All right, hello and welcome to the finance committee of the Somerville City Council calling
us meeting to order on June 29, 2020 at 6.04 p.m. We are meeting, we
go chief, we are meeting
virtually with remote participation as a result of Governor Baker's report and Governor Mayor
your creditornies are to order. As a reminder to all attendees please keep
your microphone muted unless you are being called for role or recognized by the
chair. Audio recording and video recording of this meeting will be posted on
the city's website shortly following the conclusion of the meeting.
Let's start
tonight with a roll call if you would.
This is roll call. Councilor
Klingon.
Present.
Councilor Mubah.
Present.
Councilor White.
Yeah.
Councilor Rosetti.
Present.
Councilor Strezzo.
Present.
Councilor Niedergang.
Here.
Councilor Davis.
Here.
Councilor McLaughlin.
Councilor Ewan Kampen.
Here.
Councilor Ballantyne.
Here.
And Councilor Scott.
Present.
Mr. Chairman, we have 10 members present, one is absent.
Right.
And Councilor McLaughlin, President McLaughlin is recused this evening on these matters.
So on the agenda tonight is the discussion of the fiscal year 21 budget.
In particular, the police department is the budget that we will be reviewing this evening.
Just to let people know, in terms of procedure, how I anticipate this to proceed is I will
be inviting the chief to present the materials that he's prepared for the City Council, including
some information that while he has a slide deck and I know that some other materials
were sent to the City Council in response to questions that Council have submitted in advance.
After that presentation, I recognized the Mayor who has also submitted a memo for this evening
and then I planned to recognize Councilor Zeddy to provide a little bit of further information
to the committee. After we have that information, we'll be entertaining individual
Councilor's questions about the presentations made by the Chief, the Mayor, or Councilor
that. So I ask my colleagues to save your questions until we get through those. That's
when I'll be calling on individual councillors for their questions. Once those questions are
complete, I plan to move into consideration of memos submitted by various members of the
City Council regarding the police budget and then after that it'll be the will of the
committee on how to proceed so with that I would like to invite Chief Fallon
there you go chief Fallon you are now unmuted chief and I invite you to come
come aboard right
the chief industry having some technical difficulties can
anybody please assist the chief actually can you hear me now consular we can we
can. So I want to thank thank you to the Honorable City Council for the
opportunity to present tonight. Over the past few weeks there have been many
questions about the world policing in our society. I welcome these questions and
look forward to it to the dialogue that will follow. The murder of George Floyd
has called for an awakening in our society for racial justice. I agree the
time is now to listen to people of color and the cooperation of them
built in America that serves all its residents equally. I'd like to put in the context of
the work that the San Juan Police does, progress we've made over the past decade in the future.
Nobody knows the future of policing, but I believe the future will be formed by city leaders,
elected officials, residents, and employees working in unison to shape the future
that we
organizational structure and key functions of the Sunville Police Department.
Patty Contente is going to speak briefly on a community outreach, help and recovery unit.
I'm going to talk about staffing levels at the Sunville Police Department.
Sunville Police Department reforms the date, and the mayor is going to speak about racial
and social justice project.
The fiscal year 21 Sunville Police Department proposed budget includes positions for 130
sworn offices, which is a reduction of two positions from fiscal year 20.
In addition to sworn offices, our personal services include civilian positions like
clerks, IT specialists, analysts, and our community outreach help and recovery office,
which we will discuss in more detail in a few slides.
The primary functions of the assembled police department include patrol, traffic,
and criminal investigations.
Our largest division is patrol, which is led by Captain James Donovan and includes six
lieutenants, nine sergeants, and 64 patrol officers.
Patrol is your neighborhood police.
The officers respond to calls for service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days
a year.
Patrol has seven cars on the streets, each every eight-hour shift to provide coverage
to respond to emergencies at any time, day or night.
Our Traffic Bureau is led by Lieutenant Polito.
He has one sergeant, seven officers,
and includes 55 civilian crossing guards.
The primary responsibilities include traffic enforcement
to ensure our streets are safe for all world users,
including motor vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The Bureau is also responsible for cross investigation,
providing traffic control at civic functions
like our city's many festivals in managing the Crossing God program to ensure our students have
safe walking routes to school. The Traffic Bureau also participates in city initiatives like Vision
Zero and the Traffic Commission to ensure police department enforcement is aligned with the cities
and our communities priorities. The detective vision is led by Captain Ward who has five
sergeants and 24 officers. This division is responsible for investigating criminal acts.
Although we are fortunate to live in a time when crime is at a 30-year low, there are still
incidents of serious crime within this city. Crimes that involve weapons and violence
that require the dedicated investigation of all our officers. The Bureau also has a
family services unit that includes a civilian victim,
witness advocate who provides informed guidance and
coordinated response to individuals who experience
domestic violence.
The graph before you now displays
the range of your police department's activities,
including direct patrols, motive vehicle enforcement,
and incident response to calls for service.
This provides a comprehensive picture of the several police
Department's patrol and traffic bureau responsibilities. Every year, we respond to more than 40,000
community issues, 40,000 community issues from calls for service or emergencies, providing
director patrols at the request of community members in this council to ensuring roads
are safe through traffic enforcement.
One in three summer police department responses
are for director patrols and traffic enforcement for road safety.
Healthy, highly functioning police departments receive their authority from community members
and are responsive to their needs. Residents are summable or rightly cognizant of our current
and increasing density, which factors into pedestrian cyclists, pedestrian,
cyclists, and motorist safety. On top of answering 28,000 incidents, response calls for
service a year, your officers are listening to you in the residents and are constantly
addressing road safety. 28,000 times a year, a resident calls the several police department
looking for assistance.
As I just mentioned, 28,000 times a year, residents call the police
department looking for assistance. This is 78 calls for service a day. 78 times a
Today, a resident requests a police response.
I look forward to working with the community
and city government to take a comprehensive,
nuanced, determined, and informed approach
on continued progress.
We cannot dismantle this service without listening to them
and working with them to ensure that we're able
to provide them a viable alternative.
Calls for service for type are broken down in the slide.
Our computer aided dispatch system
has dozens of codes for incident types. And here we're seeing the top 20 issues in 2019,
which account for about 89 percent of calls for service. These issues range from quality of life
calls to serious potential crimes like assault and domestic violence. These calls can come any
time of day or night, which you will see in the future slides. And the several police department
is the only organization right now who is capable of responding to an emergency 24-7.
There are many cases where officers are not fully aware of the situation they are walking
into and there may be dangers present.
Calls for service don't fully reflect our workload.
An example of this is the fact that in 2019, over 1,200 domestic-related actions were
logged by your Summable Police Department.
That's 1,200 times officers of the Summable Police Department inserted themselves in
potentially volatile situations.
SPDE, single police department, receives an average
of 500 domestic disturbance calls a year.
We understand the level of victimization
in domestic violence, and I applaud members of this council,
such as Council Valentine, who has repeatedly asked
questions about your police department's data
around domestic violence in our response.
Domestic violence calls not only pose a physical threat
to offices. They also take an emotional toll. If the thought is to cut insular units in
the police department and provide only patrol offices, not only will you lose vital services,
you will be positioning the department for burnout and failure. Responsive these calls
takes at least two offices and a supervisor. So when one of the 500 domestic to server
calls are taking place in your city, 40% of your patrol force is tied up.
Unfortunately,
most domestics involve assault and battery. The level of victimization with these calls
is hot-ranging. Some are even more dangerous for victims with incidents of aggravated assault,
as you can see above. I understand there are calls to provide civilian response to social
problems, but police are uniquely positioned to respond to calls where a perpetrator is
potentially violent or has a weapon.
These types of escalations are beyond the scope
of what a civilian response could address.
Think about the numbers.
We had 207 reported domestic assault cases last year.
I look forward to working with this council
to really see this number come down.
Look forward to hearing your ideas.
The other police department has been very progressive
in addressing domestic violence
by hiring a victim witness advocate
to dedicate the time to these survivors.
When any voice is silenced due to domestic violence,
we all suffer.
The final unit I'd like to review
is our community outreach help and recovery office.
I'd like to introduce Patty Contente,
who is a licensed clinical social worker.
Patty began working with the police department in 2010
in her role with Health and Human Services
as a clinical use specialist,
trauma response network manager.
In 2012, we collaborated to implement our first Department of Mental Health Courier to
implement a GIL diversion program focused on diverting individuals impacted by behavioral
health.
This work identified the importance of integrated public health, public safety initiatives
in order to connect and redirect individuals from the criminal justice system towards other
systems that are able to address their needs.
In 2015, at the height of the opioid epidemic here in Somerville, Patty moved to the police
department.
In July of 2016, we formally implemented CORE unit as part of our Somerville police department.
I'd like to give the floor to Patty to talk about the work she does with her team.
All right.
You're recognized, Ms. Contente.
Thank you.
on both counsel and thank you chief. So I just want to provide some basic
overview. So the core unit is a civilian unit. It's a clinical unit. We have three
clinicians, two social work clinicians and a late act licensed alcohol and drug
counselor. This unit was developed through a process with community
partners and stakeholders. Been fortunate to have a number of grants
from the time of 2010 before the implementation in 2016 to really look at the need for an integrated
We're able to maintain our capacity to do outreach and training through an internship program.
This year, we've expanded from three graduate-level interns. In the fall, we'll start with four
graduate MSW interns. We also recently partnered starting in 2018 with EnRoute to provide an
internship for high school students who are immigrants and are interested in
exploring different career paths.
We also have a number of other programs
including our major ones are the Metro Boston CIT Training and Technical
Assistance Center and an overdose outreach program. The program is
maintained capacity through three grants, two of which are through the
mental health and one through the Department of Public Health. Next slide.
So as I started to
mention, there's community outreach. We accept referrals from anyone in the community. We're
fortunate that this is a free service, low bar access to any community member. But the majority
of our referrals come through police officers. Part of our integration into the department
was to set up flags that officers could identify,
calls for service that had root causes
related to behavioral health.
The officers flagged those either for mental health
or narcotics misuse.
And then our unit follows up on all those calls.
The primary reason for that was we wanted to capture
both criminal and non-criminal incidents
that involved a police response.
For those cases where there is a court complaint or people are court involved, we work with
the officers to develop a diversion plan and present that to the courts in conjunction
with the officers.
Our next major program is the Metro Boston Crisis Intervention Team Training and Technical
Assistance Center.
We are a regional hub for 38 police departments.
We provide a range of trainings, which I'll speak to in a few minutes.
And then our last major other program is the Overdose Aftercare Team.
This is in partnership with Access.
Access is our local active drug user health program.
And they have a grant through the Department of Public Health, which they approached
us to partner on doing in the community doorknob outreach visits to community members. Next slide.
So as I started to mention, the community outreach and direct service component is really
driven by officer referrals. We also get referrals from community partners, including
the Department of Mental Health. The system is really dependent on a collaboration with
officers. Officers are voluntarily writing reports for non-criminal encounters where they
again see a root cause of behavioral health being a component of the reason for the call.
The officers provide a detailed report so that when we're making that outreach call,
we are able to engage in a conversation that's specific to lower the stigma around
accessing mental health and addiction services and without the officer's input we would really
not have the success that we have. The part of the community outreach is also looking at
what trainings can we offer to community members in a proactive approach to really inform
community. So we offer Recovery Coach Academy, Mental Health First Aid, Overdose Outreach,
NARCAM trainings in order to assist the community in managing prices and finding alternatives
than calling the police department.
And lastly, the jail diversion program, again, we work closely with the Somerville district
court.
Our diversions are all treatment focused.
Some diversions will be in other locations as community service focused.
We work hard with the individuals to really engage them in supports that will really focus
on behavioral change to reduce recidivism.
So that's our jail diversion program.
Next.
So as I mentioned earlier, the crisis intervention team is the primary training that we do
two is the crisis intervention team, which is a 40-hour training, which covers a range
of topics on clinical conditions, such as depression, anxiety, psychiatric conditions.
We have a day and a half that's focused on verbal and tactical de-escalation.
We have a number of community providers, like our emergency service, psychiatric
emergency services teams as well as DMH providers who come in and talk about how
to partner. CIT, though, is more than just a training. We also work with all of
our departments, including Somerville, to review and inform policy on
responses to behavioral health. We also work with stakeholder groups to
inform how communication can be improved across the community, around police
interactions, identifying community needs, and what role officers can play. In
addition to the 40-hour training, we also have a range of advanced trainings.
Through our work and with the Somerville Police Department, the Jail
Diversion Program, we learned a great deal about where the gaps are in the
community. Our program really fit within President Obama's six pillars of 21st century
policing, which was a study that was issued in 2015. So we're really trying to, with our center,
encourage departments, including Somerville, to look at ways to build community trust,
policy oversight, engage in partnering with community and training in education
and officer wellness has been a huge component of that. Thus far we have about
54% of our Somerville sworn officers who have completed the 40-hour CIT.
Also I
know there's been a lot of discussion around you know kind of what is a
police officer's role in responding to mental health calls. This graph shows you kind of
the range of calls for service specifically identified as psychiatric emergencies or
behavioral health calls. One of the things that's important to understand in the graph
highlights is that one-third of these calls are coming from community health care providers.
So in Massachusetts, we have a non-police emergency response system.
It's called the Psychiatric Emergency Response Service Program.
It is a state-funded and available to every community.
Our local program is funded through the Boston Medical Center.
With that program, they provide clinical assessment.
They're able to have a mobile crisis team.
They're able to go out in the community, meet with people, connect and redirect them to care.
It's important to note that, as the Chief had mentioned, many of these calls for service
have a concern around safety issues.
Safety issues that oftentimes a civilian outreach team would not have the scope or capacity to manage
or that there's an urgent need to get someone to an emergency department.
So a third of these calls are coming from our providers who already have access to clinical
services, emergency response in the community.
Oftentimes what I've learned is the advantage and what I really love about working within
the Somerville Police Department is that officers are, you know, kind of an active workforce
in the community.
They're in the city 24-7, they understand the community stressors.
They're able, many times they know the community members who they're responding to and they're
able to develop a rapport whereas no one wants to be kind of diagnosed with mental health
or told that they need to go into treatment.
With the officers, can normalize that it's understandable for folks to be under stress
and can really develop a rapport and effectively deescalate situations that
otherwise might not be able to be managed. I can tell you that oftentimes
people will will be disinterested in talking to me even though I'm on scene
and available and be very open and responsive to officers. So it's been a
great partnership in that way. Again one of the things that we've done
through core is we've implemented a CIT program here. We now have four CIT
coordinators who are police officers. Those officers were interviewed for that
role and they were chosen for their interests, their skill, and also their
ability to cover all three shifts. So now on every shift we have a police
officer who is knowledgeable in CIT response, available to consult and
supervise scenes as necessary, which is extremely important.
That covers my
comments, so I'll pass it back to the Chief.
I want
to thank Patty for your
time tonight and all your work at the Summer Police Department. From the day I
joined the Summer Police Department, I saw a vast number of officers that wanted
to improve the culture of the Summer Police Department. I can tell you from
a chief's position that culture trumps policy.
Policies can be formulated and supervising as we work daily to hold officers accountable
to these policies.
It takes years to develop a positive culture in a police department.
One in which officers sees themselves as guardians of their community and culture which
officers view arrest as the last option in value of the sanctity of life is forthright
in every decision they make. Collectively, that's how our voices be heard that revalue and support
the culture of our department. This council has worked hard to review candidates and give them
the privilege to go out and serve our residents. I ask you to continue to stand behind them,
to support the ability to continue on this path of progress, to actualize the goals of 21st
century policing and participate in ensuring safety that include their responsibility and
commitment to increasing the quality of life for every resident of our city.
