09/27/2021 - Minutes Public Safety Advisory Board Meeting #19
September 27, 2021 — 5:00 pm-7:00 pm
Minutes
5:00-5:05 Welcome, Centering Exercise, Roll Call
Meeting is being recorded. Use raise hand function.
Called to Order 5 p.m.
The Board is at a half-way point. Their charge was to meet for 18-months to improve public
safety practices in Tigard.They have met for nine so far.
Chair Trinh led the Centering and Breathing exercise.
Facilitator Marshall called on to do Roll.
Absent:
- Lee Landers
- Jimmy Brown
5:05-5:20 Public Comment
No comments or requests to speak were submitted.
Future participants:
Email Eduardo Ramos, eduardor@tigard-or.gov
Web: www.tigard-or.gov/psab
5:20-5:30 Chief's Update with Chief McAlpine
Two full days presenting information. Grand Jury issued decision in 10 minutes.
TPD will need to review all the documents
Use of Force Review Board —A policy exists to evaluate this case. This Review Board will be the
first step in deciding the next step in deciding if it was in or out of policy. Each time TPD reviews
use of force incidents,they look for training opportunities. Training deficiencies are addressed.
Board Member Sasaki: Who is on the Review Board?
Policy on consequences if it is determined that there was wrongdoing. How do you hold
someone accountable if they have left the organization?
No method to hold the person accountable if they have left the organization.
Opportunity for improvement to hold people accountable even if the person has left the
organization.
Is there a timeframe in the policy for completing the review to avoid dragging it on?
The Chief has set a timeline, but there is no official requirement in TPD policy.
Body Cams were not widely available when the incident occurred.
Department of Board Standards and Safety Training. Have they been in contact?
If you recall,this was the second shooting since the new law was implemented. The District
Attorney involved the Attorney General to review this case under the new law.
Will lessons learned be available to the public?The lessons coming out of the TPD Review
Board of this case.
Corrective actions are supposed to give opportunity to improve and not to punish.
TECH ADVANCEMENT
3-D printed guns are alarmingly accurate. If someone has a 3-D gun, we may not be able to tell
the difference.
Commander McDonald showed a photo of a 3-D printed gun confiscated from a 15 year-old at
Fowlder Middle School.
The guns cannot be tracked.They don't fire, but can be altered to do so.They look too realistic
to be differentiated from actual guns which can make things difficult when responding to
incidents.
Beaverton also responded to a similar incident. There is no way of telling a real gun from a 3-D
printed by sight.
It is a new frontier.These guns are becoming readily available. They can be found easily
available.
Did this confiscated gun have a slide?
Yes. The gun has a slide but cannot fire.
Have there been other Police Departments experiencing this?
Not that we have seen. This is the first incident. We have heard about it at
conferences/presentations though.
Board Member Stuhldryer: The tech is becoming more accessible.
This topic will be relevant for our discussion on Student Resource Officers.
5:30-5:50 Discussion of Officer Involved Shooting Investigation
MERGED WITH CHIEF'S UPDATE.
5:50-6:10 Body Cam Policy Comments
- Nearly all recommendations made it into the revised version.
- Use of footage before writing the police report.
o When are reports written?
■ Typically, at the end of the shift. Officers usually do not have time to sit
down to write the report.
o Footage is great to get exact quotes for the report.
o Handwritten notes may not make it into the report completely.
o Reports still need to be thorough.
o Investigations limit release of videos. State law is likely to change, however. This
will change.
6:10-6:20 Discussion of PSAB Recommendation Process
Reviewing the process...
Decision-making will strive for consensus (defined as at least 12 of 15 votes). The Board will
make quarterly reports to City Council, including updates of the Board's progress on the
workplan and proposing recommended Council actions. When the consensus-based
recommendation is within the decision-making authority of the Chief or City Manager, the Chief
or City Manager may implement such recommendation without Council action. If the Chief or
City Manager declines to implement the recommendation, it will be forwarded to Council for
review and consideration. If the recommendation requires additional action, such as approval by
Budget Committee or bargaining with the union, the recommendation will not be effective until
all approvals are received.
- The Board will make quarterly reports to City Council.
- The Board follows a three-step process.
Board Member Sasaki: Body Cam discussion was a good example of how the Public Safety
Advisory Board can add value.
Councilor Newton: The Board has ultimate say on its recommendations. The Police Department
should be able to operate. Council does not get involved with policy.They are interested in
outcomes.
