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CC - (1) Consideration of a Proposed Process to Review Culver City Police Department’s Use of Force Policies; (2) Approval of Project Framework to Review Public Safety Services, Resources and Responsibilities; (3) Approval of Professional Services Agreements with Saul Sarabia and Center for Public Safety Management in a Total Amount Not-to-Exceed $100,000; and (4) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Contact Person/Dept: Serena Wright-Black/Administrative Services
Phone Number: (310) 253-5640
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (07/08/2020)
Department Approval: John M. Nachbar, City Manager (07/xx/2020)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) consider a proposed process to review the Culver City Police Department’s Use of Force Policies; (2) approve the project framework to review public safety services, resources and responsibilities; (3) approve professional services agreements with Saul Sarabia and Center for Public Safety Management in an aggregate total not-to-exceed $100,000 for the combined agreements; and (4) provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The Mayor’s Pledge
On June 15, 2020, City Council authorized the Mayor to sign Former President Barack Obama’s Mayor’s Pledge (“Pledge”). The Pledge commits mayors, city councils and police oversight bodies to the following actions:
(1) Review police use of force policies.
(2) Engage communities by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in the review.
(3) Report the findings of the review to the community and seek feedback.
(4) Reform the police use of force policies.
City Council directed the City Manager’s Office to engage with the Police Department in developing a public review process to undertake the various steps outlined in the Pledge. Following is an overview of a recommended process for City Council consideration.
1. Internal administrative review, led by the City Manager’s Office, in coordination with the Chief of Police, of Culver City Police Department Policies 300 (Use of Force) and 301 (Use of Force Review) (collectively, “Policies”).
2. Meet with the City’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) team members to receive comments and reactions to the Policies.
3. Conduct a series of listening sessions with the community to hear about their experiences and perceptions of the Policies.
4. Solicit additional feedback utilizing a public survey.
5. Discuss the Policies and community feedback with the Police Chief’s Advisory Panel.
6. Report findings to City Council and receive direction on potential reforms.
7. Incorporate City Council feedback and draft policy revisions.
8. Hold community meeting to review proposed revisions.
9. Develop an implementation plan, which includes meeting and conferring with appropriate labor representatives as required.
10. Implement policy reforms.
It should be noted that the outlined process may need to be adjusted and steps may need to be repeated based upon public feedback and other factors and circumstances.
Public Safety Review
On June 22, 2020, City Council considered a recommendation from the Ad Hoc Police Liaison Subcommittee (Mayor Eriksson and Council Member Small) to establish a task force for the purposes of reviewing public safety services, resources and responsibilities.
City Council provided broad direction to staff, requesting that City committees and community members be incorporated into the process, as well as potentially engaging outside consultants or facilitators, and returning to City Council with a recommended approach.
Based on the timeline and the in-depth review that is required, staff is recommending the City Council approve professional services agreements with two consultants: Saúl Sarabia and the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM). The consultants will work with the internal team to develop the project work plan, gather data pertaining to services, programs, budgets and staffing, facilitate review meetings with the Police Chief’s Advisory Panel, the Finance Advisory Committee, members of GARE, and other community members or organizations and, ultimately, prepare and present recommendations to the City Council.
Pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.065.A, professional services are exempt from formal competitive bid procedures, provided the agreement is based upon competitive quotations, whenever practical, as determined by the City Manager. In this instance, given the abbreviated timeframe and the specialized skills, experience and qualifications desired to conduct the review and facilitation, the City Manager determined it was not practical to obtain competitive quotations for this project.
Saúl Sarabia
Mr. Sarabia has over 25 years’ experience fighting injustice and partnering for social change. He has worked to dismantle structural racism and has been a community organizer in South Los Angeles, a human rights advocate in Central America, and a case advocate for homeless families. Some of his recent projects include chairing the Probation Reform and Implementation Team for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and for UCLA Institute for Research on Labor & Employment on a project pertaining to decarceration.
The proposal from Mr. Sarabia’s is $39,600 and includes assisting with developing the approach and timeline for the project, data collection and synthesis, facilitating external meetings and developing and presenting recommendations to City Council.
Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM)
CPSM is the exclusive provider of public safety technical assistance for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and provides support to local governments in the areas of police, fire and emergency medical services. CPSM have conducted over 341 public safety studies in over 42 states and provinces and 246 communities ranging in population from 8,000 to 800,000.
CPSM’s proposal includes a 10% discount totaling $59,400 and focuses on workload and deployment analysis, review of staffing levels and organizational structure, best practices related to core police functions, and the identification of opportunities to reallocate services and resources.
Police Chief’s Advisory Panel
It is envisioned that the Police Chief’s Advisory Panel (CAP) will play a significant role in the public safety review process. The CAP was established earlier this year and designed to provide a community perspective on Police Department policies, procedures, programs and equipment. The 24-member panel represents a diverse mix of community members.
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Alexander, Crystal C. |
Johnson, Lisa E. |
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Allan, Joel |
Kramer, Carol L. |
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Benjamin, Stephanie |
Maxberry, Jerad S. |
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Chabola, Jerry F. |
McBride, Summer M. |
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Daly Redholtz, Vicki |
Ostrin, Leslie B. |
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Esparza, Robert |
Qadri, Riyaz |
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Griffin, Kimberly T. |
Stivers, Sandy L. |
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Herrbach, Mara |
Walker, Jewett L. |
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Hooten, Eva |
Weinrauch, Deborah A. |
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Huntley, Marcus M. |
Weissman, Andrew N. |
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Jacobsen, Anne |
Yu, Florence |
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FISCAL ANALYSIS
Funding for the professional services agreements will be transferred from the Non-Department Appropriated Reserve account to the Contract Services Account# 10110100.619800 in an amount not to exceed $100,000.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 20-07-13_ATT No. 1_Culver City Police Department Policy 300
2. 20-07-13_ATT No. 2_Culver City Police Department Policy 301
3. 20-07-13_ATT No. 3_Proposal and Scope of Work from Saúl Sarabia
4. 20-07-13_ATT No. 4_Proposal from Center for Public Safety Management
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
1. Consider a proposed process to review the Culver City Police Department’s Use of Force Policy;
2. Approve the project framework to review public safety services, resources and responsibilities;
3. Approve respective professional services agreements for Saul Sarabia and Center for Public Safety Management in a total aggregate amount not-to-exceed $100,000 for the combined agreements;
4. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents;
5. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City; and
6. Provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.