Put some context to the conversations. I'd like to talk about why
we need the staffing that we have. As you are aware, there are six current
vacancies in the police department. Right now, those vacancies comprise of four neighborhood
police officers, one officer in patrol, and one detective. I want to briefly discuss the impact
of these vacancies on the apartment and why I believe it is critical to include these positions
in our fiscal year 21 budget. Neighborhood police officers are your community problem
solvers who are tasked with resolving quality of life issues before they become crimes.
Vacancies in these positions means that we are doing less problem solving
and less community outreach like business contacts and resident outreach.
Lower staffing levels prevents the department from investigating,
from investing in problem solving,
and puts us in a reactive posture that benefits the public or our police department.
I vehemently disagree with any cause for the police to disengage with the community.
Policing in Somerville is about relationships.
Policing in Somerville is built on a foundation of legitimacy granted to us by the residents,
not through criminal law.
And as you saw during COVID-19 crisis that was still in the midst of today, for us it's
about cooperation over compliance.
The Detective Bureau vacancies directly translate into increased caseload.
Between 2015 and 2019, the detective's caseload has increased from 85 cases per detective
up to 111 cases per detective. Our detective bureau has done an incredible job with the resources
available, investigating serious crimes like aggravated assault and firearm incidences,
but increased caseloads means less time on each case. What you won't see on paper is how we
do staffing prevents the other department from backfilling offices
who are out on leave. For example, out on leave, for example,
long-term injury. A good example of this is your traffic
bureau, which provides a tremendous service to the
residents of this city. One officer who was out on long
term injury this year, who were unable to backfill the
position, disaffectively cut out traffic bureau by about
15% for eight months, which limited our ability to
assigned offices to vision zero tasks.
I apologize, my screen blake.
The civil service hiring process makes it impossible
to maintain offices at a specific level
throughout a fiscal year.
Police academies are scheduled on an identity basis,
and seats and academies are not always available.
In the past few years, our graduates
Graduation rates from academies have been around 60 percent, so we have fewer officers
entering the force. That's by plan. Years ago, we'd help officers get through on an academy.
Now we know that our community demands the best in the highest level of policing. In fact,
it is a fact that we will have retirements this year and lose offices to attrition. Lowering
our staff level beyond the two positions already cut in the budget. These vacancies from
retirement and attrition will not be reflected in our budgeted positions, but will impact
our staffing and operation level. Without having the position in the budget, we would
not be able to start the hiring process until after the retirement a resignation occurs,
which could mean positions are vacant for a year.
Reducing our staffing further will
lead to an increase in what is referred to as forced holdovers, which is where
that an officer is ordered to work the next shift
because our overtime list is exhausted.
For example, if a patrol officer worked a day shift,
they may be ordered to work the following first half shift,
evening shift, evening shift.
From July of 2019 to June 13th of 2020,
we had roughly 60 forced holdovers.
This practice is needed to keep adequate staffing
so we can respond to emergencies if and when they arise.
But it is a burden on offices and add stress and burnout.
At the department, we know that officer bonus is critical,
which is why adequate staffing is important for operations.
We asked you to partner with us in putting this new class of candidates into the July Academy.
These candidates represent the voices you are saying we need to desperately listen to.
The vacant funded positions before you tonight will be filled by two black males,
one Hispanic male, and for the first time in the history of the Soundville Police Department,
a non-citizen.
Please consider a message we are sending to our community by hiring a dreamer
to serve on our police force. Please don't let this opportunity pass us by.
It was requested
for daily call volume in this graph shows that it's highly variable. Daily call volume is
highly variable. Looking at 2020 quarter one calls for service, volumes fluctuate. A low
volume day can be followed by a high call day. The nature of this job means that you
can't just look at the average number of calls on a Monday. You have to plan for adequate
staffing in any case of an emergency.
Talk about the current staffing levels at the
Sunville Police Department. This slide further illustrates that Sunville already
operates a small police department. Of the 25 most popular cities in Massachusetts, we
have the fewest officers per capita. In 2018, we had 15 officers per 10,000 residents. This
is compared to 24 officers per 10,000 residents in Cambridge, and 31.5 officers per 10,000
residents in Boston. Bigger cities could cut the officer head count by 20 or 30 percent
and still have more offices than we have here in Summable.
And it's not just about that we have fewer offices
than our neighbors.
As a department, we have downsized over the years.
In 2001, we had 145 budgeted positions.
In fiscal year 21, we're proposing 130 positions.
This is a 10% reduction of force in the past decade.
To add further context,
not only do we have fewer officers
for capital than our neighbors,
We also spend less on our police department as a percentage of our operational budget.
In fiscal year 20, Soundville spent 6.6 of our budget on police.
This is a small percentage than MedFit, Cambridge, and Boston.
As a lean department, we don't have much to cut without jeopardizing basic operations.
These slides on here just highlight some of the progress the Soundville Police Department
has made, and it's really only a few. The city of Somerville has a police department that it can
be proud of. I ask you not to decrease service levels to our residents who are most in need of
our services. Don't step away and dismantle a police department that has worked for years
to transform itself into a service organization, servicing our residents who our society has
field and many different levels. Let's endeavor to work together to do the difficult work of
governance and put it in the place a social service fabric needed to protect our most vulnerable
residents before we cut a police department that has been working on reform for the past 20 years.
I became a police officer in 1998 and I was proud to serve side shoulder to shoulder with
the minimum of the several police department. I've seen them change over the years. I've
seen them, their investment in this community, mothers, husbands, fathers, it's amazing
they work they do on a day in and day out basis. They're here for you. They're proud
to serve this community. I ask you today to stand with us, with us on the continue road
to reform. Some of them can lead the way. Our call offer shows that. Our partnership
ship with 26 or 36 police department shows that we can set the standard for policing.
Let's work together towards that. I'd like to transition to the mayor to discuss ratio
and social justice project.
Thank you chief. Mr. Chairman. Welcome sir.
I said may I proceed. Please go ahead. Thank you Chairman Scott to you the members of
the city council present to the community tuned in and all those who've engaged before
tonight's meeting and continuously. As the Chief has spoken, alluded to we have worked for over
15 years not just as an administration but as a community to deliver just and unbiased and
really compassionate policing to the community and to invest in the education and social services
our residents deserve. We'd agree with everyone the work is far from done which is why we're
proposing a more than $1.6 million initial investment in the racial and social justice
project. As I mentioned in my previous presentation, this initiative demonstrates our commitment
to reimagining policing and to invest in our community, especially those groups most
impacted by systemic racism and social inequality, those closest to the pain. It is an intensive
push to really establish long-term structures rooted in racial and social justice presented on
this slide. You'll see a condensed version of the information I presented on June 19th.
The project summary you received early today has details on each of these initiatives.
Coordinated by the Director of Racial and Social Justice, the project of reimagining policing
will be a community led process that amplifies the voices of those closest to the pain of racial and social injustice
and also brings the voices of those closest to the work into the conversation.
So I submit the project and the initiative really has two goals.
One, that the council is already engaging with the administration and the public,
establishing a civilian oversight committee for the Somerville Police Department.
to developing a new public safety model that includes civilian response and holistic thinking
and other approaches that really builds on the more than 15 years of standard setting and transformation
of the police department to reimagine it to something even greater.
The Director of Racial and Social Justice will also coordinate a community-led process
to determine how to invest the initial $750,000
and more that we have proposed for the Racial and Social Justice Fund in fiscal year 21.
one. Now, we are not prescribing how these funds will be spent or how the
reimagining policing project will be conducted, making the Director of
Racial and Social Justice such a critical position. Who, what a collaborative
hiring process we want to work together with the Council in the community to
identify a person with the skill set necessary to ensure these processes
are inclusive and they truly amplify those voices in our community that are closest to the pain of racial and social injustice.
The Director of Racial and Social Injustice will report to the Mayor's Office for the time being.
However, as you all know, as we did with the Office of Housing Stability under the leadership of Ellen Schachter,
we will ask the RSJ Director to create a business plan for launching a Racial and Social Justice Office,
Establishing its goals and objectives and defining the personnel and resources necessary to achieve them.
Finally, included in the Summable Public Schools budget, it's more than $600,000 of racial and social justice investments and our students.
Our schools have placed equity at the center of their work for years, and this new investment doubles down on that approach.
Next slide, please.
A
substantial funding source for the Relatial and Social Justice Project is over, again,
$750,000 in reallocated monies from the Somerville Police Department's budget.
The Police Department presented a proposed budget of more than $17 million to me in
April.
We worked together with the Chief as a team to identify cuts and reallocation of funds
detailed on this slide in order to provide a funding source for the critical initial
investments of the RSGA project. Now these cuts, reallocation of funds represent approximately
4.4% reduction in the police department's budget compared to their original proposal. Now as you
recall, what we call for my presentation on the 19th, Boston cut about $12 million from their
police department's original proposal, which is about a 2.8% reduction, and Cambridge cut
about $2.5 million, which is a 3.7% reduction,
just to give comparative context.
But this reinforces what the chief discussed earlier.
Compared to our neighbors and police departments
across the country, we are already a lean department.
And this goes back to the work we started
more than 15 years ago,
because the goal wasn't to hire police officers
as a way to solve crimes.
The goal was to change the way we policed
and we made investments in changing that approach,
which is why you see an incremental decrease in the number of actual rank and sworn offices in the department
and an investment in services around human and social services and different approaches to community policing.
So, again, we are already a lean department.
And though the dollar value of our cuts may seem small compared to Boston and Camers,
as they share the budget, they're actually larger.
Next slide, please.
So, we know we must move quickly.
I want to thank many of you who have impressed upon me to lay out a timeline of how we would
envision this working, and I especially want to thank Councilor Davis.
As we want to move quickly with a sense of urgency, I'd submit we must also move thoughtfully.
The timeline presented in this slide and in the summary document you received today
establishes a draft timeline for the Racial and Social Justice Project, but once hired,
The director, the Irish State Director's first responsibility ruled to me to work with the
community to establish a detailed plan to achieve the goals and objectives of the project.
The process that the community ultimately decides upon engages and may take longer than
this.
As a community working collectively with residents and those closest to the pain in
the city council and the administration and all stakeholders, we may decide there's
opportunity to accelerate parts of this initiative or that has to be adjusted based on other factors.
One that's right before us and not going away anytime soon is what impact COVID-19 has on all
segments, in fact, in sectors of city government in our life as we move forward.
But today what we present is an aggressive initial timeline that reflects,
I'd submit,
Let me just end and try to summarize here and just make a statement.
And I appreciate the time, Mr. Chairman, for you to everyone on the council and everyone tuned in.
The chief provided you his presentation of the FY21 Police Department budget and gave some context.
And I think we all know that our budget process is taking place amidst a long overdue national conversation about systemic racism and the role of police in our communities.
I think we are all in agreement that policing should not be the solution for all the issues that we as a society have neglected or turned away from addressing.
but the reality, as you have heard, is that every day, residents, business owners, myself, city counselors, and even clinicians and social workers are calling the police.
I have long pushed back against the idea that you need to hire officers or rush your way out of crime, and we've shown that over the years.
What makes a difference is having officers though who are committed to serving the community compassionately, fairly, and really in a way that addresses the issues holistically.
And I'm extremely proud of the work that the Somerville Police Department has done to
not criminalize issues of health, like mental illness and addiction, and the priority they
have put on peacefully resolving whatever situation they are called to.
Now we may take that for granted and say that shouldn't come into question, but compare
what we do here in Somerville with this, the Police Department, with so many across
the nation, you'll find out that we are leading and setting a standard.
And this work should not be minimized, but we also realize it is a start, not
There's so much to learn from what we've experienced and done over the past 15 plus years to build upon as we re-imagine something even more special.
And we are committed to do this work in a thoughtful way and an informed way that elevates the voices of those who have been disproportionately affected by policing.
And while we understand the need to move quickly, we want to make sure that we move forward really
thoughtfully and in a way that keeps residents safe and continues to address our community
needs. The unfortunate reality is that there is not a robust social system in place to
help take the work away from the police. It's going to take all of our work together. If
the Summable Police Department budget, as the Chief has mentioned, were to be slashed
and offices were laid off, there is no one currently waiting in the wings to step
and to fill all those roles.
Right now, the reality is that it's often police officers
who are helping to connect residents
with the services they need.
I'd submit, and I think we'd all agree.
Perhaps a lot of that needs to change.
We have a lot of lessons to bring to the table
on how that perhaps should change.
But if we want things to change,
we're gonna need to work.
We're gonna need to work locally, regionally,
and statewide to improve access
to long-term mental health care and recovery services.
And to prevent crime,
we will need to address sweeping issues
like poverty and access to education and jobs, and as a society, and we will need to rethink our own
behavior and reevaluate when it's appropriate for us to call the police. I mean, that should be at
the core of the work we do as a community to lead this charge. And more narrowly, we can't
also want to make a point that we can't ignore the reality of our police contracts.
One of the hallmarks of the employment relationships is a unionized workplace.
What we're unionized workplace is that the city cannot make unilateral changes, so the terms and conditions of employment without satisfying is bargaining obligations.
Because the employees in the city's police department are represented by a labor union in most aspects of their employment, the city is required to bargain with the unions to resolution or impasse before it can make impactful operational changes.
We just can't steamroll over these legal requirements.
And failing to complete these processes exposes the city to sanctions issued by state agencies or arbitrators,
both of which are enforceable against the city and court.
This is not mentioned by me as a insurmountable hurdle.
We've done this.
When we formed the police advisory group led by former Attorney General Scott Hoshbrock and members of the community,
and we engaged the community in the reform process and we took on special interest.
We did this.
We overcame those obstacles and instituted the reforms
that led to the success we've seen today.
But I agree with all of you that time is of the essence.
The moment is urgent and we cannot afford to defer a change.
So often the necessary bargaining process takes time
to complete.
Delaying lengthy processes are also the enemy
of meaningful change and only affirm the status quo.
We're on the same page.
So we are actively and we'll continue to work with you
to examine the strategic and expeditious options
in furtherance of our goal of reimagining policing
But it's my hope as a hard work, it's on the way that also the city's union partner,
that city's union is actually partnered with the city leadership and all of us in the community
towards our shared goals for the future of the department and of the community.
Given that they are currently doing this work, I'd submit they want to be an important voice
in this conversation as well.
But I just want to thank you.
To that end, I want to thank everyone in the community for being engaged in this issue.
They have passions towards this issue, meaning they really care.
And by bringing this level of constructive discomfort or disequilibrium and bringing
this all to the table, we'll only build upon the great work we've done for more than 15
years of reforming police in Somerville and to lead a stand of reimagining.
So Mr. Chairman, thank you to you, to all of the members of the council, allow me
to speak.
And I stand with the Chief ready to answer any questions.
All right.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Thank you, Chief.
Thank you, Ms. Contente.
So at this point, according to the schedule that I had laid out, we'll get to questions
shortly.
I did have one presentation of information that Councilor Rosetti requested to make.
So at this point, I'd like to recognize Councilor Rosetti.
And for Councillors who would like to get in line to ask questions, I already see
Councillor Mba and Councillor Ewan Campan and so we'll start recommending people
after Councillor Rosetti provides us with some information. So Councillor
Rosetti, do you have the floor? Mr. Chair, thank you. I wanted to share
through you last year during budget talks when I questioned the Chief on the
grant monies that were received. To my notes at that time it was $749,807
dollars. And a lot of it was in his professional technical and other lines that he had planned
for work for his department. And I questioned why he was putting it in the budget if he
was, you know, going to be receiving grants. And he suggested it wasn't smart to create
a budget with no guarantee of a grant having come in yet. Therefore, he put it in his
budget. So beginning July 1, I started to monitor grants coming into the city. And in the budget book
itself, it's not clearly noted the grants that are received by departments. So I may not have targeted
all of the grants, but to my notes, the Summable Police Department received $1.5 million in grants.
