Thread by @shayshinecastle

Hey, all. It's #Boulder City council night. Just a study session, so go back to your knitting if you'd like. But we've got budget stuff, a CU South update and progress report on the police oversight task force, so maybe pay attention.

I'm going to be working from home today bc I just got home from vacay 2 hrs ago and my dog's (benign) tumor, Tumor Willis, is bleeding. I don't want to leave her alone in a vulnerable state. So @bouldercolorado if you can make sure the livestream is working, that would be great!

Here's a picture of her in a T-shirt/makeshift bandage until I can get her to the vet tomorrow. To atone for my absence.

I'm not sure how helpful my tweets will be tonight since I'll be on the same delay as ya'll watching at home. But I'll do what I can to provide context.

Ok, the livestream just kicked in, so I guess we're getting started.

Feels so exciting, watching from home!

First up is an update from the police oversight task force. Formed in April/May to explore possible methods of civilian oversight of Boulder PD, in response to the incident in which several officers confronted Zayd Atkinson, an unarmed black Naropa student picking up trash.

boulderbeat.news/2019/03/19/bou…

The entire task force is here tonight.

They are: Mike Rafik
Nami Thompson
Madelyn Strong Woodley
Michele D. Simpson
Sheila Davis
Selasee Atiase
Shawna Rae Passalacqua
James Hill

Shirly White
Todd Conklin, Jr.
Sophia Pelecanos
Michele Danae
Carlene Hofmann
Pam Gignac
Ex-oficio: Christian Gardner-Wood (DA’s office) and John Gifford (public defender)

Those last two members (not ex-oficio) are cops.

Denae, Conkin and Pelecanos are presenting tonight.

Dang my livestream is buffering. I'll just keep sharing from my notes.

The group has invested over 500 hours in researching oversight, learned about city process and police investigations, conducted 70+ interviews with community “stakeholders” on equity and diversity

Study session on Oct. 10 will assess final report, with implementation to follow.

Here are some key findings of why more/dif oversight is needed: Review of complaints against police officers is not adequate

Police dept investigates itself, contributing to a lack of transparency, and a conflict of interest community members feel

Current overseeing body, the 12-member Boulder Police Professional Standards Review Panel, is half cops/half community members. It lacks racial diversity and other diversity including economics, age, income level, etc.

Members “only participate in a single day of training” which does not include a “significant focus” on bias. Can only review internal investigations regarding allegations of serious misconduct w/ “limited authority” to do anything. Findings “almost never” differ from police dept

Also, police dept. internal investigations don’t have a criteria for addressing bias, according to the task force.

Every community is dif, but there are three models commonly, as ID’d by the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE)

1. Investigation-focused: These groups investigate complaints against officers, either to complement or replace internal investigations. They often serve as the intake for complaints and conduct interviews of officers, witnesses, etc.

Sometimes have the power to subpoena evidence, hold hearings and make findings.

2. Review-focused: These groups evaluate internal investigations, hear appeals, hold public forums, make recommendations for further investigation and generally do community outreach.

3. Auditor/monitor-focused: Professional staff serve independent of the police dept with a focus on “large-scale, systemic reform.” Functions can include public reporting, review of internal investigation practices and other policies, etc.

These three models can be combined. "Most communities choose to create a hybrid... depending on the needs and desires" of the community, Conklin says.

Going over 5 cities which have their own oversight: Denver (auditor model) Tuscon, Ariz. (missed what they have) Euguene, Ore. (hybrid of auditor/review board) Tampa, Fla. (community review model) Palo Alto, Calif. (contracted auditor model)

"There is not single best model of oversight," Conklin says. Every community tailors it to their needs.

Pelecanos going over the task force's concerns on the current PSRP. Already said this, but it lacks racial diversity: It's all white ppl. "We saw homogeny" in age and education, income, background, etc., Pelecanos said. And it's half cops.

Community members don't receive racial bias training. And they can only review a "limited section" of internal investigations, and only investigations of a certain severity (Class 1). So if there were a "pattern" among Class 2, that wouldn't be apparent to the group.

The group almost always agrees with internal investigation findings. Some think this is positive, but "the community doesn't feel good about the continued" (agreement) between PSRP and the police dept., Pelecanos says.

"There's an absence of public trust around that process." Community members "don't believe police should be investigating themselves."

