Police Oversight Commission Will Deal With Organizational Matters During First Meeting Tuesday

The first meeting of the Pasadena Police Oversight Commission on Tuesday will largely cover organizational matters, according to an agenda released by the city.

The first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

There are no items on the agenda requiring action by the commission beyond appointing a chair and vice chair.

The meeting will kick off with a welcome and introductions, followed by the teleconference protocols and logistics.

City Manager Steve Mermell and Mayor Victor Gordo will advise members on the role of the commission within the city’s organizational structure followed by a presentation on the Brown Act, the Public Records Act and rules and procedures required by the City Attorney’s Office.

Outside counsel will also cover the role of the commission along with Independent Police Auditor (IPA) Brian Maxey.

The group was created after a unanimous City Council vote more than a year ago.

The 11-member body is composed of seven women and four men, including a retired Superior Court judge and retired Sheriff’s Department lieutenant.

Esprit Jones, Noemi Emeric-Ford, Donald R. Matthews, Barbara Stacy, Raul Ibanez, Patricia Kinaga, Lawrence Lurvey and Phillip J. Argento have been chosen to represent the City Council and Mayor Victor Gordo, respectively.

Juliana Serrano, Florence Annang and Alexis Abernethy were chosen to represent three community organizations.

The commission may be the most diverse in town with five African-American members, and a majority of women,
The commission cannot take up cases being investigated by the city or the police department.

In addition, commission members will be required to obey all personnel laws.

Several commission members have experienced dealing with policing issues.

Argento was appointed to the Municipal Court bench in 1982 by former Gov. Jerry Brown and served on the Superior Court bench from 2000 up to his retirement in 2005.

“My experience as a judge included oversight of police work such as reviewing applications for search warrants, handling motions to suppress evidence arising from alleged violations of the Fourth Amendment, and accessing police personnel records concerning incidents of excessive force and falsification of records,” Argento wrote on his application.

“I have completed education and training in anti-bias as required by the Judicial Council,” he continued. “I recently completed a 20-hour workshop, ‘Racism in America: What Is Mine to Do?’”

Nominated by Councilmember Kennedy, Matthews said he spent most of his adult life in law enforcement. If approved, Matthews would be the panel’s only Black male member.

“I grew up in South Central Los Angeles,” wrote Matthews, who also served with the L.A. County Marshal’s Department.