And then I dove in a little bit deeper and I looked to see how much of those particular
of grants were repetitive grants from years past. And of that, for fiscal year 20, I found
that $690,171 were repetitive grants from multiple years.
When I looked into the ones
that I know were given year after year for the same particular purpose, at least half
of that relates to mental health issues and Department of Public Health issues.
And I thought and looked very clearly at the Racial Social Justice Department program that
the mayor wanted to introduce and the monies for that program.
So I wanted to share with my colleagues again that there is 1.5, a minimum of 1.5 million
in budgets coming into the department of which 690,171 are repetitive and that if these grants
are supplanting what was requested in the hard budget, why are we then also putting it in the
hard budget? Our free cash was astronomical. It's helped us this particular year, of course,
but free cash we've been very lucky over the years to be okay with that. So,
So, if possible to even create a stabilization fund of these monies to take out of the budget
that we anticipate could potentially be coming in and grants as they have year after year
and putting it into a stabilization fund if that's allowable and then have the racial
social justice department group monitor and of course that would come to us for a final
vote before it was expended.
But I just wanted to share those numbers with you all.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Yeah.
All right.
Thank you, Councillor Rosetti.
And just to make sure I've got the number, 1.5 million in grants, 690,000 or so repetitive
grants.
Yes, sir.
All right.
Thank you.
All right.
So I see in line for questions related to those, I guess, one very long three-part
presentation or four-part presentation, Councillor Mba, you will have the floor first.
We're followed right now by Councillor Ewan Kampen, Councillor White, Councillor Strezzo
and Councillor Davis.
I'm concerned by you at the floor, sir.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, for the recognition before,
you know, I just want to give, you
know, my remarks and then before I dive into the question, you know, if I may.
So first, I want to thank the Chief for the presentation and the Mayor and Ms. Contender.
Also, I also want to thank all the activists that came out overwhelmingly to advocate for us to
defund the police and the 4000 plus residents who signed the petition, which I have signed in
in support of a living wage for the paraprofessionals who are largely women of color.
I'm glad to see that request being granted and to know that we don't have any layoff or follow
with our city employees as we have witnessed in other cities. Some of your testimonies were
really heartbreaking. I heard about the bike incident, I heard about the breaking,
They must have incident, the Boston Pride Parade incident, and so many others.
I want you to know I heard every single one of you.
Police abuse of power is not new in our society, especially against black people.
This violence against black people stretches back to slavery.
To Jim Crow and now Jim Crow Esquire.
I appreciate the work of the Chief and the Somerville Police Department.
But we have systemic racism in our society that we can start to address at the local
level.
During my time on the city council, we reform our policing policies.
We overhaul our police confirmation process.
We ban future recognition.
We created a welcoming act ordinance.
We said no to military style equipment.
We review our civil asset for future and have fought for equity in police hiring and promotions.
In fact, we promoted the first two black officers to sergeants in the city's history.
I personally will be pursuing body cameras for our police department as we move to create a civilian oversight board.
Because George Floyd's mother drew attention because his death was captured on video.
As we know, other black people who continue to be brutalized in the hands of the police
don't make the news.
Some of you had his first black police officer only until 1974.
We need to change the culture of policing and also promote diversity.
We need to become anti-racist.
That means clearly identifying racist ideas and policies and actively undoing them.
We need to understand that everything we do has racist implications, and our local budgets
are racist because they perpetuate a racist status quo that produces unequal outcomes
by race over and over again, generation after generation, and if we want a different outcome,
we need a different approach that prioritizes equity by diverting resources away from racist
activities, like over-policing, and towards anti-racist policies, like improving educational
outcomes and increased economic opportunities.
I have been wrestling for the past several
weeks, Mr. Chair, and it is time we start listening to the voices of color and amplify
their demands and stop the legacy of systemic racism by speaking for them. I have been
talking and listening to people of color in this community, and after consulting with
the mayor and community leaders of color, the Office of Racial and Social Justice has
been created. I'll be focusing my energy on making sure that office works, that it doesn't
just become a committee that has studied things without impacting our community.
I'll also
be making some drastic cuts and will continue to consult with just Osama V on their demands
and what other leaders would serve our marginalized community members on how to utilize these funds.
I appreciate the work of our allies who have decided that defending the police is necessary
for the safety of Black and Brown people.
I completely understand the frustration around policing with everybody, especially the Boston Pride Parade.
I commend Rep. Presley's resolution to end qualified immunity.
I'm grateful for the work that has been done by our police department and this body.
Yet our police department has become better since we took office and we have ways to
go.
I've spoken to some social workers who told me they had to call the police to handle
some of their cases.
I have to be honest, I haven't really studied deeply the consequences of a society without
policing.
But one thing that is clear to me is that we need to have a conversation around police
over time and details.
In fact, I think police details should go away completely.
They should have no business on the construction site.
You don't need to have a police officer around to fix a port hole.
I don't think that is ridiculous, Mr Chairman, and with that, I just want to ask some general
question for the chief, if I may, Mr Chair.
You're at the floor, sir.
Thank you.
Chief Fallon,
what are our metrics for substance regarding public safety?
Should they be updated, and if so, how?
Councillor, can I ask you to repeat that question, please?
I will.
What are your metrics for success regarding public safety, and should they be updated?
And if so, how should they be updated?
And I thank you for that.
I take counsel.
I thank you for your comments.
And I thank you for that question.
A metric for success at the San Juan Police Department is when we play our role as a city
the entity in raising the living standard, the pride, the safety of every resident of
this community. That's our metrics. Our metrics is how do we play a role in our community
to provide public safety without bias, that is procedurally just to every member of our
community. And since I've been chief.
They have the command staff in the room here. And since they've become members of the command staff, that's what we reward officers on.
When I first got on the police department, you were rewarded by how many tickets you wrote and how many arrests you made.
Now we reward officers. You work with us on promoting two very deserving officers, and we recognize them on how you engage with the public.
Do you connect somebody in your community that's in need of mental health services or opioid services?
services. Do you connect them to services in your community? When we see them doing that,
that's a metric of success.
And thank you, Chief. And are there any opportunities for reallocating or sharing functions related
to public health, mental health, and substance abuse?
Councillor, again, I appreciate your question. I take our community outreach help in recovery,
which, but NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness,
is saying it's the model to go to.
It's the model to go to.
Some of us has the correct model.
We need to continue to work in that direction.
And news offices come on to the police department
and train them in that culture,
that they're guardian to the community,
that their job is to connect people
to the services they need.
Maybe I missed it in Patty's presentation,
but one of the biggest things I'm proud of
It's the meetings
that the core office holds, I'm sorry, stakeholder meetings, stakeholder
meetings, where every stakeholder in this community, from homeowners to opioid addiction, the
mental health, are all in the same room with police officers, talking about how do we
serve the members of our community that are most at need, those stakeholders, programs
programs like that stakeholder meeting are what drive cultural change in policing, and
that's what the Sunville Police Department wants to do. We want to drive cultural change
in policing to walk this country. We had a big role in that with the CIT program and
CIT training, which is 40 hours of training for offices, but really important.
Steve, as you've heard, you know, through you, Mr. Chair, you've heard from every
representation, even from the mayor, from the city council, we have ways to go. So what
specific, you know, new measures can you undertake to engage the community in a two-way discussion
about the role of police in Somerville and the Somerville police standards for policing?
And I apologize to a cheer getting used to the format, through the cheer to you, councillor.
And I thank you for your question. Not a program you need to implement. You need
sit down and listen to each other. I hear the community. I hear the communities call for change
and I want to be part of that change. For my 20 years in policing and six now going on seven years
as chief has taught me that we have to listen to each other. We have to engage in some with each
other. Policing is successful when you work with the community. I remember times in policing
when the police department is in one silo and the community is in another silo.
That's a recipe for disaster.
The mayor said earlier these conversations might be difficult.
We're here to listen.
We're here to listen and learn and improve with the community.
Thank you, Chief.
Through your chair, I guess we'll reduce the chief's performance.
Is it the city council or is it the mayor?
I
don't, maybe Chief, can you add, like, can you add?
I can.
Let's see.
We're critiquing.
Our managerial rights specified in the contract, but in practice, that is not a role that's developed
in the City Council.
Sorry.
Through you, Mr. Chairman, if I understood, and again, I apologize.
Council member, was the question is who reviews the Chief's performance?
Am I correct here on that?
Yes, Mr. Mayor.
Again, through you, Mr. Chairman, to the good councillor, well, as I over the chief reports
to the executive office myself and when I, you know, we review his performance and make
recommendations as performance, the chief and one of the major implementations of reform
going back more than 15 years was to remove the position of chief of police from civil
service, including the other two members of the command staff, deputy chief, and
make them contractual performance to live up to the terms of the contract.
Recently, I say recently, I think more than a year ago, the City Council approved extending
that contract.
In our opinion, the Cheap performed admirably.
So even though I'll make a recommendation, manage the Cheap's performance, make a recommendation
to council, the council didn't review any contract extension.
And the council is still the appointing authority, excuse me, the confirmation
of appointment.
The appointing authority is the executive branch.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Until you chair, so what are the stages of the database of people
with mental health difficulties and their interactions with some of the police departments?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ember. I think that question may be best answered by Patty
Contente who's still on the line. Sure. I want to hear.
Yes. Hi. Thank you, councillor. Thank you for your question. Your question was calls
for service related to mental health?
As I said, the status of the database of people with mental health difficulties and their interaction.
So, you know, like how, like, do we have a database for that and how is the data being
used?
The database is being used.
The officers are writing reports to provide my unit, which is in the Somerville Police
Department with context on how to follow up.
We also work with a number of the community service providers.
When I first started working with the department, one of our first diversions came about as
a result of a community service provider with a client in the Department of Mental Health
System that they were concerned about, but they did not have the evidence to access
a higher level of care.
He was in the community living in the community but his behaviors due to his
mental illness were putting him at risk walking into the street being out late
at night possibly being a victim of crime by other individuals in the
community. They reached out to the police department so by having those
calls for service documented the officers had I think over 200 encounters
with this individual in a span of a few weeks.
That provided the evidence for the service provider
to make a case that this individual
required more services, services beyond their scope.
So that's just one example.
We have other examples where an individual,
again, is an engaging and very dangerous behavior.
I think there's a lot of misunderstanding
with the mental health system.
Folks with mental illness have rights like all of us.
They are able to choose what type of services and treatment
they would feel they want to benefit from.
Unfortunately, because mental illness is an illness of the brain
and it does impair judgment, it can distort perception at times,
not always, but at times. So those individuals feel sometimes that they're being harmed by
their treatment. They feel like they're having negative impact because of their treatment.
So they are not engaged with their services and their providers. And that puts them at risk
of behaviors in the community that could cause, again,
them to be a victim of an assault.
It could put them at risk of being out, you know,
kind of in dangerous situations at different hours
of the night and be, again, a victim of someone.
So it is in that way that we are using,
there's been a lot of discussion.
there's a data-driven justice project.
There are so many national and statewide initiatives
that are calling out to the police, initiatives driven
by public health, by mental health,
that are saying, police, we need you.
We need you as partners in this work.
It's a big misconception that there's not a role.
Police officers are public servants
and they do know the community.
We had someone who were trying to locate just this week.
They had three providers, someone from healthcare for the homeless, their family member,
another doctor who worked with them.
This individual was at risk due to neurological conditions.
It was our police officers who helped identify and locate where that individual was.
Not through arrests, but through talking to other community members.
They knew where to go, who to talk to.
They talked to the community to say,
gee, we're concerned about X person.
Can you help us?
Do you have any idea?
And it turned out that all the providers
had misinformation.
It was the officers' efforts to go
and talk with the community
that helped us locate that individual.
So it's very disheartening to hear people.
And I understand, I understand.
It's 2020 in no way should we live in a world where George Floyd was murdered in that way.
That's just incomprehensible.
However, policing is, and policing change is different in every community.
And I would say that in the work, again, it hasn't happened overnight.
We've been at this, as the chief mentioned.
And I started working with the department 2010.
So it's been 10 years.
And I feel like we've started to make some progress
towards, you know, revisioning police work.
Police are seeing their role as guardians in the community.
They see people on their worst day
and they have a lot of information
that clinicians and providers don't necessarily have.
So I'll wrap it up on that point.
Thank you.
Just from the chair, it's a very long night ahead of us.
There are a lot of counselors.
We're all here and we all have questions, so if we could just try to address the questions
being asked, I'd really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Appreciate it.
So, to Ms. Contella, just to follow up with what you're saying through your chair.
So how do officer guests elected for mental health training?
So we've been very fortunate.
it, so far we have used a volunteer model, so those 54% of officers who have attended
RCIT training have requested to attend the training. That tells us that officers are
recognizing that they need additional tools in engaging with folks. They're interested
in understanding how to best respond to individuals with behavioral health. We do have opportunities
for officers to go to training or as I mentioned the CIT coordinator roles. Those officers were
asked to participate in an application process where they submitted an interest and then were
interviewed by my staff to be granted those roles.
And through you chair, you know, I don't
remember which slide it was, but on the core community outreach hub and recovery, do core staff
go out on emergency or crisis intervention, you know, calls with the police officers or just for
non-emergency calls? Through you, Chair. So when we started the program, when we got our first grant,
actually the state model had been a co-response sending clinicians out on the emergency of the
urgent. When we were applying for the grant, they said we want an innovative model. We're
finding that model not to be as effective and so we decided to implement a follow-up model.
Primarily because we know that the officers with the training that they have both in the law
enforcement and with the CIT side, officers are fully equipped and capable. I think sometimes
are an underutilized under-recognized workforce that's available 24-7, they are more than qualified
and capable to assess the situation and determine if someone needs to go to the hospital or if they
can be safe in the community. Then they also have the resources of that psychiatric emergency
team which can then join them on scene or most often what happens is we follow up with them
the next day. My last point is think about yourself in a crisis. Is that the time where
you can most utilize and understand services? Oftentimes people are overwhelmed. They're
not having a good day. We found that our model has been effective because we're following
up after the crisis. It provides a better opportunity to really engage and understand
what's important to people and to facilitate them connecting to that.
Thank you. And Mr. Chairman, thank you for your patience.
About the jail diversion program, how many people have been impacted by that program each year?
The numbers in terms of people who are actually in the jail diversion program are fairly low.
We have a range of anywhere from 5 to 10 cases annually that were diverting from the court system.
That is primarily due to the fact that officers are not charging individuals with behavioral health.
They're not charging people with addiction. They're connecting them to services instead.
And so you have that data with demographic information, agenda, ethnicity, do you have
that?
Because the number you said is relatively low, so how do we have that data?
I could look at that. We typically don't track demographics, but I can certainly pull that
as you mentioned, the numbers are low.
I would say that the majority of the folks
in diversion are Caucasian.
We have had a couple of African American
or Black individuals, but primarily they are Caucasian.
And Mr. Chair, I have just two more.
If I may, I really appreciate your patience.
It looks like, you know, the cost per day averages around 70.
So what actions have been taken within those calls in response to those calls?
And are there similar statistics or responses like when they make calls, what happened,
you know, like, how are the calls, what different, like, what kinds of calls are
coming in and what kinds of responses, like, dispatches, police reports per day?
