Sonoma County law enforcement unions respond to calls for reform

[Barry]

Sonoma County law enforcement unions respond to calls for reform
PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT June 17, 2020

Amid a fierce national debate over the power and practices of police unions, the leaders of Sonoma County’s largest law enforcement unions offered mixed reaction to a groundbreaking call for reform this week by police associations in California.

Three large police labor organizations — in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles — condemned racism in a joint statement Sunday and proposed reforms that include, among other things, frequent training in crisis intervention, creation of a national database of officers fired for gross misconduct and a nationwide use-of-force standard that focuses on de-escalation.

Stephen Bussell, president of the Santa Rosa Police Officers Association, said he had not looked at the statement, published in an advertisement that ran in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and Los Angeles Times.

“But I can say we’re definitely in support of reform at all levels, and transparency. So it’s a step in the right direction, as long as it’s meaningful. It’s a bold statement for associations to come out in favor of holding officers accountable, evaluating conduct, all those things. It’s a good message to a community that, hey, we want to have these discussions, instead of hiding behind the union,” Bussell said Monday.

Mike Vail, president of the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, wasn’t nearly as conciliatory.

“If they feel they have people in their ranks that are acting on racist motives, clearly they need to deal with it. I find it suspicious that they’re bringing it up now, because we have SB 1421,” Vail said, referring to a 2019 state law that gave the public access to internal records of police shootings, excessive force, sexual misconduct and dishonesty. “But it seems to be what everyone is doing now — falling in line, kneeling before the protesters, submitting to pressure.”

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