Pittsburg Police Chiefs Comments to City Council: “We Can And Will Do Better”

The following is comments prepared ahead of the June 8 Pittsburg City Council Meeting by police chief Brian Addington.  As of publication, video from last nights meeting is not yet available. Will update councils response when available.

Chiefs Comments as Prepared:

I want to start my comments by publicly thanking the men and women of the Pittsburg Police Department and letting them know they have my full support. It has no-doubt been the toughest week in the policing profession in my lifetime. It feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Emotions are high, and it is not easy to be a police officer. It is also not easy for the families of our police officers, who have seen the hurt in our eyes, as we continue to come to work to protect those who seem to hate us.

Pittsburg police officers have the temperament and character to wield the responsibility that comes with being a police officer. I know this because I have worked with, hired, or promoted everybody in this Department. We are not racists, despite what some – who do not even know our names, might think. So, to every man and woman at the Pittsburg police Department I stand with you and I support you.

Last week I publicly expressed my disgust for the actions of four in my profession that failed to have any human dignity and now stand charged with murder. What the world witnessed sparked a cry against police brutality and injustice that has been heard around the globe. I had an on opportunity on Friday to kneel in solidarity with people in our community – a community I have faithfully served for over two decades. I heard the message loud and clear and I recognize that we, as a profession need to make changes to maintain the trust of our community. For us to succeed, our community needs to have faith and trust in us. Many do, but it is clear right now that some do not.

In May of 2015, the President’s Task Force on 21St Century Policing provided a playbook for all police agencies across the US. Many of the recommendations and action items in that document have been implemented and engrained in the culture of the Pittsburg Police Department. We would not be where we are today if we had not. But it is clear more is needed. Over the past few days, I have listened to our community, both those who have expressed support – and those who have expressed their disdain. As the Pittsburg community, this is our moment, and where we go from here, will have a permanent impact on relations between police and the people we serve.

Today I want to announce some specific, actionable things that I am doing to show my commitment to making needed changes to maintain the trust and support of our entire community, and hopefully ease tension that is leading to mistrust:

Last Friday I issued an order prohibiting the use of the carotid restraint as an approved application of force. I want to be clear; the carotid restraint is not the same as the chokehold – that was banned a long time ago, but the carotid is controversial, and we are listening. The governor called for police agencies across the State to do this, and in the past 3 ½ years we have used this hold twice; both times it was ineffective.

I am committing to continuing our efforts of transparency with our community. We have made considerable progress with this, but we will do more.

State Law requires police department across the state to release videos of critical incidents within 45-days. Today, I am committing to release them in 15-days or less. I am also committing to notifying our community of any incident where a person dies as a result of a police action within 10-hours.

We will no longer use our own supervisors to conduct internal affairs investigations. We will use an outside, independent investigator to conduct all internal affairs investigations.

I will immediately implement a review process for all stand-alone 148 arrests. 148 is the penal code section for resisting or delaying an officer in the performance of his or her duties. This law is essential, but it can be misused, and too often it is viewed by minorities as an oppressive tool used by police. Currently we have a review process for every use of force incident. This model will now be used to review every stand-alone 148 arrest. Any suspected abuse will be immediately referred to the independent internal affairs investigator.

I commit to providing the City Council with a quarterly report on all use of force incidents that have occurred in the City, and an update on every internal affairs investigation. The first report will be presented within 60 days.

Today, I ask the City to divert $15k from the Police budget and use it to launch a local chapter of “My Brother’s Keeper” Program. President Obama launched this program 6 years ago to help expand opportunities for young men of color, and ensure all youth have an opportunity to reach their full potential. We need this program in our community.

I want to publicly extend an invitation to every member of our community to come and spend an hour in our Department’s use of force / de-escalation training simulator, and an invitation to participate in a ride-a-long to get to know the officers serving in our community.

I commit to returning to this council within 60 days with additional action item recommendations for the Council. One common thread I heard from this Council is a strong commitment to action. There are a lot of sources reporting on recommendation for police change. And that is great. Some of the ideas are good; others may not be. But this will allow me to be part of the dialogue and provide my recommendations, as your Police Chief.

And finally, in appreciation for the peaceful way Pittsburg came together to protest, I extended an invitation to all of those that protested in our City to join our Department at a community BBQ sponsored by the Pittsburg Police Department. We will have the BBQ Saturday July 11th here at City Hall starting at 11:30am. We would like to do it sooner, but we are being mindful of the County’s Covid restrictions.

In closing, I know we are only one of over 18,000 police departments across the Country, but our profession can, and will do better. We will rise to this challenge and help carry the message that police brutality, injustice, and racism will not be tolerated. This is not an us against them movement; this must be a unified movement if we have any hope of making real, lasting change. I also want each of you council members to know that I support you and have faith that you will continue to lead this city forward. Thank you