Like, do we have any information around that?
So,
to the chair, to the good councilor, and again, thank you for your call.
I think I also want to point out that some of the police department, I think, was the
first department in Middlesex County to start a jail diversion program for juveniles that
we've had in place for many, many years, and that's through Detective Montana Natasha,
and she's done great work with that for years.
And through parting by you this year, councilor, we've started our collaboration with
communities for restorative justice.
And officers have attended restorative circles
and I've attended them myself,
so also continue to improve in that direction also.
But through the chair, if I could refer the counselor
back to slide, I believe it's eight,
where it talks about calls for service
and there's a breakdown.
There's a variety of calls
that the police department responds to.
Medical calls and traffic incidents
are usually number two, one and two.
Every year, after that, we see check conditions, alarms, unknown trouble, general assistance,
noise is always a top category, as well as lanceny.
Unwanted calls are always up there, disputes, as they discussed earlier, missing property,
B&E officers respond to over one B&E a day or close to one assault a day.
more than one domestic violence of domestic disturbance a day,
close to two disputes a day.
So, you know, the breakdown is on the slide
and calls for service from type.
As I said in my presentation, many times an officer doesn't know the situation
they're being called into.
It's a 911 hang-up or it's a silent open line
and the officer needs to go there and evaluate.
And thank you, Chief. And so this is the last one on the slide. It's one of the slides that you talk about, you talk about the Somerville Police Advisory Group.
What is the status of that group that produced a report in 2005? Never heard about that. This is the first time.
Mr. Chairman, if you'd like, I can respond directly to that.
Please.
Yes, thank you.
The group, I'm going to try to, I spent a long time, was chaired by former, then former attorney, still former attorney general squad, Hash Braga, then lower police chief Ed Davis, Tim Robbins, former commander of the Mass State Police and the BU Police Chief, members of the community,
Community Human Rights Commission.
They made previous to that context, it was an original management study of the police
department, I believe in 1999, we had 100 recommendations for change, very few of those
were implemented, there was a lot of concerns in the department, in 2001 the department
was deemed the house of hate by the Boston Globe, and work with the police advisory
group in the community, there were several major recommendations, you might have seen
the letter there, including following up the original management study. There was the issue
of the report over the next few years. We moved to implement those changes. There was a follow-up
review from the advisory group and presentation to check on our progress, progress that had been
made. At that point out, the advisory group phased out, counselor. Its work was completed
and it phased out. And they were satisfied that the police department had achieved all
recommendation when it's on its way.
Thank you. Thank you Mayor and through you chair I don't know
if this is the right time but I would love to you know chop up maybe like $800,000 from the
overtime that they have if they need more money they can always come to the city council
and ask for that money you know we we have to really you know start meticulously like
reviewing like how money is spent in this department. Thank you Councillor Mba. I think
I'd like to make sure all the councillors have an opportunity to ask their questions about the
slides. So admittedly anybody can make a motion at any time but I'd like to hear everybody out
and then come back around to proposals and motions for cuts. So I appreciate it but if
you're willing to forebear I'd like to move on to some of the other councillors who have
questions. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Councilor Ambar.
All right. On our list, we have Councilor Ewing-Campan, Councilor White, Councilor Strezzo,
and Councilor Davis. Councilor Ewing-Campan, you have the floor. Thank you very much,
Mr. Chair. Through you, thank you, Chief Fallon, Ms. Catente, Mr. Mayor. So I have three
questions about the presentation. The first one is about the response to
medical calls. So we received a communication a few weeks ago from a
Somerville resident who is a staffer to the Middlesex County Restoration
Center Commission, which does policy research around criminal justice. And in
the communication she was providing recommendations on how to improve our
911 system and how to separate out criminal calls from non-criminal calls, et cetera.
And in that communication, she said that she had done a survey of police departments in
Middlesex, including Somerville, and at the survey indicated that Somerville was quote
ahead of the curve because we already triaged behavioral health calls, and she specified
overdoses, suicide, mental health emergencies, and we dispatched EMT and fire, but not
police.
So I'm just honestly, you know, basically confused as how that system works. You know, that could be mistaken, or perhaps I'm misunderstanding some of the presentation tonight, which is focuses extensively on the medical calls and the calls basically to those types of non-criminal emergencies that were called out.
So I guess the question through the chair to the chief is we dispatch do we do dispatch
The question is do we dispatch to all of those to suicide overdose mental health emergencies?
Was that a misunderstanding in the communication we received?
Yeah through the chair to the
Contagion camera. Thank you for the question. I apologize for chiming in difficult
Well, your picture coming up to speak but yes, we do. I don't know where the miscommunication is
I think we could look into it further, but we do dispatch offices to those calls.
Okay.
Through the chair, thank you very much.
That was my understanding from your presentation.
I want to be clear the misunderstanding was not coming from your department.
I just wanted to make sure as we start to have this conversation about whether the
police should be the first responders to medical emergencies, mental health emergencies,
I want to make sure that I understand the status quo as we are now.
So thank you for that clarification.
The second question, and Councillor Ambar already started on this, but I am wondering
why only about half the department has taken the crisis intervention training to date.
So Ms. Contente said that it's basically by request of officers at this point.
So I understand that that much.
But I'm curious if there's a further answer.
Through the chair, if I might, this is Patty, respond.
Thank you for your question.
So the reason that it's been slow is really scheduling.
So we have to balance out officer availability.
They're obviously not on shift.
It's a 40-hour training, so five days taking someone out of their shift schedule.
So it's balancing that.
And also we are a regional program, so the demand is extremely high.
last year this current fiscal year we had planned nine classes they were full
with waiting list so we you know again it says shift scheduling issue as well
as having to start in a larger region.
Through the chair thank you very much so
is it the intention to have a hundred percent of the department take that
training?
Yes the chief and I have talked about that that is a definite
Thank you very much.
So my third and final question at this point is about the steps program.
So this is a program that we've, on the council have received a great deal of feedback about
and the steps program is one of the school-based programs where my understanding is an officer
basically serves as a mentor to a specific class of kids starting in I believe sixth
grade and then follows them through school over a multi-year period.
And the stated goal is to form positive relationships between young Somerville residents and members
of the police force mentoring relationships, making sure that, you know, students know
people in the department that they can reach out to.
So the question, and I'm going to keep this general with no names involved, but we received
over the weekend a communication from a resident that was strongly in favor of the police
department and of the steps program in general.
But as part of that letter, she described an experience that I found troubling.
And that was that she said an officer that she knows socially reached out to her and
asked about her daughter and said that he had seen her on Facebook associated with another
young person who this officer knew through the steps program and seemed to have concerns
about. And I want to be clear this resident called us out as positive
experience. She asked him, the officer, you know, why are you monitoring these
young people? And he said, you know, I form friendships with a lot of these young
mentees and I keep, I maintain that relationship for years in many cases.
And I want to keep tabs to make sure, you know, parents sometimes don't even know
what their kids are up to on social media. So again, the person who contacted
that us view this as a positive experience. I am quite troubled by this because to me it implies that
officers involved in the steps program are not solely serving as positive role models and etc.
They're also keeping tabs of you know students that they're concerned about and beyond that
potentially reaching out to other to members of the community kind of in a
outside of their police department role.
So if this was the result of a criminal investigation,
it's clearly beyond the pale that they would then reach out
to a residence and talk about the contents of that.
But I really, again, I'm not asking
about the specific individuals involved here.
I've followed up with you individually,
but more on a programmatic,
the goals of the STEP program,
does this sound consistent with the goals
and the implementation of the STEP program?
it's, I find it very troubling and I'd like to hear a response on that.
So to the chair and to you, councillor Ewan Campbell, I appreciate the question.
In full disclosure, I haven't had the opportunity to read the full back and forth emails.
I tried to respond to you last night and I think I clearly showed you in our social media policy
that an officer doing that for the criminal investigation is against the policy
without alerting the command staff of the peace department.
Without getting too much into the individual case, we're talking to here is the person
might be an employee of the police department in some capacity, so maybe there's a connection
there through a further connection, but that's not the role of the officers.
I'm going to fully look at it, the situation, look into it.
I spoke to Mary Skipper today.
We have not had one complaint about a steps officer in the schools.
They're there to mentor. They're not there to enforce the school rules. They're not there to look for criminal violations. They're there to know the students.
So at 10 o'clock at night, when you're in the eighth grade, and there's somebody calls and says, kids are in Conray Park hanging out.
I want the officer to know that. I know the students and say, hey, Brian, listen, box closed. I understand it's a hot summer night, you know, and you want to be outside.
but we received a few calls. I think that human interaction and getting to know each other
on a humanistic level has always been important to me in policing. I've seen that be successful
time and time again. If an officer overstepped his bounds in his role, as a steps officer,
we'll address that immediately and speak with them. But, you know, to date, I understand
that concern. I think I would be in the same concern from that. It's something that we
need to look into as a department.
Thank you very much, Chief, through the chair.
And given the goals that you state of the program,
I guess that's why it's so concerning to me.
And I'm wondering through you just to follow up
if there is a stated kind of policy around social media
of officers befriending young people.
I realize that this is a.
It could be a sensitive issue, but I'm kind of curious if the department has a policy on
it.
I believe you're muted. Chief Fallon, your microphone might have gotten unplugged. You're
not muted.
Okay, I apologize and do the chair and the council, you and Cameron, you know, I sent
you our social media policy last night and policies evolve over time. And when members
of the community, city councilors like yourself address policy issues, we're going to
be very, very, very adaptive to addressing the community concerns in our policies, teaching
our officers about those policies, and having the command staff in place to ensure that
they follow those policies. So it's valued input. You know, a citizen coming to a resident
coming to you, city councilor, you bring in your concern to the police department.
We're going to be adaptive and we're going to be responsive to these concerns, not
every policy policy is evolve over time. That's a big part of accreditation accreditation
process will give you a lot of policies. You promulgate a lot of policies in different areas.
But those policies are successful when you teach to them, when you hold offices accountable to them,
and when you adapt to change those policies with the community. But that's why it's so
vital. And I always welcome the input of this Council. I've learned so much from the City
Council and members of the Council. And we look forward to continuing our efforts together
in addressing concerns such as you bring to our attention.
Through the chair, thank you very much, Chief Fallon. I'm all set for now.
All right. Thank you. I do anticipate we'll be making several laps through, folks.
So thank you, Councilor Ioannon. Councilor White, and then we'll go to Councilor Strezzo and Davis.
Council White, you have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This could either be for the chief off of the mayor.
When you mentioned that there was a dreamer in line to become a patrol officer,
I remember back in 2010 when the City of Salvoley, Board of Aldermen and Yard administration
actually had a joint resolution supporting the DREAM Act.
Back in 2010, that wasn't that popular.
So this brings a concern to me and maybe I can ask a couple of questions to make sure
I'm correct.
It's my understanding that we cannot cut positions from the budget.
All we can do is cut the bottom line on personal services.
Is that correct?
That's correct. This is the Mayor through the Chair.
Okay. So it would be my understanding that
line item was that required layoffs,
and basically it would be the last person in who would be the first to be laid off
under the collective bargaining agreements?
In short, yes. I'd submit if I'm correct.
There's a civil service. You would have to give 30 days notice.
There's a bargain on reduction in force and it's typically last in first out correct
Okay, then I don't know if you have the database possible
But what I would like to see is let's just assume reductions in force by 10 to 60 percent
What the makeup would be of those who would be laid off at each of those percentiles
Because during my years on the first board of Alderman City Council each year
It seems that we've hired, or maybe over a period of a couple of years, we've hired
more women and people of color.
So my concern would be with these type of layoffs, would we lose, you know, a chunk
of our female officers and people of color?
And what type of a police department would be left as far as like age and ethnic background?
For the chair, we're happy to put those scenarios together for you.
Okay, because I think that will be helpful for me as you know, I address these potentials
of personal.
That's it, Mr. Chair.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor White.
I would also point out in the information that was provided by the City, one of the
questions asked by councillors was about the opportunity for buyouts or early retirements
for more senior personnel, which is a practice that this city has pursued in the past.
So the choice to only lay off the newest hire is an act of choice.
There are other policy issues that can be pursued by this administration.
And I believe, Mayor Curtatoni, you have done so in the past, correct?
Through you, Mr. Chairman, through you, you are correct.
It wouldn't be early retirement, ERI offered by the state.
What we've done in the past and the data escapes me is we've created sort of an incentive,
one-time payout incentive to retire and usually, and one of the, and this happened,
I believe right around the time as we were going through transformation
or taking on police reform, we had older, though, let's just say we had a lot
police officers are doing buy-in to reform and many close to the age of retirement and we work
together with the aldermen and not just the police I believe all the departments I forget what the
you know the monetary figure was to put an incentive retirement payment I guess that people
retired and then some were either at the age or close to it enough and it hit a sweet spot but
it's not your typical ERI passed down by the legislature so yes in short we have implemented
attempted those strategies in the past.
And if I may follow up, Mr. Chair, since you did comment on the point that I had raised,
it's my understanding that there would have to be funding in the police department for
any of those potential buyouts in
the...
To you, I believe so.
Most generally, if my record...
I believe that's correct.
All right.
Thank you.
All right.
Just as the point of information from the memo, it was in 2011 that the City of
Summerville last offered a $15,000 bonus to encourage officers who have retirement eligible
to retire. And they did have some takers. There were also early retirement incentive programs
in 2002 and 2003. All right. Next up here is Councillor Strezzo. Councillor Strezzo,
up before. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I did thank you very much, Mr. Chair, to you, to Councilor
Mava. Thank you for talking about the Somerville Police Advisory Group. I had questions about
that as well. And I was wondering if we could find more information about that as Councilors.
What year was it dissolved? And what were the mission statements of it? I don't know who that
question would be addressed to Chief Allen perhaps. I actually Mr. Chairman for you let me thank you
for the question Councillor Strezzo let me just clarify it wasn't dissolved unilaterally it had
fulfilled its mission and then we had asked them I believe and I went and we'll clarify this
few further was a year later and we had a progress check-in date and we can submit to the council
to you Mr. Chairman the full report if you haven't received it yet you might we even want
And if you're interested, for context, the original MMA police management study, which
I believe was 1999,
but that was all the context which led to a lot of the really focus on
the issues in the summer of the police department in the early 2000s.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
And
I did have a question, Chief Allen, about the cadet program.
So it is, it is, it is canceled.
What year was it canceled?
Thank you for your question, ma'am.
That was a new initiative.
We were looking to begin this year.
So, more so cancelled, put on hold to a future date,
but it's something that we want to work with the council
and the administration on implementing here
to some of the police department.
And from what I understand,
it has the capacity to provide scholarships.
You know, we work closely with the community
closely. Deputy, Deputy Stanford led on this initiative at the police department,
we're closely with the mayor and his staff. And the idea of the program was to take non-traditional
high school students who may not enter a career of public safety, hire them. You need to be 21
years of age to become a police officer in the state of Massachusetts, to work with them for
two or three years as cadets, help them, you know, work with them on how to take a civil
service exam, how to prepare yourself for being a police officer, and also during that time pay for
them to attend Bunker Hill Community College. So we turn an associate's degree while they're a cadet.
They can help with city events, be present at city events, engage with the community,
and then, you know, hopefully at that point we're working at the law office, working with
the law office, and they would be working with the state delegation to have those cadets
to have an opportunity to get extra points
on the civil service exam,
which would further put them up on the list
of becoming police officers here in Somerville.
And we went to many, a couple of job fears
at the high school, spoke to students about it.
We had some great applications.
Deputy Stanford is in the room with me.
