The Community Police Review Commission at 5 Years: A Report Card

Come be part of it—help develop new directions for citizen involvement in accountability!

Thursday, June 2, 2005
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Riverside County Office of Education
3939 13th Street (at 12th and Almond)
Free & open to the public

Panelists include Alfredo Figueroa, Bill Howe, Elizabeth Venable, and others

The CPRC was created through city ordinance on April 11, 2000. Join us for a discussion of the RCPA’s 5-year assessment of the CPRC—its history and its future. Panelists will offer their evaluation of the CPRC to date and community perspectives on priorities for its next 5 years. We will distribute our independent 5-year report on the CPRC.

Co-sponsored by The Group.

CPRC Executive Director position slashed to half time

We are dismayed by the recent decision to weaken staff support for both the Human Relations Commission and the CPRC by creating one Executive Director for both. Coming less than two months after the new permanence of the CPRC (the passage of Measure II) this is very troubling, and bundling it with an attempt to weaken the HRC at the same time speaks volumes to the community. These are the two commissions that symbolize and operationalize outreach to the community.

The RCPA position on this decision is:

• Both the CPRC and the HRC require full-time Executive Directors.
• Pedro Payne, formerly the Executive Director for the HRC and now split 50-50 between the two commissions, should be left in place and a full-time Interim Executive Director should be found for the CPRC.
• A national search for a new Executive Director for the CPRC should be opened ASAP.
• The qualifications for the CPRC Executive Director should include experience in police oversight and/or law enforcement, with a strong record of community work.
  

This new staffing arrangement takes effect on January 5, 2005. We are categorically opposed to it.

Success

Measure II passed by majority vote on November 2, 2004:

39,120 / 59.64% Yes votes
26,477 / 40.36% No votes

Press conference announcement

Press Conference to address Measure II
Legacy of the Tyisha Miller Killing – Justice Served

Community Police Review Commission Created in Response to Her Case

Protecting us is their duty. Ensuring that they are fair, firm and consistent is the community’s duty. Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability (RCPA) is a broad based community coalition with representatives from numerous organizations and a long-term commitment to community involvement in oversight of the police.

RCPA has been educating and encouraging voters in Riverside to vote “Yes” on Measure II, a proposed amendment that would make the Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) part of the Riverside City Charter.

Bill Howe, a Retired Police Chief of UCR from 1983-1988 is a strong supporter of Measure II. According to Mr. Howe, “When I was a working police chief, I was against police oversight, however, since I retired and have seen some of the things that have happened in law enforcement, like the Tyisha Miller case, I have changed my mind and believe police oversight is needed.”

WHAT: Community response to voter decision on Measure II
WHO: Linda Dunn, Spokesperson for the Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability, and representatives of the Riverside City Council, the Community Police Review Commission, and the Tyisha Miller Steering Committee
WHERE: Zacatecas Restaurant, 2472 University Ave., Riverside, CA.
WHEN: 10pm – November 2, 2004 “Election Night Event”

The press is cordially invited to attend.

Endorsements for YES on Measure II

The following organizations and individuals have endorsed Measure II:

• Ronald O. Loveridge, Mayor
• Dom Betro, Riverside City Council member, Ward 1
• Ameal Moore, Riverside City Council member, Ward 2
• Nancy Hart, Riverside City Council member, Ward 6
• The Group
• Latino Network
• Inland Valley Friends (Quakers)
• The Green Party County Council (Riverside County)
• Riverside Women’s Democratic Club
• Marjorie M. Mikels, Democratic Candidate for California State Senate, 31st District
• Louis Vandenberg, Democratic Candidate for the 44th Congressional District
• Robert Melsh, Democratic Candidate for the California State Assembly, 64th District
• Rev. Dr. Jerry Louder (President, U.S. Pastors’ Association)
• Rev. Dr. Jesse Wilson, Kansas Avenue SDA Church
• Rev. Paul S. Munford, New Joy Baptist Church
• Mustafa Kuko, Director, Islamic Center of Riverside
• Bill Howe, retired Chief of Police
• Kevin Akin, California State Chair, Peace and Freedom Party
• Dr. Larnel and Victoria Jackson
• Jack B. Clark, Jr.
• Alfredo Figueroa, Assistant Dean of Students, UCR
• The Black Voice News
• Democratic Club of Greater Riverside
• Social Action Committee of the Universalist-Unitarian Church of Riverside
• Dr. Bill Hendrick, RUSD
• Woodie Ruckert-Hughes
• NAACP, Riverside Chapter
• Mary Figueroa, Riverside Community College Board of Trustees
• Jose Medina, Riverside Community College Board of Trustees
• Mark Takano, Riverside Community College Board of Trustees
• Bob Buster, Riverside County Supervisor, District 1
• The Press-Enterprise
• Katie Greene
• Dennis Garcia
• Lt. Michael Crichton, retired, Riverside County Sheriff's Department
• Bill Medina
• Central Labor Council of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties
• Chani Beeman
• Jane Block

