker and I are going to seek to enact into legislation the following reforms. K9 bite policy, early intervention to track and monitor use of force, implementation of a system to monitor cell phone use. By addressing these three items we are providing chief Ford with the tools that will have an immediate impact in allowing the police department to have stronger systems of accountability. By establishing strong accountability within the Antioch Police Department we can get closer to our goal of truly working in partnership with our community because we need to build trust.”
Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford
“Good Morning, I am Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford. To put things in proper perspective we must first embrace the concept of due process with respect to our members. Moving forward, however, I will be inserting some internal control mechanisms allowing us to better assess our systems and processes from within. To begin with, we will do a top-down assessment of our K9 policy. This resource serves great utility for the department; however, we will take a closer look at how we deploy our k9 with emphasis on mitigating unnecessary harm and liability. With Use of Force policy, we are currently evaluating a early prevention system to better track and monitor the deployment of force when circumstances dictate. This will allow the organization to identify potential items and measures when necessary. Lastly, we are exploring systems that will allow us to monitor department issued cell phones. Department issued cell phones are a tremendous resource and will consult with our technological professionals to ensure their exclusively used in a business capacity only. All of these measures will be utilized to make certain the organization remains forward thinking and adheres to the paradigm of procedural justice policing, accountability and transparent public service. In conclusion as I said prior, the current circumstances do not in any way represent the entire organization as a whole, remaining mindful that the men and women who protect and serve this city do so in a meaningful way.”
Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker:
“The reforms we are introducing today are critical because without them we are at risk of losing trust in our community. Not only must police reform must have the diversity to match our city it must also come with the tools to properly safeguard and violate public trust. I know what this violation feels like as my family and I were subjected to humiliating treatment, by those who we have historically trusted to uphold the laws that govern our society. I know I am not the only resident who has gone through this type of treatment. Residents, allies and family members who have been mistreated or worse are asking city leaders, the police department and the District Attorney Office to release the names of the officers that are currently under investigation. Do I believe in doing so we can create an environment of openness and transparency that will allow for the officers who are not under investigation to continue to do great work in our community by building trust. I absolutely do believe that by releasing the names of all the officers under investigation currently in the city of Antioch, it will increase transparency and public trust. Yes, I do believe that. However, everyone, officer Prieto, officer Rodriquez and officer Shipilov just to name a few all deserve a fair and impartial process. I ran on a platform of re-imagining public safety and despite being targeted I have accomplished what others failed to do when it comes to providing all Antioch residents with non-violent policing services and I will not stop. Lastly, its not about the position you are in, its about what you do for the people you represent while you are in that position.”
Media Question 1: Can you provide some background information about why we are hear today?
Chief Ford: Looking at abuse of use of force, cell phone and K9 policy. Ford said they have some issues they are trying to shore up and measures they hope will help.
Media Question 2: The councilwoman was directly impacted by this?
Torres-Walker said “yes” but was not afforded same fair and impartial process officers Prieto, Rodriquez and Shipilov will be afforded during this external investigation. (Officers involved in incident that led to misdemeanor that was later dropped).
Media Question 3: Antioch Polic K9 deployments higher than other bay area agencies?
Chief said they are looking at the policy and doing things to mitigate harm and liability.
Media Question 4: What committee is this?
Wilson – it’s the Police Oversight Committee, all five members are the Antioch City Council.
Media Question 5: Has this policy already been developed?
Wilson said she and the chief will work out a date to work on these policies.
Media Question 6: How difficult is it to recruit officers when you are embroiled in this at this time?
Ford called it a tough time across the board and not in this alone. Ford say they are working on robust recruitment process to create an attractive department.
Media Question 7: What is the timeline
Wilson said this will be a study session before going to committee.
Media Question 8: What about the tasers that automatically record, councilwoman you voted against those.
Wilson – thank you, and ended the press conference.
2 comments
If I throw a party , and gun shots happen , don’t question me if I am of That race!
The logical thing to do would be to wait until the results of the current investigations supposedly under way are concluded. Then there would be a much clearer picture of what, if any, reforms are needed. But, of course, political posturing takes precedence here.
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