And something we're excited about
and something I think we're definitely
gonna see here in the future.
What kind of applicants did you receive
through the you spoke about non-traditional applicants. Can you, what's
defined as non-traditional applicants of the cadet program, would you say? Yeah, I
speak to the Deputy Stanford in the room here through the chair, to Councillor
Estrezzo. We had about 20 applications, a lot of female applicants, a lot of
minority applicants,
also high school students that are to the best of my
recollection when people want to see serve their community so we can continue to make
strides to make sure that the Selvo Police Department strongly reflects the community
that we serve and continues to do so.
But so it isn't a defunct program, it's just on pause or?
through the chair it's not it's not funded at this time okay and then we're
hoping they'll find funding for that in the future thank you chief found I had
one more question does the does the city of Somerville did the police
officers carry tasers I threw the cheer to count of special thank you for the
question ma'am we do not carry tasers you do not carry tasers okay those are
all my questions and thank you very much chief on and thank you very much Mr. Chair.
All right thank you counselors I do see several folks wanting to jump in on this unless people
are directly addressed what I'd like to do is just to continue to cycle through and
once we get to the end of people who are asking questions for first time
to ask follow-up questions based on what you're hearing so please just
Just make a note of your question and we'll try to come back to it.
We will absolutely come back to you because we'll make sure you can remember it.
Up next we have Councilor Davis and then I see Councilor Niedergang and unless there
is more Councillors who haven't spoken yet who would like to speak then we'll start
back through.
So Councilor Davis, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you.
she found Ms. Contente and Mr. Mayor for the presentation. Several of my
questions have been answered or at least the general issue has been addressed. I
don't want to belabor some of those points. I thought I might focus really on
the the timeline as in the very last slide that was presented by the mayor
there, and ask a few questions there, I'm trying to scroll towards here.
So Mr. Mayor, you mentioned that you and I had a conversation about what might work,
what might be the kind of thing that would be responsive to the calls for a commitment
it to significant change in the way that we envision policing in this city. That is, you
know, something other than a, you know, significant, something other than making those significant
changes in a week or two weeks. And I was, I was driven by, so let me take a step back.
I am fully committed to answering the calls of the thousands of people who have reached
out to us in various ways to see the way that we envision law enforcement in this city completely
changed, completely reworked and effectively breaking down the system we have and rebuilding
it.
That's an end goal and I believe, I think that we share that goal.
I am compelled by some of the voices and particularly, you know, a comment made by the Executive Director
of the largest organization that represents people of color in this community to caution
us to make sure that we have something to put in place or at least something close to
an idea of what to put in place before we rip out what's there.
I think that's wise, and I think that we can honor the calls of everyone in the community
by doing both, right? The specific petition that was mentioned many, many times was, you
know, at least 10% and calling for 60%. You know, those are numbers that were based on,
as I understand it, were based on, you know, averaging out what folks responded to, and
And that's, you know, that's not necessarily the wrong way of coming to a target point,
but it's only, you know, it's very least only part of the process.
I certainly feel that the folks in our community who have said that we need to be led by
those most directly impacted by policing, you know, that's the way to do this.
And you said that, Mr. Mayor, as well, and I'm with you on that.
So, thank you for including a timeline.
I want to be clear.
I want to ask some questions about what you see this as constituting, because it's my
anticipation that we will – I've already seen proposals from some of my colleagues
that look like they make sense to me that will result in deeper cuts right now to
the police budget.
of course going to continue to listen to the conversation before ultimately, you know, we
take a vote on one thing or another, but I think it's really important that we dig in
a little bit into this timeline that you have here because it, you know, so it lays
out across the top, and I'm looking at, I guess it's slide second to last slide,
slide 24, there's sort of the timeline is really across the top right there's
sort of four phases and they and they certainly overlap right so there's the
there's the role of the RSJ director the project on reimagining policing which
has two phases one civilian oversight and to a new public safety model and
then the funding as you mentioned we in the in the committee on legislative
of matters are already working on a civilian oversight process.
For the record, I just today canceled the meeting that was to happen Thursday, the reason
being that because we will be going into a recess this summer, I think it's important
for us to listen to the community over the course of the summer and then come back
to restart that legislative process as soon as we're back.
and, you know, so maybe a little earlier than you have in the timeline here, you know,
in October, but I hope that the Committee on Legislative Matters will, in cooperation
with the administration, will begin to undertake that process again in August and September.
I think the key here, though, for the purposes of the budget is, you know, the green
column here, right, the new public safety model.
Because if you look at, there was another document that was provided to us, and you
mentioned this in your comments that the project on reimagined policing is two primary
areas that mentioned the Civilian Oversight Committee, but also developing a new public
safety model that includes civilian response, holistic thinking, and other approaches.
And to me, that's really the key and, you know, I want to know, I would like to know
from you on – I'll try to keep this simple so we don't get into too much detail
right now.
We're just at a very basic level, and I'd actually like to hear a response from both
the mayor and the chief on these questions.
With regards to the Civilian Oversight Committee, are you committed to a civilian oversight process
that has actual authority?
So that would include things like, in all likelihood, not necessarily because this
is going to be a process, but in all likelihood, subpoena power, outside counsel, ultimately
enforcement and discipline power in policy setting. So my question to the
Mayor first and then to the Chief, are you committed to an oversight committee
that actually has those types of things that constitute the actual power that
folks tell us that proper effective oversight committees need to have?
Through you, Mr. Chairman, to Council Davis. Yes, I am. Absolutely.
Okay. Chief Fallon, is that consistent with your vision of what this process will look like?
Yeah, to the chair of Council Davis, 100 percent behind this initiative.
I think you've spoken in the past about, you know, needing to have some substance behind it.
And I think what the community is calling for, that what the community deserves,
and I think it's what we should bring to the community.
Okay. Thank you both for that. I'm glad to hear it. It is certainly my intent and I believe
our intent that that's what this process will open result in. Of course, as I said from
the chair of the committee on legislative matters, we will do this together, walking
stride by stride with the community so that we are listening to them and being guided
by them as well. So I look forward to working with you all on that. As to the new public
safety model, you know, Mr. Mayor, you correctly pointed out that there are legal hurdles to
doing a number of the things that I think ultimately need to be done and that I think any sort of
rational interpretation of the second prong of the reimagining model that you laid out,
you know, developing a new public safety model that includes civilian
in response, holistic thinking and other approaches.
We will have to address the fact that there is collective bargaining rights.
And I know you and others, and certainly my colleagues on the Council, recognize the
need to be careful that we don't set precedent that could be used in union busting and
other situations.
That's certainly a concern that we have to be cognizant of as we go through this.
But my question ultimately is, when you say a new public safety model and remathing in policing, in your mind does that likely include a much smaller police force and civilian first responders to many of the things that our current police officers do right now?
Through you, Mr. Chairman, at a good council, yes, and I think there should be no limit
to what we imagine and what practices we learn from even our own where we feel here locally,
we've set an incredible standard where we feel we've hit a wall because maybe that's
not where a service belongs or we're not fully equipped to address a particular problem
of what's happening around the world.
So, yeah, in short, yes, and our imagination of this should not be limited by any means
and I'm going to support.
Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I appreciate hearing that.
Chief Fallon, is that consistent with where you see this ultimately going?
You know, Mr. Counselor, I just don't know.
To be fully honest with you, I just have to say I just don't know.
I think we really have to take a good look at other models.
You know, I think we have a very positive model with our call office.
I think other models are very dependent on what services are available in the community.
I'm looking at these departments around the country, some that have the Kahootz program
and, you know, that lessen the police officer, but the call, the response time, the general
response time is sometimes 20 minutes.
So I think we just really, you know, I'm interested in finding out, but I just
really have to say it.
this time, I just don't know. I think we have to be so nuanced, so reflective, so forward-thinking
that I don't know if the model, a successful model is there yet. But I look forward to going
down that road with everybody. But honestly, I just don't know at this point.
Okay. Well, I appreciate the candid nature of your answer. I agree. I haven't seen a good
model either. You know, Camden, New Jersey is one that seems to come up quite frequently,
but when you dig into that, not only did they have another plan in place and ready to go
when they disbanded the city police department, you know, they had the replacement ready,
that actually resulted by design in far more police officers, many more police officers
on the streets, which is what they wanted at the time, but it's just a different
So, I agree that I have yet to see a perfect model and my expectation is that we are fully
capable of being the ones to come up with what will be the best model out there once
we are through the process.
So thank you both for that.
You know, I won't ask any more questions, I would just say that I am fully convinced
and fully committed to doing the things that we're talking about, I think that the time
has come because as many wonderful individuals that might be in an institution when the institution
is designed to do something that is not consistent with what we as a society wanted to do anymore,
it's time to reimagine that institution.
And I think that's what policing writ large is.
You know, as my colleague at large, Councilor Baugh has said, you know, the system is what
isn't working.
The system is racist.
It's not the question of the individual.
So we need to recognize that and look for a system that is more reflective of our
society today.
So I look forward to doing that.
as soon as possible, I will note that the timeline that is here is, you know, it's, I think it's
fair to say it's aggressive. It's also very much not aggressive because the, you know, the new
public safety model attracts out to implementation beginning a year from now. That might end up
being what's realistic. I'd like to see that happen a lot more quickly. I think legal
challenges will probably be unavoidable and so those are going to be the things
that we really that end up costing us time but it is important to listen to
community and I hope that we begin doing that you know the second we have a
moment after the budget process and throughout the summer and into the fall.
So thank you both for your answers on that and I will leave it there Mr.
Chair thank you for the time. Thank you Councillor Davis.
Mr. Mayor, since we did hear from our existing Chief, but this is a plan that's timeline
as you propose, fans, as Councillor Favis just said, well into next year, perhaps you'd
like to comment on the charter or the process of hiring a new Chief as it would perhaps
impact that new policing rematch.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's a good question. I appreciate it. We've hit COVID-19's
done a lot of things to our society, to our health, to our livelihood, to the timing of
things in life.
So we've been delayed in a couple of things, which now may be proved to be advantageous.
One, the hiring process for new chief, and we will put that information out for counselors.
It's one of the most robust public processes anywhere in the country for hiring a chief.
It was part of the major changes we made within 15 years ago when we removed the
chief position from the civil service and how we got talented people like Dave Fallon
to become chief because that type of talent never had a chance to rise to the top.
That being said, so that process I'd submit will align well as we move forward re-imagining
the police department and as we learned when we, almost 15 years ago, restructured the
police department and instituted a new organization on deployment plan based on community
We not only had candidates who wanted to come to Somerville to do the job, but they were passionate about instituting the changes.
So I submit that opportunity is going to be here and aligned well.
And then if you recall, Mr. Chairman, you know, President McLaughlin and I mentioned charter reform at the inauguration.
That time it's also been slowed that process down, but that will also align well in an opportunistic way because inevitably whatever we do will have some charter impact.
And this is not meant to put out there like there's a lot of stuff to do. There is a lot of stuff to do
It'll work out well and we'll be working closely with the council community how those processes align with this process moving forward
So I appreciate the question. Yeah, that's important information to put out there. Thank you. Oh
Right up next. We have a councilor need again and then council of Valentine
And then unless others who haven't spoken would like to we'll go back to the start of line
Good evening, Mr. Chair, you and others will be pleased to hear that I'm going to hold
my comments till later.
I just decided I'm going to be presenting some cuts later on when we get to that point.
And I think rather than say some things now relevant to that, I'll just hold everything
till later.
So I'll pass at this point.
Thank you.
All right, Councilor Neidegain, that means Councilor Valentine, you're up.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
So, thank you to my colleagues. A lot of my questions or most of my questions were asked.
So, I will refer to just, I would like to make a comment.
Ward 7 is, has the largest number of housing units for low income and public housing in the city.
We have about a third of the population.
And I noticed during the public hearing portion, that's only one way in which the community
shares feedback with us that only one resident from that one of the public housings spoke.
So needless to say, I reached out to one of the larger housing units which houses about
1200 people, it's 501 housing units at Clarendon Hill.
And they were concerned about drastic cuts. And they asked me, these are people of color who live in
those housing units. And the manager and her team who deals with resident services asked me to express
is that they don't mind the idea of working on a restructure and change.
However, they are completely and their words were panicked at the idea that
there would be a change immediately without understanding the impact to
to their community. Specifically, a lot of what they were concerned about was the uptick
in domestic violence, in child molestations, in rapes, in mental health.
But understanding
understanding and they do feel that taking a pause and really being intentional about making
change and hopefully being able to be part of the process was important to them.
So I said I would share those comments.
And I just had a couple of pointed questions now, and those were, they might be directed
to the mayor, but you know, on this reimagining of the police, I wonder whether that reimagining
would include maybe public health department having officials that handle the homeless
us people who live in our community. Because I know I get a call as award counselor to have
the police respond to that. So that's sort of one of the questions I have. Would you
consider public health department having officers checking in on the most vulnerable in our
community. For you, Mr. Chairman, to Council Ballantyne, good evening, and thank
you for the question. No, I agree. And as I mentioned earlier, there should be no
limit to how we reimagine using that term what policing should look like and
how we respond to these more human issues. And yeah, I absolutely foresee
that. I think we all, they'll be part of the conversation and the community
anything demands that so yeah I would hope that's part of it. And so then thank
you Mr. Chair through you to Mr. Mayor another opportunity I guess would say
the facial masks that we are required to wear and that there is a $300 fine if
If they're not being warned,
the enforcer is the police and needless to say, you know,
the entire council panics, like who's going to be, you know, how is that enforcement going
to happen?
But I wonder, in the community, the police has a certain power advantage to us, is that
whether that should also be a way to reimagine that that is not having to be implemented
by the police, but maybe the public health inspectors that we have.
Is that an opportunity?
Through you again, Mr. Chairman, to the good council.
It's interesting because this very topic came up in this morning's daily check-in on COVID.
I think you bring up a point that re-emphasizes that police officers are asked to do a lot
and probably more than they should have to,
and that image of an officer potentially taking on another punitive action is not a good image for the community.
although they have been lauded and being out there giving out masks so yes I believe that
it should be an opportunity but you should know narrowly in terms of today we are talking about
Ken to be COVID ambassadors out there educating folks or other individuals finding those
willfully don't comply but we agree we should really think about are these different types of
daily violations or code issues things we want our police officers doing or not so I hope that
that many more like it a part of this conversation.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
You know, I'd just like to say that I heard
the constituents that spoke at the public hearing.
I've also heard and reached out to my residents.
I noticed in the data of those people
who identified which ward that they were from, that wards 1, 4, and 7 were the
least represented, and that those tend to be the neighborhoods that have the
largest or more vulnerable populations. So as the Executive Director of the
project mentioned that we have to or he's encouraging that the good
intentions of everybody is not at a way that it eliminates the voice of those
who need the services of the police in our community. Thank you. Thank
you
Councilor, we are just about ready to loop around on this.
At which point we'd be going to Councilor Bonn,
Councilor Davis, I see who'd like to come back,
but Councilor Klingon, you haven't yet spoken?
Yeah.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, through you,
I don't have any specific questions for the panelists
as I know most of the information
I was presented here tonight
as someone who has worked with
the Sunwill Police Department through the years
is to improve the way we interact with the community.
And through the core program where, you know,
through my work on addiction reforms and harm reduction,
when they brought that program in,
and when they stopped basically, you know,
when the Sunwell Police were the first ones
to enact many of the radical at the time reforms
that the Gloucester Police Chief had, you know,
called out to be enacted. And so, you know, for me, I'm well aware of the police force
that we have out there. I agree with my good colleague from Ward 7. I believe the breakdown
was a very small percentage from Ward 4 who testified the other night. I've been out
on the streets talking to folks. I'm hard pressed to find a negative interaction. Every
Every time I speak to folks, this one woman told me about how she got pulled over and she,
you know, was fighting with the cop that, no, my registration hasn't run out.