Mock debate on Measure II

The RCPA invited the Riverside Police Officers Association (RPOA) to a public debate on Measure II... but the RPOA declined to attend or to participate so we will instead hold a mock debate as follows:

DATE: Tuesday, October 26, 2004.
TIME: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
PLACE: On the downtown Riverside pedestrian mall, beside the commemorative statue of Martin Luther King, Jr., in front of City Hall.

We regret that the RPOA is not willing to engage in dialogue on Measure II.

We issued this invitation to the President of the RPOA:

October 19, 2004

Pat McCarthy, President
Riverside Police Officers Association
8543 Indiana Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504
Phone: 351-1199
email: pmccarthy@riversideca.gov

Dear Officer McCarthy:

The Riverside Coalition on Police Accountability (RCPA) invites the Riverside Police Officers Association to participate in a debate on Measure II. The debate will be held on Tuesday, October 26th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm on the outdoor stage near the front entrance to City Hall.

This will be an opportunity to bring to the citizens of Riverside the reasons why the Community Police Review Commission should, or should not become part of the City Charter.

The RCPA agrees to share the responsibilities by having each side submit four questions. We suggest having co-moderators, one to be appointed by RCPA and one by the Riverside Police Officers Association. RCPA plans to have a response panel of two or three people and you are welcome to do the same. We will provide a timekeeper.

We propose that the debate be held according to the following guidelines:
1. Each moderator will present up to four questions;
2. Each side will be given two minutes to respond and one minute for rebuttal;
3. The co-moderators will alternate questions from those provided by the two sides; and,
4. There will be an opportunity for one follow-up question by each co-moderator.

Please reply to me, the RCPA Chair, by email at deborah.wong@ucr.edu. Confirm your acceptance and provide the name of your co-moderator by noon Friday, October 22, 2004. You are welcome, also, to submit the names of your panel members. If you prefer to submit your four questions at this time, let us know and we will provide you with our questions.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Deborah Wong, RCPA Chair

Proposed addition to the City Charter

If passed, Measure II would add the following section of text to the Riverside City Charter:

Sec. 810. Community police review commission.

There shall be a community police review commission which shall have the power and duty to:

(a) Advise the Mayor and City Council on all police/community relations issues.

(b) Conduct public outreach to educate the community on the purpose of the commission.

(c) Receive, and in its discretion, review and investigate citizen complaints against officers of the Riverside Police Department filed within six months of the date of the alleged misconduct in writing with the commission or any other City office as established by ordinance of the City Council.

(d) Review and investigate the death of any individual arising out of or in connection with actions of a police officer, regardless of whether a complaint regarding such death has been filed.

(e) Conduct a hearing on filed complaints or commission-initiated investigations when such hearing, in the discretion of the commission, will facilitate the fact finding process.

(f) Exercise the power of subpoena to require the attendance of witnesses, including persons employed by the City of Riverside, and the production of books and papers pertinent to the investigation and to administer oaths to such witnesses and to take testimony to the extent permissible by law. Subpoenas shall only be issued by the commission upon the affirmative vote of six commission members.

(g) Make findings concerning allegations contained in the filed complaint to the City Manager and Police Chief.

(h) Review and advise the Riverside Police Department in matters pertaining to police policies and practices.

(i) Prepare and submit an annual report to the Mayor and City Council on commission activities.

Note that the City Council would still have control over the CPRC's administration, e.g., its annual budget, designating the total number of commissioners, selecting commissioners from applicants, etc.