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Police Oversight Study Team Meets with Community for First of Two Public Hearings

Published on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 | 5:45 am
 
Barbara Attard and Kathryn Olson of Change Integration address the first of two community meetings about police oversight in the Council Chambers of Pasadena City Hall on Tuesday, January 26, 2016.

The first of two hearings regarding a study of police oversight models suitable for Pasadena attracted fewer than twenty interested residents in the Council Chambers at City Hall Tuesday night.

The hearing was the first local public appearance by the principals of the firm hired to prepare the study, Kathryn Olson and her partner Barbara Attard, of Change Integration Consulting LLC. .

The pair presented an overview of their task to examine various models of police oversight as it is exercised currently in various American cities, and ultimately to present a report to the City at the end of March. Both Olson and Attard are past presidents of NACOLE, the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

“The City has engaged outside professionals to lead a study of Independent Oversight to determine whether there are models of oversight from which Pasadena could benefit. We need the public’s input and encourage their active and critical participation in this study and planning phase where it can make an appreciable difference,” Councilmember Kennedy said in January, after Olson was hired.

Olson and Attard are in Pasadena for a week of meetings with elected officials, members of the police department, and community members. No members of the police department or City government officials were in attendance at last night’s meeting except for the event’s moderator, Assistant City Manager Steve Mermell.

Maranatha High School student Dylan Haymond comments during the community meeting about police oversight at Pasadena City Hall on January 26, 2016.

Attard is a former Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose, and also worked with the Berkeley Police Review Commission, and the San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints. Olson’s is the former civilian director of the Office of Professional Accountability for the City of Seattle’s Police Department.

While Olson’s work in Seattle drew criticism from civil rights activists and some observers, she was welcomed by both civilian and government leaders in Pasadena upon her hiring here.

Outlining their work plan, Olson told the meeting that among their initial duties would be to hold stakeholder interviews as well as community meetings.

‘Then we will go back home and begin to study oversight models in other cities,” said Olson. The consultant’s final report will be presented to the Public Safety Committee and the City Council at the end of March.

Both Olson and Attard emphasized that this work is not the actual oversight or audit of the Pasadena Police Department.

“That is much further down the line,” said Olson. She said her group may or may not be involved after any oversight model is selected by the City.

According to Olson’s presentation, civilian police oversight is defined as “an agency or procedure involving community members or civilian oversight practitioners in various aspects of law enforcement.”

As Olson described the duties, an oversight committee, (which may be referred to by several names, such as auditor, monitor, review board, or oversight commission) would:

  • accept and refer complaints
  • investigate complaints
  • monitor or audit internal affairs investigations
  • conduct hearings and decide police discipline matters
  • handle discipline appeals
  • conduct police misconduct pattern and practice reviews
  • recommend improvement to police policy, practices and training
  • report on oversight efforts and police reforms
  • conduct community engagement about police and oversight matters

“Police oversight has been around, in one capacity or another for many, many years,” said Olson. “Good oversight can actually enhance quality control within a police department.”

Asked whether she thought that her work would be met with trust and openness by the police department, Olson said her experience so far “is that people have been very, very open in giving us information.”

She continued by repeating that she and Attard were not retained to perform “an audit of any of the work of the (Pasadena) police department. That is not our job.”

“We are here to help the city decide if it wants to adopt an oversight model,” she continued, “and if so, what that model will be. Our process, as we do that, is to be as inclusive as we can, with as many stakeholders as we can.”

Attorney Dale Gronemeier, who represented the parents of Kendrec McDade in a 2014 police shooting case, then asked Olson about the importance of independence to the eventual police auditor.

“Independence is very important to an auditor. How you create that independence varies greatly by community,” Olson answered.

She pointed out that in Seattle, her civilian office was in the police department office itself.

“I had complete independence,” she said. “No one was looking over my shoulder, other than an outside auditor. I reported to the City Council, the Mayor, and the Police Chief. Everybody. That ultimately created some perception issues, though. If I was in the police office, could I truly be independent? And we all know that perception is reality, so regardless of the real relationship of the auditor to the police, you’ve got to deal with the perception issues that can result.”

Added Attard, “Independence is important. You want to make sure that whoever has that job can be honest in their findings, and be as open as they can, with whatever their findings or recommendations are.”

Attard added that that independence should be “spelled out” beforehand in whatever legislation is created to establish the office.

Olson and Attard will hold their second community hearing in Northwest Pasadena this coming Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Center Auditorium, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue.

 

 

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