This is a woman of color with her husband arriving home late at night from work.
Then she goes, well, lo and behold, it turns out it was.
My registration had lapsed and the officer was extremely nice and he gave me a ride home.
And I'm just like, okay, well, that's it.
in the past 15 years you've been in Somerville. So I'm really having a hard time. I'm all about
reform and I understand that we, you know, if you all want to work on a new system that is less
law enforcement involved, we're going to do that. And I look forward to that. I look forward to
those discussions, everybody said. I'm in this meeting right now with an open mind. I'm open
to reasonable cuts, but I am sad to hear that, you know, however the cuts are enacted by the
administration, they could very well affect people of color and some of the programs that we've been
working towards to change the face of our police force. And, you know, as most of you know,
I grew up in the city, I was born and raised here, and I've seen the changes through the
years. And I think there's always room for improvement, but I do want to say that our
police force is highly progressive. And I do look forward to, I'm definitely in favor
of a civilian oversight commission with teeth. So I'm committed to some of these major reforms,
but I'm not committed to just cutting, just to cut, because people want us to cut.
when, in fact, we've been cutting the police budget for some time now, and I do think that
we need to at least have something in its place before we move to just take public safety
officers off the street.
So I'm here, you know, that's it.
I just want to make those comments.
I appreciate all the panelists' time.
I really appreciate Patty Contente who probably could be making more money in another city
based on the fact that most people want this model and that we've been on the cutting edge
but she stays here with us because she's been committed to the city since early 2000s
when we went through a bunch of different suicides and overdoses.
And so, you know, these are the things that I know from my personal history in the city
and I just want to thank the officers that are on the street
that are doing the hard work of being more compassionate, more empathetic
And, but, you know, and to the bad ones, if there are, you know, they're on notice.
I mean, we just, we have to make it so that there's accountability, real accountability.
And, and that's what I'm committed to.
So that's what I'm going to do tonight.
And I will yield.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you, Councillor Klingin.
Seeing nobody else who hasn't spoken yet.
I'm going to go back to start online.
councillor Mba, you had some follow-up questions. I believe about the cadets, but possibly better.
There's your thing. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. And I really appreciate, you know, like everyone's
input. Thank you, Councillor Klingon. You know, like, that was like well put. I think
for the cadet program, thank you, Councillor Strezzel, for bringing that up, because
But one of the things I heard about the cadet program was to diversify, provide opportunity
for minority kids at the high school and other kids that were interested in being in
the first.
And so now that it's been—I'm glad that it's not completely eliminated, but is
it possible to take it and put it under the Racial and Social Justice Bureau?
We can speak to that so that we know that this is something that we can still keep working
on it and not try to move backward instead of trying to move ahead.
Can that cadet program be rerouted to this new department that we just created?
We can speak to that, maybe the mayor or the chief.
I'm, to you, Mr. Chairman, I'm happy to start the answer, if that's okay.
And I think one part of the sheet may have to chime in, if it's okay for you.
Thank you, Councilman Baer, for the question.
Perhaps some aspects of it, but I'd submit, because there's a, if you recall, we were
seeking a way, some context that's important in my answer, to get more candidates to
take the civil service exam so we can diversify and make the department really reflect the
demographics of the community and represent that.
And then the current civil service system, we've been lucky in recent years, but we still
haven't been able to push that diversification of the department to the levels we all want.
That's another conversation we can have with the community as we reimagine the
department all aspects of it, including hiring and promotion.
So, I'd submit we'd want the racial and social justice department to have input on this and help make sure that it is done in a way that it is not embedding any systemic racism and that it is promoting social and racial justice in policing in the city.
However, there is going to be a certain training or exposure aspect to policing that's going
to have to be on the purview of the department unless the chief disagrees with me.
I appreciate that the mayor's comment.
I think a programmer like this could really be a big part of the reimagining policing
project.
Let's take a second now that we have it to really vet this project out.
Let's see the impact it will have on our community, the impact it will have on
the police department, and if it's, you know, the positive step forward that I think it's
going to be, and that's what the reimagining project points out, and I say with full steam
ahead, I think it's a good point for us to really take a look at that and vet the project
out even further.
Thank you, because I would hate to see any program that would diversify the police
force, you know, being moved away.
And then another comment is also, I want to also thank Councillor Davis for emphasizing
on the civilian of a sideboard, you know, and also seeing the full support of the chief
and the mayor, because if you had objected to anything, then that would have been a
red flag for me, because why, why object, you know, for all the, the, the requirements
Bye.
If you are trying to hide something, then you will fight us. But if you support all what
we are trying to do, then let's take this thing, Councillor Davis, chair of legislative matters,
get this thing done as soon as possible so we can impact our community. Thank you, Mr.
Chair.
Thank you, Councillor Mba. Next up, coming around the loop, I see Councillor Nida Gang.
Councilor Knudegang, you had some follow-up questions.
No, actually, you said you were all set.
I'm all set for now. I want to present later on my cuts and the rationale for them,
but I'll hold them until we get to that part of the program. Thank you.
All right. Sorry, I was able to keep 150 people straight in a public hearing,
but a dozen here and I'm lost. All right, Councilor Davis, I believe,
you had some follow-ups.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You've certainly earned a little bit of leeway after your skillful
navigating of six plus hours of commentary last week. I'll be very brief. I just wanted
to point out, and I do so because I think it's worth bearing in mind as we consider
next steps forward, you know, to play off of what Councillor Ballantyne noted, you
know, so in terms of, you know, rather than having police be, you know, the first
response to this or that, we already do this to some extent. And I'm certain I'm
not the only one of the ward councillors or a large councillors that, you know,
when somebody reaches out and says, so the one I get off is David Square,
that folks who are experiencing homelessness are congregating here or causing a problem
here.
And my first call was to help Human Services, and they have told me they sent folks down
there to see what they can do to help those folks.
How effective that is based on the resources and the way we vote that department, I can't
say right now.
I think that's one thing we have to accomplish, we have to have, but in my mind it wouldn't
take much structure to make that a, you know, more of a policy to help, you know, to be part
of an immediate shift from some of the resources, from sending police to that call first, to
having folks from our Health and Human Services or from whatever other department. So just
to point out that, you know, in my experience is that we will do that. If that first
call us into the police and we have some capacity to send folks out that have specific training
in that type of thing.
So, I hope we'll see more of that.
Thank you, Chair.
I'm taking a look for further follow-ups before I exercise my prerogative to chair.
I see nobody else right now.
I have a few questions based on the slides and the questions asked by my colleagues
here.
And I'll start with ones that have been brought to me by people of color in the community.
One is a follow-up on one of the the story that Ms. Contente told about the very first
jail diversion effort, first diversion to further services. Ms. Contente, you referred to
the process of documenting many contacts, and that was then used to get them into the system
and access to services.
Was that documentation in the form of charges that needed to be filed?
Not necessarily arrests, but charges that needed to be filed in order to document
interactions?
No.
Thank you, Chair.
No, it was just calls for service.
So CAD calls come in, and every call that comes into the station is documented.
And so there were no arrests.
I wasn't asking about arrests.
I was speaking of charges.
You can issue a citation or a charge.
Other charges, I'm sorry.
Yes, thank you for the clarification.
There were no charges in those cases.
All right.
Are there circumstances where you're trying to connect people to services
to get them into the system as it were,
where you are in a position where you have to generate charges against somebody in order to get them into a court-mandated or court-provided mental health services?
No, not necessarily on our end. We do get requests from providers.
Unfortunately, oftentimes the Department of Mental Health has a case review system when
someone is struggling with behavior in the community.
Unfortunately, when those meetings come up and we are invited, what they are asking for
is for an arrest because, again, all engagement in services is voluntary. And so, you know,
to speak to Councillor Lance's, Davis, I'm sorry, point around homelessness, you can
put all the homeless outreach people in the world out on the street. If we do not have
a system of an alternative placement and housing, immediate housing, the shelters are all full.
Some of the most creative programs have a type of restoration center in San Antonio and
so forth where they actually have, you know, stages from an outdoor and closed area to
dormitory, to health care and employment resources. Those are things that we simply
do not have access to in this area.
I understood. There's failings throughout our system. I guess, so what I heard there
though, Ms. Contendi, just to make sure I heard it correctly, is that mental health
service provider organizations that you work with, but the court department, sometimes
ask the Somerville Police Department to place charges on people to enable them to deliver services.
Yeah, because someone's biting an officer, risking that maybe we have those cases. Yeah, so they request it.
We don't always agree, but they do request it.
Okay. Thank you, Ms. Quintente.
going to my next question again, and this is coming directly from our people of color
here in Somerville, I heard very clearly concern about both the presence of school resource
officers and about the negative impacts that some people experienced from the steps
program.
But we actually heard some testimony about that during our six hours of public hearing
the other night. So I didn't see that addressed here. I guess I'll ask two
questions first, which is for the school resource officer that is required, is
that required to be a sworn officer of the police department to execute that
job function by law?
And to the chair, thank you for the question, sir. I
believe, I will review it, but I believe that it is state law to have one
officer assigned to the school if they're not specifically say sworn
police officer, I'll review it and get your response. But I believe it is once one officer
assigned to the schools. Okay. I would love to get a citation on that because I think there's
some disagreement and I think there'd be some appetite for that school resource officer to
not be an armed police officer if that's something that's permissible by law. So I'd
appreciate some follow-up there. The other question I had is the steps program here
While I heard some praises of it and I heard very clearly that Superintendent Skipper says
she's never received a complaint about the steps program or the steps officer, those of
us who attended the Justice Summer Bowl Rally heard very clearly a complaint about it and
we heard again in testimony that the startling and negative consequences that parents and
students recalled from exposure through that. So is there any, and I guess this is a policy
question for the Chief of the Mayor, is it the intention to continue the steps program
or is the steps program going to be substantially modified this year?
I'm happy to start the answer, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for the question. I heard that
same testimony. And while I can point to all the things I personally found great
about that program or many others, if it's the perspective or experience of someone else,
especially those voices closest to the pain or it has a negative impact on them, then I think
we need to hear those voices. I would submit, though, I would not make a unilateral decision
here, attempt to. I think we need to bring all those voices to the table, including,
you know, the other stakeholders in the school community. We've heard a lot of great
things about the program. So far, it's been fantastic, but maybe there were voices we
haven't heard where the experience hasn't been and I think we need to hear those.
One of the things we also heard is, it's not the only one thing we heard, is while they
find it great why does it have to be an armed officer, why does the officer have to be
armed in the program, that we need to bring those all to the table.
So I think we're examining that now and want to hear everyone out and have a conversation
with all the stakeholders in the community on it.
All right.
I think that's, I think I heard the answer clearly there.
Thank you.
I also heard a lot about a desire for accountability, transparency, and really making sure that
the good work that's done by many officers in Summerville isn't tarnished by the negative
experiences that some people have with Summerville Police Department, and I appreciate a desire
for accountability.
I have heard a great deal, I mean, in the straight-private grade incident has been referenced
multiple times both in testimony and tonight.
I believe, I'm not certain there's been any discipline or accountability from that incident,
so I have to ask about where's been the follow-up on that.
I think, counselor, thank you for your question, and if you allow me, I just weigh in on
steps program for a second as well. If you're fine with that, the mayor, I think, you know,
I don't want to reiterate what the mayor said, but I couldn't agree more that we have to listen.
You know, we have to take action. I understand that there's a need for action,
but we really have to listen. And as I've been in police office for 20 years, and this I know
for sure, if somebody fears the police or fears the uniform, there's a problem and
there's a problem that needs to be fixed because that fear isn't going to go away by not engaging
in dialogue and conversations and getting to know each other. We've had unbelievable
cess routine empowerment, a group in the city that works with at-risk youth. When
I first started routine empowerment, I was a detective at the time. Every year I'd
go back and they say, what's the issue? And some of them, it's police and youth
getting along together and talking to each other. Now, every summer police officer
when they graduate from the Peace Academy,
meets routine empowerment.
We walk the community with teen empowerment.
I mean, we need to break down these barriers
because we're all in this human endeavor together.
We're gonna succeed, we're gonna feel together.
And my opinion is, is that we're gonna succeed.
We're gonna succeed by listening to every voice.
But, you know, you're not always gonna agree.
Let's talk about it.
And let's work our way through it
So we get to a point that everybody's comfortable together.
That's as far as my point on steps and now I have to admit I apologize. I don't remember the second question.
This was about accountability and follow up from the straight private rate incident. The videotape that was provided from many members community there was a community meeting that happened.
And I believe in World War II, as I recall.
So I had to ask where that process of accountability sits today.
Yeah, I think the talk and the meetings were sidetracked
due to COVID-19.
I think we did do a sour after-act report,
that which was published by the city and posted online.
We're beginning to discuss that and beginning
to discuss the next steps.
There were sidelines by COVID-19.
but you know and I know there is a lot of angst out there in the community regarding the response but
the police department received one complaint regarding that incident one written complaint
regarding that incident so we I've heard I heard many uh at the high school um and we listened we
need to continue to listen um to put some context to it there was one complaint that came in
writing to the police department we did a tell after-act report it's been posted online
Mr. Chairman, may I add to that as well? Because I did receive some complaints, came in for the city's
emails system and I had some constituents who were kind enough to share photos they took.
I referred all those person that I have and I'm sure other members of the Council of Public did
to the police department. I know I won't speak for the Chief, but he conferred to me that they
looked at every videotape, read every email as part of the after-action report. I do want to
say thank you for helping us host that meeting what two months ago while we were
slowed by COVID we have taken action that came out of those meetings and the
council is working one of those as well which is the oversight committee we
move to again she's already filed the paperwork to
We'll take the internal affairs investigation to start away from a uniform officer to civilianize
that. Again, this would be part of the conversation, reimagining the department as well, but at
least to start, as well as we've taken a few other steps in the department. So that came
out of the conversation, as well as the other point was the forfeiture funds came
out of those conversations with the public. The district attorney's office in Middlesex
County has already stopped that policy of how they utilize forfeiture funds as well
as we had done with the federal government, and that came directly from the community
and the concerns of policing as their concerns and criticisms as to our deployment to the
straight pride parade.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you.
I
find that answer to be just another reason why the work of creating a civilian oversight
site commission is absolutely vital and important work that, yeah, the statement that only one
person went down in person to the police department to file a complaint. I think we need a better
way and I'm glad that we're working on it. I do have a couple technical questions about
the statements that were made during the course, the question answer, one of which
is about this act-feeling vacancies issue, the statement that due to civil service, you
know, we wouldn't be able to fill these positions, they could be sitting open for a year.
Factually, every position in the police department isn't assigned necessarily to a name, it's
assigned to a position, and those positions are funded for the full fiscal year.
We have a process, a civil service process, we actually participate in the practice of a police
reserve list, which is actually a vanishingly rare practice. Very few communities of the common
wealth use it. So, I'm having a hard time reconciling what I know with practical realities of how
that process can be operated with statement that without funded vacant positions in the
police department that we would end up with long vacancy waits. Can somebody explain to
me why the police reserve list wouldn't operate in exactly the manner that it's intended to
and has operated in the past to ensure that we don't have large gap time there?
Council Chairman Scott, thank you for the question. I think what I'm referring to
is being a civil service department there's a process to follow. So when we go to a
vacant position. They call for a civil service list of hiraries. Those candidates are interviewed.
