CONCERNED
COMMUNITY
FOR JUSTICE

 

District 3 - Monica McDaniel    contact:  Monica McDaniel for Council

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Questions for Chico City Council Candidates
1. In “21st Century Policing”, law enforcement is called upon to be “guardians, not warriors” to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public.  What police reform do you see is needed in Chico and what will you do to enact
this reform? 

I think that police officers would be able to relate to the public better, and vice versa, if we were able to humanize them more. There used to be programs that allowed for police officers to be able to interact with the public on a more positive level, like the
trading card program, where officers had little cards that they could give out to the public, got them talking to people more, and kids liked collecting them. 

2. Chico Police Dept. uses ‘Lexipol’, a for- profit criminal justice company, to write our Use of Force policy. Officers learn de-escalation techniques at the Butte College Academy but CC4J advocates for even more training. Will you support a local use of force policy that encourages increased training in de-escalation and overall humane policing?

For-profit companies overseeing criminal justice programs harkens to a much deeper problem within the United States. For compliance of increased  training that would be done in earnest, there would need to be incentive programs to encourage participation. I would fully support programs that incentivize officers to continue professional development through out their careers.  

3. What method should be used to hold officers accountable for excessive use of force?

Transparent and speedy investigations. Officers should be held accountable for misconduct. 
 
4. CC4J advocates for Mental Health professionals to be sent to the call when someone is having an episode rather than Law enforcement. Describe what role you think Behavioral Health should play in such cases.

I think public safety is hugely important. Often times someone is upset and so they “call the police” There would need to be mental health professionals who could respond in the same kind of urgency as police and more often fire crews, kind of like a mental health ambulance. I don’t know how to create that, aside from having mental health professionals on staff with the police department, but that would mean a new
kind of specialized kind of job. 

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5. Although there is PCAB- Police Citizens Advisory Board, there is no independent civilian oversight in our law enforcement agency in Chico. Do you agree that independent civilian oversight is needed? If so, how will you promote oversight as a Councilor?

So, who seats the PCAB? And what are its members composed of? I think that citizen inclusion is always important, important for members of the community to have a seat at the table. Is it possible to reform the PCAB to include a greater degree of inclusion and oversight? 

6. One of the oversights the City Council has over the Chico Police Dept. is through the budget. How will you use the power of that oversight to guide law enforcement?

It is a nation wide phenomenon that city PD’s are having a hard time finding recruits to even apply to become police officers. We want quality law enforcement personnel who are interested in and open to professional development, so they can feel more into guardianship of the community, rather than being the “warriors” of the us vs. them.