Task force considering adding professional staff to the oversight process, analysis on trends in policing.

Now kicking to council qs.

Jones starts: Are these the only things you're considering? (from the last tweet) Or just some things?

Pelecanos: There is still other stuff on the table. This is just part of it.

Weaver q: Anyone can file a complaint against the police, but then you said PSRP only looks at internal investigations. So what do they look at?

PSRP will hear any complaint, internal or external, but they only look at investigations the police dept. initiates.

I hope that makes sense. It does in my head but not necessarily my tweet.

Morzel asked about community engagement; Denae saying the group is considering that. There are many things that can be done.

Yates: How many complaints make it to the review board?
Denae: 3-6 per year, on average

Young: Are you considering which model works best in a racial equity lens?

Denae: We've narrowed it down which aspects will be beneficial to Boulder, but I'm not sure that specifically is part of our process.

Pelecanos saying Boulder lacks outreach to activist groups or diversity/equity groups when it comes time to apply for the police dept.(?) That was in response to a Carlisle q.

Jones: Does the current review group feel like it's working, or did they see a need for change?

"There was a lot of enlightening in both directions of our questioning," Denae said. They did see "room to grow" and would be "interested in continuing" if the current review group was dismantled/changed.

That review group was formed in 1993. Weaver asking if it was changed in 2014; it was not, Jane Brautigam confirms. "We did discuss it."

Boulder did create a panel that meets with the police dept. "Their role is not to review any of the professional standards; it's to be a liaison between the community and the police department."

Weaver: Did you speak with this group?
No, task force says.
Weaver: "There's obviously holes" in what we're doing now.
Task force will talk to them moving forward.
Carlisle: Did you know about them?
No, task force says.
Jones: We didn't remember ourselves.

That other panel was formed after the Hillard Heinze report that found racial discrepancies in police stops and arrests.

Disparities, rather.

Denae: Members of current review group serve anywhere from 6 mos to 8 years. They're not getting many complaints. Whatever we set up, "we’d like them to review a broader breadth of complaints" and terms set to match the scope of what they look at.

Denae: Complaints that come to the police dept. are more than to the review panel. We need to look at that.

No time limit for reporting complaints, Denae says, but the issue is timeliness. It gets "challenging" to do an investigation after a long time has passed. Accessibility is an issue, "making sure everybody feels safe to do it in a timely manner" will make it more efficient.

Yates: Sounds like there's a hierarchy of complaints.

Yates: It would be interesting to see "where you want to draw the line" for the new organization/board.

Council consensus on that.

Brockett: I didn't have questions, per se, bc I know you're still providing your recommendations. I appreciate "the deep dive" you're doing and the effort you're putting in.

Wants whatever new group to analyze "overall patterns" rather than just being reactive to complaints.

"Are there places to get better?"

"What we need from this group is to try to make process on working issues of structural and systemic racism of the city as a whole. That needs an analysis."

Council consensus on that, too.

Young wants group to look at things with the racial equity lens tool in mind.

Carlisle wants to know if the CU cops are involved, too, "bc I know there are many issues up there ongoing."

Conklin: We only have jurisdiction on Boulder PD. CU police are separate.

Carlisle: I understand. Maybe just as an outreach "bc it's needed."

Denae: Intention of this group is for it to spread, to CU and the sheriff's dept. "These issues are pervasive. The idea is we're hoping it will be contagious and the work will continue."

Carlisle: Maybe city can bring it up at next meeting with CU.

Weaver echoes Young on the GARE process. "If there's an intersection, if it's useful for you, we'd like to hear back from you as well." and Yates on the procedure vs. policies/patterns thing.

(Basically, that those are the two big components: specific complaints and then broader policies.)

Third component, Weaver says, is public engagement.

Morzel would like to see some metrics. "Where are we today ... and see over time are we improving? Not improving?"

Jones: There's outreach for ppl to serve on whatever group we come up with, but also outreach to the community. "As a city, where does that need to emerge as an ongoing conversation?"

"The goal is to evolve together as a city, as a police dept." We need a city that will work for the disenfranchised but also the police dept "or it will fail."

The model needs to "build rather than be resisted."

Task force is introducing themselves, per Morzel's request.

I didn't hear either of the cop members introduce themselves...? But maybe I missed it.

OK that's a wrap on this. @threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!