They could be put on a reserve list, but if we do do that reserve list, when we get one vacancy,
two vacancies, we'd start looking for an academy. An academy at that point may, for lucky, start
the next month. If we're unlucky, a local academy may start two or three months later.
And then it starts a month or two later, the academy,
off the top of my head, 24,
26 weeks.
Then we have an extensive field training program
that is vitally necessary, another 16 weeks.
So it takes a while to go from,
they're gonna fill this position
to get the officer in the seat working a cruiser
or wherever they're working within the department.
That's what I was referring to.
So, I said it takes quite a while to fill these vacancies.
All right.
So, it's not a function of not having the civil service process ready to go.
It's a more lay of finding an academy supply, whether that's a new academy or the mass
freeing academy system.
All right.
I also have to ask about the statement that's been made several times tonight by both the
Chief and the Mayor that staffing levels have been reduced over the last decade in the memo
that was provided to us.
I believe it was based on a question from Councillor Neat again, asking for the historical
staffing levels of the department over the last 20 years.
Ms. Laws, I'm not sure if you have that at your fingertips here, but as I look at that
chart, I don't see a dramatic reduction in staff over the last 10 years or even 20 years.
So maybe I'm getting my math wrong here.
Yeah.
I apologize to the Chair if my mic's on.
I guess I think we're looking at the same data.
I'm looking at, so I think I'll take an example of 1998,
the year I joined the summer police department.
There's one chief, seven captains, 11 lieutenants,
18 sergeants, and 106 patrolmen.
That's 1998.
2003, one chief, six captains, 11 lieutenants,
18 sergeants, and 108 patrolmen.
Then we go down, we fluctuate.
After that, 91, 94, 98, 96.
Captain's Commada Civil Service.
In 2007, I believe, from this chart.
And we had six captains at that time.
So one chief, so in 2007, for example,
one chief, two deputies, six captains,
11 lieutenants, 11 sergeants, and 98 patrol officers.
So 98, 100, 809, 119, 120, 126.
Is that a reduction?
I believe I see a reduction in force.
This year we're proposing 94 patrol officers.
That's the lowest we've ever proposed.
I believe a 91 in 2005, 86 in 2004.
It's fluctuated, but I believe it shows a downward trend.
All right, well, I know I maybe have a reputation for doing math on the fly here, but certainly
if we're looking at the year 2000, admittedly, there were 137 officers on the force here
in 2020 looking at the math, it looks like 132,
a dramatic reduction, and in fact our
low-water mark appears to have been in 2004 when there were only about 118 officers on
the Sunroof Police Department. So that seems like an increase in staffing specifically during
your tenure, Mr. Mayor. So what am I missing?
So if I can add some clarification to assist you, because you mentioned early retirement
And the FY02, FY04, it might have been FY03, FY04 during the two door back-to-back 9C cuts from then Governor Romney.
There was also an early retirement incentive, so some of that, and that has to come down from the state, came down from the Commonwealth.
It's also aligned well. This shows really the success of the, what we did with the police advisory group in reforming the department,
and adopting a new deployment and organizational model
to embody the principles of community-based policing.
And that's what happened over time.
So we're talking now 20 years,
and there's been no increase, really significant.
There's been a shifting of resources
to address some of the other needs in the communities
and how we think about community policing.
Until that point, Mr. Chairman,
just to clarify for you and everyone else,
it was a reactionary force.
You called the police, they showed up.
They weren't out there being proactive in the community.
We measured success by arrest.
So although I can agree,
It's not a significant decrease. It is a downward trend, but it reflects the reorganization principles laid out by that reform effort in the department.
Well, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Not about the character of the department. I'm sure the character has improved.
But I thought I had heard multiple times stated that there's been a 10% reduction in the force in the last 20 years or even the last 10 years,
and the numbers don't bear that out.
I can't hear you, sir. You're muted.
Yeah, I believe the chief tried to clarify his point there.
Okay, so there hasn't been a significant reduction in staffing of the police department over these years. Okay.
Through the chair, not to believe with the point.
Just looking at patrol officers alone. I think we talked about the force.
going back to 98, 98 to 92 were well over 100. 96 and 97 well over 100. 2000, 2001, 2008,
2003 well over 100, close to 100, 110 patrol officers. So I think we have seen a reduction.
This year we did go up two sides. I think there was a strategic move that advanced the
command system. You know, captains historically at seven. We look at the map, but I think
be trending, you know, in a downward direction.
All right. Thank you. So, I just, all right. So, I'm going to step back for a comment.
I see, actually, you know, I'll yield to, I believe, Councillor Mba and Councillor
and meter gang both had questions on these points. Counselor Mba first please.
Excuse councillor to the chair. Could I ask you to take a quick restroom break? My apologies.
Certainly. It's been two hours and 45 minutes. Counselor Mba.
No, no, no. Mr. Chairman, no. Not for the cheese.
All right. This committee will stand at recess for five minutes. We will return to open
session at 8.50 p.m. Thank you to everybody for your attention so far.
I'm going to call this meeting back to order. Hopefully we've got folks back in the room.
Councilor Mba, I understand you're eager to ask your questions, but since we're not in
the City Hall, I can't just look over and see if the Chief's there. Chief, have you
returned to us?
I appreciate the request, Chief. I think we could have all used a break.
So one, Councilor Mba, if I could, just if I could ask just one more question here. I was reminded that a petition of 117 people who most of them were present at the Strait Pire Parade was delivered, 117 Somerville residents was delivered to the police department complaining about Somerville police department's
behavior on that particular mutual aid deployment.
Did that constitute the one complaint you received, Chief?
We can't hear you, Chief.
I apologize.
Through the chair, no, I was referring to one written complaint
that was delivered to the police department.
You can fire a complaint online.
You can do it in person.
But we listened to every person during the high school.
We had a conference session beforehand.
We spoke to everybody and we clearly listened as the mayor pointed out.
We've made some very substantive changes and look forward to more dialogue and more improvements.
Okay.
All right.
Well, thank you.
That's a good procedural note, I suppose, for folks who are looking for accountability
in the future.
Councilor Mba, thank you for your patience.
I see Councilor Mba and Councilor Neider-Ding have questions.
Councilor.
No, thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is with the point that you mentioned. This is a comment
around the school results officer that you brought up because I would love to understand
more about these individuals and what kind of contract they operate under because they
could be there perpetuating this school to prison pipeline. So we know, you know,
why they are there, the contract governing them,
we can interrupt that process.
I just wanted to just commend you for bringing that up
and having that conversation.
So I appreciate it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Or maybe the chief, do you know the contract governing
the school resource officers?
I know there are multiple ones.
They're probably, they may just say this one
from the AG's office.
So, it could be which, like, how do you, and for the past few years, like, how many of
them, you know, how many of these folks have sent kids to prison instead of trying to help
them out?
To the chair, thank you, Councillor Ambar, for that question.
School resource officers are there to assist, and for any police officer, whether a school
resource officer, our Assemble Police Officer, response to a public school in this city,
we have a conversation with the school administration. Usually it's Mary Skipper,
Rich Berlillo, Liz Dawn-Casta, and that conversation is about what is in the best
interest of this student. Our school resource officers, I believe, are very well respected
in the school. It transitioned over time into some of our high school action officers of color
I want to go back and say, I want to get back to some high school.
I left some high school, I went on the college, I played basketball, I'm giving you one example
of one of the offices.
If I played basketball in college at a successful college basketball career, I want to go back.
I want to mentor students, young students of color, and say, look at, stay on the
right track, stay in school, get an education, become, let's all become productive members
of our community.
It's just a grand example of what the officers do in the school, but there's no action taken
by several police officers against a student in any several public schools without first
consulting the school on what's on the best interests of that student.
And I thank you for that question, because those conversations take place daily with
the school department.
And that's how a police department, a school department in a city should interact with
each other, constant ongoing communication. We've taken a talk about progressive policing
and a serious event takes place in the city. The school department is notified. Mary Skipper,
this John Caster, they're notified of what's going on because we want them to know if it
involves a student at the summer high school that's in need of services, a family member
or there's something going on, some underlining issue at the school that they don't
about we want the schools to know that.
No, thank you, chief. I have a lot of confidence in superintendent Skiper, you know, and all
the work she's doing for the school. So, I appreciate that as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
All right. Thank you. And Councilor Newt again, you had a further comment on that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm very encouraged by the general direction of the discussion
That's happening tonight between the council and the chief and the mayor.
But I really wanted to focus tonight myself on the staffing of the police department and the money that we spend on it.
This meeting tonight is about the budget. It's a finance committee meeting.
It's great that we're discussing big issues of policy and transformation of the police department.
department, but I've been looking at the staffing and the police department.
And in the context, Mr. Chair, of the chart that you referred to, what's clear is we had
152 officers in 1988.
Today we have 130.
That's a drop of 15%.
During the years, 40 years or so, between 1988 and today, the numbers have fluctuated.
It was still up at 144 in 2003, but then in 2004, 2005, it was down around 120.
It gradually went back up to about 130 in 2008, and that's where we've been since.
It's basically the number of police officers we have
has been stable since 2008.
But our job here isn't just to look at policy
in the police department, our job as a council
is to look at this department's budget
in the context of our city's needs
and in the context of overall public safety
and public health and summer of all.
The police department doesn't operate in a vacuum
And it's our job to allocate money wisely, as it is the mayor's, in terms of dealing
with public safety.
So we have to look at the police department budget in context.
The numbers of officers are not in a vacuum.
Crime has been going down dramatically insurmountable.
A lot of that credit goes to the several police department, but most U.S. cities
have been having dramatic decreases in crime. So in some revolt over the last since 1988 crime
has gone down 69%. 69%. One would think with such a dramatic drop in crime, even with the
other missions that the police department has subsequently taken on, a mission that I support
and which are very important. One would think that we could do with your officers. We have
have gone down somewhat, 15%, but crime has dropped 69%.
And I think that's the context in which we need to look at police department staffing.
I spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks looking at the staffing.
And later on, when we get to the cuts portion of the evening, I'm going to present some
cuts that I think can safely be made without harming public safety.
In fact, if the mayor is willing to spend this money on other things, like drug counseling
and traffic calming, I think it could actually enhance public safety more than it does in
the police department.
And I will be arguing that these cuts could be made without laying off the risk of jumping
off versus that we've just hired that nobody wants to lay off, and I'll try to explain
how that can be done.
but I think we have to look at staffing numbers in context.
I came here in Somerville to 1975.
This is a very different city from then and even from 20 years ago.
Crime has gone down tremendously.
There are other needs in our community.
Last year, for example, as far as I know, nobody died from the violent crime,
but three pedestrians were hit by cars and killed.
yet our budget for the mobility department, who is charged with changing our streets to make them
safer, is $569,000 a year, while the police department gets $17 million. Excuse me. So,
you know, what are our priorities? I think these are the questions we need to ask,
and where is our money going? As we'll see when I go through my proposed cuts later on,
many of the top officers in the department and I think this is a very top
heavy department are making between 120, 140, $190,000 a year. For $190,000 a
year you could hire three social workers or three you know regular staff
people in another city department. So you know I'll argue that we need to
look at these numbers in context and not just you know do we have fewer or
less than we did 40 years ago.
We have fewer, but we also have a lot less crime.
All right, thank you.
Thank you, Councilor Nader-Gang.
And I'll say that's probably a good segue.
I do want to make sure that we get everybody's questions
regarding the presentations done
and then begin to entertain those.
and I think I'll be using my prerogative to step down from the chair and offer some observations
on that moment.
Councillor White, you had a procedural question.
Councillor White, we can't hear you.
I
think we're going to be held off to a later meeting because for me,
Mr. Bean here, because
it is my understanding that you cannot cut positions.
You can only cut amounts, acted
by any layoffs.
I'm really going to need that information in order for me to make the decision.
So I guess if the votes on the cuts are going to be made tonight, you know, I'll have to
vote accordingly.
Understood.
There are actually a couple procedural questions there, one of which is that we held open
the record on the public hearing until, I believe tomorrow morning, just to give
to observe this meeting. And that being said, if there are significant cuts that have sporked
the board, especially in light of Councilor Mutigang's comments about requesting that
the mayor go back and reallocate those funds towards important social justice causes and
priorities of the City Council and the people of Summerville, that would obviously need
a resubmission, a refactoring budget. So I would, I am interested in getting that feedback
back to the mayor and the administration as soon as possible, but I also understand there
are a couple of procedural things that we have to, that we have to cope with to make
sure that we do that and have time to hear from members of the public. As I said, the
record's still open until tomorrow morning. So I don't know if that answered your question,
but I understand what you're expressing here sir. Right I guess it through the
chair if the record is kept open are we gonna be voting on cuts this evening
before the record is closed?
Well that's let's we have that option but again I'll
hold that discussion until until a moment later. Oh okay thank you Mr. Chair.
So I
I would just like to, before we go further into that, I'd like to thank everybody for their
comments tonight. It's very helpful. I'd especially like to thank councillors like Councillor Ballantyne
and Klingen who specifically talked about going out to reach out to their constituents and
the constituents that didn't show up to the public hearing. I think that's an important
part of award councillor's job and really of any councillor because even the out-large
councillors have constituencies that feel comfortable contacting them.
I'd also like to thank specifically councillor and Bob for your insightful question regarding
the cadet program.
You know, at the Just Us Summerville rally, they asked very clearly why the city was
so eager to offer opportunities for people who have been victimized by a system to be
incorporated into that system. And, you know, feel as you will about that framing, I think
the prospect of creating a hiring program, a youth employment program that follows
a new path is one that's a very exciting, so I thought that was an insightful and
helpful question. I appreciate it. I would like to step down from the chair for a moment
and hand the chair to Councillor Valentine the intention to address some of the feedback,
some of the extensive feedback I received and then to just offer that to the council
And then I can step back into the chair after discussion there and go on to the council meeting.
So, Councillor Valentine, would you take the chair?
I will. Thank you. So, Councillor Scott, your next step to...
Thank you, Madam Chair. So, this is on the screen right now is something that I've written and sent to...
I sent to the clerks for distribution at the City Council, and I want to make it very clear
that I heard the testimony, and I heard that more people from Ward 2 testified demanding
a 60% reduction in the Somerville Police Department than from any other ward.
So I wanted to, in the spirit of that imagination that was referenced by our Mayor in terms
of rethinking what a police department could look like, I wanted to have a first pass at
what an actual 60% reduction in the fiscal year 21 budget would look like. I want to be clear.
I think this is a thought experiment. This is something that, as you'll see, in order to
achieve a 60% reduction this year would require drastic and very rapid action.
It would, I think it would probably be inappropriate to go for the city council to pursue this
in a vacuum and honestly without the formal public and paid engagement from the affected
communities in particular.
So this is a draft to spark discussion, not a proposal.
And it heartens me to hear so much in the mayor's presentation tonight that's dedicated
it into that kind of reimagining.
So to be clear, and I think you kind of scroll past it,
in order to get a 60% reduced budget this year,
what it would mean is that we would
have to commit to making overall a wholesale change
of the Somerville Police Department
in the next three months, that we
would only be able to find the current staffing
levels for three months, at which point
we would need to drop down to a force that is only 20 percent of its current
staffing levels. And as Councilor Valentine referenced, for communities that,
despite whatever mixture of feelings they may have about Somerville Police
Department or about police in general, it can be a terrifying prospect,
certainly unsettling. So in order to achieve a 60% cut, what would that
that require. And it really would require a complete restructuring. Now, I think it's
been made clear from all of our colleagues' comments about it that the ability to look
at a reimagined police force, like it's Councilor Davis' reference, it's Councilor Campin'
of reference, would transfer a lot of those services out of necessarily armed sworn
officers into other ways of delivering those services and, you know, that model may not
exist yet.
