STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of February 23, 2021
TO: Members of the City Council
SUBMITTED BY: William Imboden; Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Police Chief’s Advisory Board
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive an Informational Report
FISCAL IMPACT OF RECOMMENDATION: None
DISCUSSION:
Since returning to the Hercules Police Department in September of 2018 as Chief, the establishment of a Chief’s Advisory Board, made up of members of the Hercules community, has been a goal. This goal was established when I first became Chief in order to assist me in leading the Department in a manner consistent with the needs and desires of the community. Successful examples of Advisory Boards in other communities seem to have worked well and in St. Helena where I benefitted from having established a similar ad hoc board.
As articulated further in Attachment 1, the purpose of a Chief’s Advisory Board (CAB) will be to act as a resource for the Chief in the formation of strategies, development of policing concepts, to increase public awareness regarding policy issues, and to provide more formalized opportunity for community input.
The formation of a Chief’s Advisory Board cannot be done in a vacuum and the first few years of my tenure was focused on building relationships. At the time that I would have otherwise been looking to launch a CAB, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events derailed th ose plans. However, relationships have continued to be fostered and it is timely to proceed with the formation of a CAB for a variety of reasons.
In July 2020, the City Manager and I hosted the first of two Town Hall meetings to discuss issues related to police use of force and Department policies, with the second Town Hall having been in August. In July 2020, the City Council dedicated a special meeting to the topic of policing. As requested by the City Council at that time, the first of an annual Town Hall on policing has also been set for March 18, 2021. As a result of these town hall meetings and follow-up, the Department made a presentation to the City Council in October 2020, on use of force policies and statistics in Hercules, and other policing related topics.
Subsequently, the City Manager and Police Chief were also invited to attend a community led on-line discussion focused on ways to provide public input and build public trust with the police. Out of that meeting came a renewed interest in forming a Chie f’s Advisory Board. At this point, we plan to announce the formation of the Chief’s Advisory Board framework as part of the March 18th Town Hall and plan to have the Board in place by the end of May 2020.
Formation of the CAB will be shared widely via s ocial media and the City’s other outlets with members of the Hercules residential and business communities encouraged to apply , the draft announcement regarding the CAB is attached (Attachment 2). Thereafter meetings will be held every other month on an on-going basis.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Police Chief’s Advisory Board Mission and Purpose Statement
2. Police Chief’s Advisory Board Announcement