Does this process follow other City Boards and Committees?
PSAB is different from other Boards and Committees. Most of the changes that other Boards
make come to City Council. Other Boards and Committees don't have the same level of
direction on issuing recommendations.
PSAB should not pull funding from other programs and services.
6:20-6:40 Continuing Conversation about Defensive Tactics, Qualified Immunity, and Use of
Force
Board Member Sasaki created discussion starting points. She wanted to spur focused discussion
versus continued conversation without structure or something to react to.
Here is what she put together for the Board:
RECITALS:
A. Tigard Police Department ("TPD") statistics indicate BIPoC private individuals
experienced a disproportionately higher rate of use of force incidents when compared
to the majority population over periods 2016-2020;
B. Tigard Police Department has taken great strides over the last several years to improve
officers' understanding of effective communication and non-lethal intervention
techniques;
C. TPD currently expects all officers to undergo 4 hours of Defensive Tactics training twice
each year (8 hours total),the goal of which is to help TPD officers evaluate and
implement the degree of force appropriate in situations calling for physical intervention;
D. TPD does not currently train officers on ways that communication may vary between
the majority population and minority communities in Tigard;
E. TPD's goal is to be as transparent as possible and effectively communicate the
circumstances surrounding use of force events and help the Tigard community
understand how the communities goals and values are reflected in TPD policies and
actions;
F. The Tigard City Council ("TCC") has directed the Public Safety Advisory Board ("PSAB") to
examine ways to improve Tigard's equitable policing policies and procedures and the
tools available to the police department and individual officers to implement these
policies and procedures, over the last year; and,
G. The PSAB has examined and evaluated the tools available to the TPD in the area of use
of force.
The PSAB makes the following recommendations to the Tigard Chief of Police with the
understanding that an additional budget allocation may be necessary to implement some of
these items:
1. TPD and Tigard city staff shall work with community leaders and educational specialists
to develop regular, mandatory training on cross-cultural communication techniques and
community interaction with the goal of reducing use of force events involving BIPoC
individuals in the Tigard community to a level that is statistically comparable to the
percentage of such BIPoC individuals who reside or work in Tigard;
2. TPD shall aggregate data quarterly to ensure that it is able to monitor progress towards
the use of force goals in real-time in addition to the annual analysis that is currently
developed. Anonymized data, presented in context, shall be released to the pu blic on a
quarterly basis;
3. TPD shall add 4 additional hours (to 12 total) of practical, hands-on training per year in
defensive tactics to decrease the time between training sessions for all officers and give
them more total hours of practice with the goal of helping TPD officers automatically
respond to high-pressure use of force instances in a way that is consistent with Tigard
community values; and,
4. TPD and city staff shall develop and implement model emergency communication
strategies, which may involve hiring outside crisis-management consultants, to ensure
that in the event of a major use of force event or other emergencies, the Mayor,TCC,
and the TPD are prepared to clearly and effectively communicate information to
affected populations and the media in a way that will instill confidence about the
administration of justice in Tigard and allow the community to best support TPD, TCC,
and the Mayor. Tigard may wish to coordinate such training and plan-development
activities with other neighboring communities.
BREAKOUT ROOMS
Group 1
Looking at traffic stops.
Reaching out to historically excluded communities.
Group 2
Integrating Muslim Educational Trust and Asian American Unity Coalition.
Potential cost out of pocket in reference to recommendation 4. Does it take from other duties?
Group 3
Agreed with the premise of all proposed recommendations.
Conversation was on specifics such as how many hours need to be allocated.
Recitals need more on calls of service. The recitals need to be framed better.
Can Shaun provide language for his suggestion?
Shaun is okay to do that.
Broader school issues may be out of scope for this group.
6:40-6:55 Opportunity to Discuss Current Events and How They Impact the Tigard Community
Connection gap between PSAB and faith group.
Councilor Newton recommends formally committing to outreach to the faith community. Meet
in townhall settings or 1:1
Go to places of worship to get feedback on work of the PSAB.
Faith participants are called on to put "prayer into action." Board Member Rauda is excited
about a townhall opportunity with faith leaders.
Approval of issuing recommendations
6:55-7:00 Wrap Up and Next Steps
No further discussion.
Motion to adjourn by Sasaki
Second by Lofgren
No further discussion.
Adjourn at 6:58 p.m.