Full Notification

Dear Petaluma Community,

Today the men and women of the Petaluma Police Department joined our community and our country in mourning the tragic death of George Floyd with his memorial service.  While we continue to feel pain, anger, and frustration, I want to thank our community members who have demonstrated peacefully or respected those who have chosen to protest here in Petaluma. 

While we all are looking for ways to influence positive change so that everyone in our community feels safe, we all struggle to find the answers to a clear path forward.  We are committed to working with our community to provide professional police services to every community member.  We do this by providing EVERYONE with the opportunity to have voice, by remaining neutral, treating people with dignity and respect, and by being trustworthy and the having the goodwill of others in mind before ourselves. 

Our Councilmembers, City Leadership and my staff and I are actively listening to you and engaging in your communications and questions about how the Petaluma Police Department serves this community, specifically about our policies on the use of force.  On behalf of our entire City Council and City Leadership, I want to assure everyone that we are, and have always been, committed to reviewing and updating our policies on use of force and proactively engaging our community.

As an City and police agency that has embraced and implemented the principles and best practices of the Task Force Report on 21^st Century Policing, we remain committed to public trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and employee wellness and safety when working to preserve public safety here in Petaluma.

While listening, an act that promotes peace and understanding, many community members have written to us about our use of force policies and what has been labeled the #8cantwait on social media.  Believing in the body of work and the principles of 21^st Century Policing, my staff is aware of and has reviewed Former President Barack Obama’s Police Use of Force Project and Mayor’s Pledge.  The Petaluma City Council, our City leadership, and I, are committed to continuing our review and assessment of our policies and practices.  I want to assure our community our current policies and practices continue to be  consistent with 21^ST Century Policing principles:

• Body-Worn Cameras.  In 2015, Petaluma PD implemented our body-worn camera policy and equipped every officer with body-worn camera for use during their shifts.  Prior to this, audio pocket recorders were used even before my career began in 1994 to provide transparency and increased public trust.
• Bias Training.  Starting in the police academy and continued through annual and/or bi-annual in-service training, our officers receive training on procedural justice, implicit bias, and cultural diversity. These trainings are mandated by POST and help officers recognize they, along with everyone, all have personal biases, but that it is an officer’s duty to remain fair and impartial in their discretion and decisions.  We train our staff in the history of policing in this country and we do not tolerate racism or excessive force.
• Mental Health Training.  Our officers all receive mandated POST training on how to interact with people who are in mental crisis.  Additionally, our officers receive Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
• De-Escalation. Again, our officers receive mandatory de-escalation training to reduce the likelihood of use of force encounters.  Officers are expected to utilize de-escalation techniques whenever possible, and only use force as necessary. 
• Use of Force.  Our Use of Force Policy, Policy 300, details 19 factors used to determine the reasonableness of force, such as age of the offender, size, disability, seriousness of the crime, mental state, intoxication, and proximity of weapons.  Officers provide verbal commands and warning when possible before using force.  The ultimate objective of every encounter our officers have is to avoid or minimize injury when applying reasonable force.
• Duty to Intervene.  We expect our officers to work to support each other by being informal leaders speaking up during tough times, not standing by if other officers act inappropriately.  Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable and necessary under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable force. Policy requires an officer who observes another employee use force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law to promptly report these observations to a supervisor.
• Shooting at Moving Vehicles.  Shots fired at or from a moving vehicle are rarely effective. Our use of force policy states that officers should move out of the path or avoid putting themselves in the path of an approaching vehicle instead of discharging their firearm at the vehicle or any of its occupants. Policy dictates an officer should only discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle or its occupants when the officer reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available to avert the threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed at the officer or others.  Our policy prohibits officers from shooting at any part of a vehicle to disable the vehicle.
• Professional Standards.  Every use of force is reviewed and reported by front line supervisors.  A second level of review is conducted by a watch commander, before the use of force review and report is reviewed by the Deputy Police Chief.  We monitor the frequency and types of force used as a part of an early warning and intervention system.  This program is meant to identify and prevent unnecessary use of force incidents and identify any potential training deficiencies.
• Transparency.  Building trust with the community involves being open and honest about what we say, what we do, and what we say we should be doing. Therefore, we make certain types of information available for review by members of the public. In other cases, we release information because we are legally required to do so.  Our Department’s policy manual and training plans and records are available on our department website located at: https://cityofpetaluma.org/police-transparency-portal/

The City of Petaluma and the Police Department remain committed to listening to those we serve.  A city-wide townhall meeting will be announced in the next week to allow us all to come together and have productive dialogue in this area.  Listening to and learning  how our community is feeling is the first step towards making positive change.  Working together with those we serve will bring positive change and build an even stronger relationship with our community with trust and legitimacy.