This coming Monday, December 2nd, will be the last meeting of the Community Advisory Council of IOLERO for the foreseeable future. It will be held at the original location, 2550 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, 6:00 to 9:00.
The CAC will be presenting its Use of Force recommendations (attached) directly to the Sheriff's Office. Director Karlene Navarro has said she will not be interacting with the CAC or the public because she doesn't much care for it. So, no Director's Report and she has also said she will not be giving an Annual Report to the supervisors this year.
There are some really good reasons for showing up on Monday. The first is to declare your support for a strong Community Advisory Council. Navarro has declared her desire to cut it off at the knees--not her words. Come and speak about the CAC and the importance of community representation, come and speak about the importance of an improved Use of Force policy, or come and just be an interested person in the room. Invite a friend!
Use of Force is front and center right now because a deputy killed a man this week with the carotid artery hold, the same hold used to kill Eric Garner--a hold which is forbidden by many law enforcement agencies, a hold which is forbidden in the CAC's recommendations, a hold which is allowed under the Sonoma County Sheriff's current Use of Force policy (meaning it will be a-ok with Jill Ravitch).
In my opinion, the most important role of the CAC is the gathering of best practices recommendations from law enforcement agencies from around the country and from Obama's 21st Century Policing recommendations. The goal is greater safety for both the public and officers through changes adopted before something bad happens. The Sheriff and Navarro seem content with having someone die first before looking at policy--if even then. And, bingo, now it has happened!
And, whether you can make it or not, please write to the supervisors and let them know you want an 11 member CAC (not the 6 that Navarro is proposing) and that you want it to meet monthly (not quarterly, as Navarro implemented against the directive of the supervisors) and that you want the CAC to continue its important role of making policy recommendations.
Here are the supervisors by district, but it's perfectly acceptable to contact all of them, not just the one for your district.
The easiest way to email each of them is to click on their district at http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/Supervisorial-Districts/ , click Contact Us and fill in the form.
District 1 - Susan Gorin
District 2 - David Rabbitt
District 3 - Shirlee Zane
District 4 - James Gore
District 5 - Lynda Hopkins
Thank you!