Apparently the city doesn’t. The Police Review Commission (SCPRC) is consistently ignored and sidelined by the city government. If you need a refresher on the reasoning behind the SCPRC’s frustration, please follow this link to an article we wrote on the subject back in April of this year.
Here’s how the SCPRC is defined on its page of the city’s website: The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission is established to provide community participation in reviewing and recommending police department policies, practices, and procedures, and to monitor the implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of city policing initiatives and programs.
So why is it that we are not listening to them?
Back in April, the SCPRC submitted its 2020 recommendations to the Sac City Council, but in June the Council approved only the Commission’s 2020 recommendation to change the Police Department Use of Force Policy. Staff were directed to analyze and provide feedback on the remaining recs. The first group of these recs was to be considered by the Sac City Council on August 24th, 2021. Only, that meeting didn’t happen.
One of the recs was that the City Council create a process or policy requiring a vote on SCPRC recs no later than 3 months after receiving them. According to notes from the most recent SCPRC meeting:
The City agreed to develop an in-depth process with Councilmember Guerra, SacPD, and OPSA, but they have failed to meet after the city said it would create a process before the August 24th meeting (which didn’t happen). Most city advisory bodies already have these processes in place, but commission was never given one which is why their recommendations have waited more than 3 years for City Council’s vote.
Long story short, the City Council is avoiding holding the SPD accountable for the violence it inflicts on our community, particularly on those that are the most marginalized.