[SUBJECT: Reimagining Public Safety – Public Comment for 7/15 Police Study Session]

Hello,
My name is {{ insert name }} and I live in Concord. I have some concerns regarding the upcoming City Council Study Session on Policing.

Why is the City Council having a Police “Study Session” without outside subject matter experts and community non-profits, and before having a Town Hall to hear community concerns? We need these steps urgently.

Why do police get 57% of our annual city budget? Why are police handling people experiencing mental health crises instead of trained professionals? Why are unhoused Concord residents criminalized, resulting in continued chronic homelessness? Why are youth at risk of being funneled from Juvenile Detention to prison when counseling has been proven to reduce recidivism? Why are the community organizations providing vital social services so severely underfunded when the Police budget is $63 million dollars per year?

We need the voices of community non-profits, subject matter experts, and community members to determine the best way forward.

The second study session meeting led by the community organizations providing vital services for public safety must happen within the next month. The public and the city council need to hear about the work these organizations do in Concord and what funding they need to complete their missions.

We also need a Town Hall where questions from the public will be engaged with and questions can be answered. This must happen before the end of August.

Conversations on public safety must not wait, and can not exclude social services.
{{ Insert personal comments – see Additional Talking Points if needed }}

Please prioritize equitable public safety for all of Concord.

Signed,
{{ Insert Name }}
Concord Resident, District {{ Insert District Number }}

[SUBJECT: Questions for 7/15 Study Session Presenation]

Hello,
My name is {{ insert name }} and I live in Concord. I have some questions I would like you to address during the upcoming City Council Study Session on Policing.

Why is Concord PD opposed to creating a Civilian Oversight department?

Why are 96% of civilian complaints ruled in favor of police?

Why are police responding to mental health calls, calls regarding unhoused residents, wellness checks, and other non-violent circumstances?

Why has the police budget moved from breaking out costs specifically to one large lump sum in Field Ops Administration 7390 costs? Where can the public find an itemized police department budget?

What percentage of overtime goes to desk work vs. field work?

What percentage of Concord Police Officers reside in Concord?

I look forward to hearing your answers during your presentation.

Signed,
{{ Insert Name }}
Concord Resident, District {{ Insert District Number }}

A presentation on police procedures from the police and city council is not enough. Include nonprofits and community members in the conversation.

• We need to hear from nonprofits working in Concord to provide vital services that create public safety. They work directly in the community. They know what needs communities in Concord have. Any conversation about improving public safety has to include the input of these nonprofits. Many of these organizations are significantly underfunded, and that needs to change. The city must schedule a second study session for community organizations to present their work and their needs.
• We need to hear from community members. Many Concord residents experience harassment from police officers on a regular basis. Vulnerable Concord residents also experience a lack of well-funded social programs that ensure basic human needs are met. We need to listen to their stories and their cries for help. The city must schedule a Town Hall event where community members can engage in a back and forth discussion with the city, something not possible in the 3-minute public comments in regular meetings and study sessions.

Public Safety is more than policing. 

• The safety police provide is not equitable. Police do not solve the root of an individual’s problems, they only punish actions resulting from those problems. Because of this, the likelihood of repeat arrests and incarcerations is high. Taxpayer money would be better spent providing for the basic needs of Concord residents and diversion programs.

Housing is public safety. 

• Housing insecurity and/or homelessness are barriers to employment, healthcare, mental health support, and other vital needs. In order for Concord residents to live safe, healthy lives, we must provide subsidies for housing for low-income families and increase affordable housing units in Concord.
• Policing and incarceration only punish and criminalize homelessness and housing insecurity. When unhoused people are released from custody, their situation hasn’t changed other than a lengthened criminal record.
• Lack of secure housing exacerbates mental health issues, makes treatment more difficult, and makes incidents more public, which increases the likelihood of police involvement in mental health response.
• Protecting tenants prevents homelessness. As rents increase and wages stagnate, families are displaced. We need rent control and a just cause for evictions policy that helps families keep their homes.

Mental health care is public safety. 

• Armed police are not the best people to respond to someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Some patrol officers may recognize common mental illness behaviors, but it’s not reasonable to expect them to make a meaningful clinical assessment of people with mental illness while in the field. Trained and unarmed crisis intervention specialists should be responding to these calls.
• Police using presence, body language, verbal commands to take charge and fast/aggressive actions to react to threats or perceived threats is in direct opposition of best practice for mental illness response.
• Police are trained to view everyone as a threat. This creates violent and potentially life-threatening encounters rather than opportunities to offer vital services to people who need help.
• To continue our current system of policing, we are not only complicit in the criminalization and dehumanization of unhoused people and other marginalized communities, we are funding it.

Youth services are public safety. 

• Providing after-school programs helps enrich children’s lives, as well as help parents to work and support their families.
• Community centers provide resources, relationships, and guidance to empower youth.
• We expect children to learn and get involved in communities, but funding for their programs is cut back every year.
• Police involvement in youth services lowers kids’ sense of safety, preventing them from becoming fully engaged and involved.

Food security is public safety. 

• Food security is a major determinant of school performance for youth. If we want to take care of our children, we need to make sure they are fed.
• There will always be outliers and exceptions, but for the most part, people don’t commit crimes when their basic needs are met. The best way to reduce crime is to ensure people are housed, fed, and healthy.

Healthcare is public safety. 

• Affordable and accessible healthcare is a human right and promotes community stability.
• Our tax dollars would be much better spent analyzing the health and wellness of our communities and setting healthcare goals that improve the overall wellness of families rather than spending $63 million dollars a year on police.

Racial Justice is public safety.

• Black Lives Matter
• Black and Brown people are not provided safety from policing the same way white people are.
• Black and Brown communities are over-policed and criminalized, to the point that many people avoid calling 911 in emergency situations due to fear of mistreatment or violence from police.
• “Tough on Crime” rhetoric by politicians is inherently racist. When politicians advocate for over-policing of Black and Brown communities, they are saying that people of color are more likely to commit crimes which is untrue. These types of actions further vilify communities of color and do absolutely nothing to reduce violent crime in any neighborhood.
• The reason there are continued murders of people of color by police across the country in many different cities is because of systemic racism and a culture of violence that is deeply embedded in police systems. We need to value Black and Brown lives while they are still alive.
• We need to invest in equitable public safety for all, including historically criminalized communities. That looks like investing in housing services and security, mental health services, healthcare, food security, and youth services.
• To continue our current system of policing, we are not only complicit in the criminalization and dehumanization of communities of color and other marginalized communities, we are funding it.

Concord Police Officers are some of the highest-paid city employees.

• You can view the salaries and pensions of Concord Police Officers here: Transparent California

Concord Police are required to comply with Senate Bill 1421

• This bill requires “…peace officer or custodial officer personnel records and records relating to specified incidents, complaints, and investigations involving peace officers and custodial officers to be made available for public inspection pursuant to the California Public Records Act” redacting only personal data of those involved. 
• You can read the text of SB1421 here: CA Legislative Information: SB1421
• To our knowledge, Concord has released information regarding 4 police officer-involved shootings in Concord, but this information and other complaint records and rulings are not prominently accessible on the City website.