But again, you know, if someone was going to lead the way, I think it would have been
a disservice for one of us on the Council to not offer an imagined experiment of what
that would look like to achieve that 60% that's been discussed.
So with that said, what does a 60% reduced police department look like?
Well, you know, this thought experiment, not a proposal, just draft a spark discussion,
is going to be online, it should be attached to this item or to this meeting.
But I went through the different divisions of the police department and looked at how
the current staffing is and what an imagined new staffing would be.
Now, I don't believe that I have the answer here, but I believe this is the shape of one
possible answer.
Ultimately, what I would like to see is that we approach this less in terms of a cliff,
just immediately chopping budget by 60% this year, and more in terms of a ramp, a pathway
to get there.
The urgency is really a question of how much do we believe our house is on fire.
And I think that is one that different members of our community have different opinions on.
So I'm not going to take the time to step through all of this.
I know my colleagues here have read it for the members of the public who are watching,
and that is well over 100 of you.
Thank you for your dedication and attention.
What this does, as we scroll through, would show that, for example, the traffic investigations
would, could, in this scenario, potentially shrink dramatically.
The number of sworn officers that would be on hand to perform those investigations of accidents,
the follow-up on criminal infractions, the series of accidents, including the three of the
game resulted in loss of life here in Somerville would still be intact. That service, that function
would still be there as a necessary interface to larger criminal justice system. But the ability
to replace, if you could just scroll up a couple lines there, so many sworn officers with a civilian
traffic enforcement division would actually result in a significant increase of traffic control
officers and an ability for us to service those very many directed service calls that
the chief discussed in his presentation, because we know that there is a desire for that.
And at least in my personal experience, I have found a decreased level of that this
year as people find more and more reluctance to call upon the police department.
I think take the chief's comments to heart very much when he says, you know,
if somebody's afraid of this unit or that it's a problem we need to resolve,
it's a problem that we've got to get to together. So this theme is repeated throughout
this reimagining. It shows how in patrol the possibility of replacing significant chunks
of patrol officers, functions with civilian response teams, whether that's just public
safety mediators, social workers, people who are tasked with the enforcement of laws, who
are not necessarily armed and sworn officers. I think it's important to note that law enforcement
and policing are not the same thing, even though we have come to synonymize them. We've
come to directly interconnected, from my colleagues, I was struck when reviewing the
Inspectional Services Department, their budget and their mission statement says very clearly
that their primary role in the City of Somerville is law enforcement. They enforce all the
laws related to public safety, life safety around buildings, around health, all of the
codes and laws that we have to manage those things are enforced by that vision. And so
that law enforcement, despite a few complaints here and there, doesn't have the same level
of dissatisfaction and doesn't also provide the same little anxiety in the general community.
So I think there is a model that can be found that gets us to a new way of interacting
interacting in our community, interacting with the criminal justice system, or a
better
world as possible.
And so all the numbers here, I'm not going to go into them, are simply to lay out that
this is one possibility.
But if we're going to get there this year, it would require staffing our current police
department for only three months, and that we would have to have the alternatives staffed
ready, ready to go in place in October and that seems like a heavy lift. So I'm
not certain what the correct amount of urgency is there, but a way forward is
possible there. So we cannot do this reallocation. The only thing we could
possibly do is to chop it off and force that cliff and force our city to
respond. I'm happy to hear the mayor talk about building roadmap there and I
look forward to building that roadmap together. So again I do not have a
proposal for a 60% cut tonight. I just felt it was my responsibility as the
ward 2 councillor having heard so strongly from so many and ward 2 and
around the city that serious look be given to what that possibility is. If
anybody has any thoughts or questions about the proposal that I did
circulate I'd be happy to hear them feel questions but madam chair thank you for
your time and forbearance allow me to present that yes so councillor Scott so
I would suggest that I ask any of our colleagues if they have any comments on
your statement and then allow you the opportunity to respond back is is that
okay or are you finished talking?
I mean on this point so I'll invite the
colleagues to speak.
Okay thank you so I am looking in the chat box to Councilor
Niedergang please.
Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to say briefly that I
welcome and appreciate the work that Councilor Scott has done. I think this
This is too much, too soon, but as a thought experiment, as a very hastily sketched, but
I think really interesting and stimulating guide to thinking about where we might want
to go, I think it's extremely valuable.
If you don't have a goal, if you don't know where you're going, you're probably not
going to get there.
So this is the beginning, and he's just taken a stab at it, and I think it's great
that he's done so.
this is the beginning of thinking about where are we heading and I don't have
an opinion as to his proposal I have read it over carefully but you know
there's there's so much in it to to discuss and think about and I look
forward to that process working with the mayor and the chief of police and the
council so I want to thank Councillor Scott for for putting something
forward that can help us to think about the future.
I had myself muted so I
I don't see any counselors.
Oh, excuse me, Councilor Rosetti is here.
And I think, Councilor Scott,
you're gonna have to unmute her
because I don't have controls of the video.
No, no, Madam, Madam Vice Chair,
I was telling you that you were muted.
We could not hear you.
Okay, thank you all.
Thank you.
So I don't see anybody else in the queue.
So, I will pass the chair back over to Councillor Scott.
Thank you Madam Chair, Councillor Ballantyne, now I'm back in my chair.
So thank you, I do want to emphasize my support for making sure we have the right people in
the room as we consider the path forward and I want to lend my full sense of urgency
to pursuing this discussion of how to reimagine the police department.
That said, Councilor Niedergge, you had also circulated a proposal and in terms of discussion,
I think it would be appropriate to go to your proposal next.
So, Councilor Niedergge.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Yes, I want to start.
I've circulated a proposal to the council,
the mayor and the chief for 812.
12.5% cut in the police department budget. And it's mostly, it's all in personal services.
It's mostly in salaries. And it's mostly high-ranking and high-paid officers. And I first want to
start by addressing Councillor White's repeated concern about laying off younger officers
who are more women and people of color. And I share that concern. I think the whole
council does, these young officers are our future, we don't want to lay them off.
And I actually think I don't know exactly for sure because as I wrote this in my memo
that I circulated, which apparently Councillor White did not read, but I've understood
for a long time we cannot cut positions, only the Chief of Police or the Mayor can
do that.
We can only cut a number, an amount, a dollar amount in any line item.
so most of the cuts that I propose to make are in the salaries line item and I
think that we can likely make those cuts without any layoffs for the following
reasons. There are six vacant positions now and let me say let me just back up
a second and say I think our principal for the police department should be the
same principal as for other departments in the city that is we're
a time of belt tightening, of COVID, of uncertain revenues. Every department has been told you
can't fill vacant positions. A few exceptions, but by and large, there is a hiring freeze going on.
So that should apply to the police department as well, especially since,
as we know, crime has gone down 69%, but the number of officers has gone down only 15%
during that time. So there is some slack there. There's actually, I think,
considerable fat in the police department, much of it in the upper echelons in highly
paid superior officers.
But the point that I wanted to make in terms of what Councillor White has said is that
there are already six vacant positions.
Those should not be filled.
We have learned that between six and 10 additional vacancies are expected during
the following year, which is about in line with what the number of retirements and resignations
in the past few years. So that means there'll be the equivalent of three to five vacant positions
over the next year. So money for those salaries can be cut out now. So already we're talking
almost 10 positions that are essentially vacant right now. And so the equivalent 10 positions
could be cut. Some of the positions that will be vacant over the next year are a deputy chief.
They earn $196,000 a year. A lieutenant, they earn $140,000 a year. A sergeant,
they earn $100,000 a year. So we're talking real money here. So this is the context with which I
looked at the police department budget, both what's in there that may not be necessary
and what else do we need the money for? So on the latter point, we're experiencing a
world of hurt in our city and in our country now due to the COVID epidemic and the fact that,
you know, lots of people are doing without money. We have been experiencing serious
problems on our streets over the last few years that have killed people. There's plenty of
of pressing needs, desperate needs, I would say,
in terms of health and human services
and housing and other expenditures
that our city has now to protect our residents.
And this is much a part of public safety
and public health, as is the police department.
So the cuts that I am proposing
come up to roughly 12.5% overall of the budget.
And let me go through them now.
I did share them in writing on Friday afternoon with the chief, the mayor, and all counselors.
These cuts, and let me say that, frankly, I don't really know exactly what position
should be cut in the police department budget.
And I don't have the power.
We, as a council, don't have the power, again, to cut any positions.
We just have the power to cut funds, but it seems that if one is going to cut,
one needs to say where those cuts should come from. So what I have identified are the six
vacant patrol officers, which would amount to a $390,000 cut and savings from the current
budget. And these would not be laying anybody off because these are vacant positions. The mayor
already got rid of two vacant patrol officer positions to save money.
Four sergeants, now we have 19 sergeants right now in the police department, but even last
year there were only 17, so it's really only a net reduction of two.
Three lieutenants, there are 11 lieutenants and these are people who are not really
out on the street, they're inside, they're doing administrative work.
I suggest cutting a captain and a deputy chief. Now we've got for a department of
130 officers, we've got 38 superior officers. That is sergeants and up, which
is 36, sorry, which is a ratio of 38 percent. That seems like a lot of tail
to tooth. Seems like a pretty top-heavy organization to me. It's roughly one
supervisor for less than two-and-a-half patrol officers. I do not want to cut
patrol officers who are out on the street. Those are the ones who will respond
to the calls and ensuring public safety by being there when people need them.
But I do think a lot of the superior officer positions are not necessary
anymore and let me let me go over what some of these positions are. Let me
describe what some of these positions are.
Let me just find this here.
So these are some of the positions that we have.
We have a police officer who works as the mayor's driver.
We have a police officer who works as a licensing commission sergeant, and that is mostly
doing routine investigations and staff work.
work. We have a sergeant who is a homeland security liaison, and he mostly writes grants
and goes to meetings of the BRIC and other homeland security, you know, groups in Boston.
We have a chief administrative aide sergeant. We have a court liaison officer who mostly
schedules other officers' court time. We have the officer that we've discussed
posted full-time at the high school. So these are all officers who are not not
out on the street, many of them doing purely administrative tasks, many of them
making hundred and twenty, hundred and forty, hundred and sixty thousand dollars
a year. It seems to me that even if these functions are necessary, which I
question whether they are. I think the police department is top heavy with
administration, but even if they're necessary, we could hire civilians to do
this work as well, perhaps better, for half as much as we pay these the
superior police officers. And in terms of how do we get rid of these folks? I,
again, there are the six vacant patrol positions. There are going to be
somewhere between three and five full vacancies throughout the superior
officers and patrol divisions and I really think that it is time for some
buyouts for some retirement buyouts and the money would not have to be in the
budget the mayor could come back to this council for that money or with some of
the savings from cuts of positions we could put a retirement buyout line in
the budget, perhaps a quarter of a million, even more. That would suffice to help a lot
of the older officers who I know some of them, and I can tell you honestly and frankly, these
officers, mostly white men, they have done excellent work for the city. They have worked
hard. They've been out on the street for years. They're now inside. Many of them
are ready to go.
Police work is challenging work, dangerous work for many of them in the past, and stressful
work.
And I believe that we would be able to buy these officers out as a way of ensuring that
we don't get rid of any of the younger officers and a way of getting financial relief
and freeing up funds, which we could then use for other departments, such as the
mobility department, such as hiring more drug counselors, such as hiring more youth workers,
and also especially for housing, because housing is a critical emergency in our community.
So these cuts would total from the salaries line item would total $1.8 million,
dollars. And then since they constitute roughly 10% of the force, 15 officers total, 9 superior
officers and 6 patrol officers, I believe we could also make cuts in some other line items
such as the overtime line item which could be cut a commensurate 10%, although perhaps
Councilor Ba is right and it could be cut by $800,000 which would be about 80% I think that's
worth discussing funds could be cut from the shift differentials line item which is 514004
that will 10% of that would be a $98,619 cut and holiday pay which goes to pay officers
who have to work holidays, 10% cut in that line would be $72,000.
So when you add that all up, the $1.8 million in salaries that would be saved and the additional
cuts in overtime shift differentials in holidays, you get to $2.1 million.
So that's a big cut, $2 million, it's a hefty cut.
I'm not saying that I know it all, that it's the right cut.
But I do believe that the personal services, the salaries line item can be cut in the
range of one and a half to two million dollars without any harm to public safety and without
laying off younger officers who are the future.
And so I submitted that in writing in detail to the Council on Friday, and I expect that
everybody's had a chance to study it and decide where they stand on it.
and I don't see any reason not to have a vote on it tonight.
If council doesn't want a vote, we can wait, but we've been thinking about these issues for weeks
now. Public has been in contact with us in the thousands, and I think it's time to get down to
business and do our job. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councillor Anita Gang. I see Councillor White would like an opportunity to respond
as he was referenced directly, and then Councillor Klingon, I see, has commented on the questions.
Councillor White, do you have the floor? Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I'm from the
old school. You would never mention another Councillor on the Board by name, but since
I was called out by name, I've reviewed this. I think the good Councillor is working
under the Blythe assumption that the mayor would go along with these, and that he would
not fill those superior positions that Councilor Needygang referenced, and that it wouldn't
flow down to the lower offices. So this was sent to us, but I don't think it was sent to the
mayor to basically get his input on whether, in fact, he would adopt the scenario.
Again, even with the newer,
and that if, in fact, the mayor did not implement all,
would it slow down to the lower ranking?
Thank you, Council White. So that is a
good question and then it is a policy choice. I believe the mayor has left us
and is no longer with us this evening so we wouldn't be able to address that
directly. But Councilor Niedergang, to answer that, did you send this to the
mayor and receive any or have any communication with the mayor? I sent it
to the mayor, I sent it to the chief of police, I sent it to the budget
director and I sent it to Ms. Connor and Ms. Webber, our policy liaisons, and the mayor's
office. Now, it hasn't been that long and there's a weekend in between. But, you know,
I wouldn't make any assumptions about what the mayor would do. He's here. Let's hear from him.
Mr. Mayor, I'm so glad you're still here.
Mr. Mayor, we cannot hear you.
I apologize again. Yeah, I have been here. Thank you very much.
Let me just say whatever the council decides to do, I will say I am going to absorb it,
analyze it, and I will work with the chief to make sure we maintain a structure without
poll public safety.
I'm not trying to be a vague or abstract, but the organizational structure that's
in place now was done painstakingly and done with while working with the community
any all stakeholders to adopt the policing approach that we have today that has been successful,
albeit we are all into reimagining policing. So I understand the intentions are to target what
is perceived as fat in the budget. That's okay if that's the way it's perceived no matter who's
making the cut offering but that doesn't mean that's where the cut's going to happen.
We don't have as much discretion as is being
We will have to go through a process, civil service positions. If they have civil service
positions on a 30-day, I believe, 30-day notice requirement, we'll have to sit down with each
union's superior officers and patrolmen, and there will be what is called an approach to
reduction and force a rift. But I just want to make it clear. We are going to, if there
are these drastic cuts in the police department, we've outlined our concerns and the negative
impact they will have. We will have to be forced to do the best we can to maintain an infrastructure
that meets our needs today. Understand that we don't have a plan in place of what that reimagination
is. That's the way we're going to approach it. So I cannot tell you I will agree with all these
cuts. I most likely don't. I'm against any drastic across the board cuts. But if we're
forced to live with them, I have a concern about what the fallout will be for the
police department undoubtedly, there will be a big shift in the negative way of the
makeup of the department in terms of how it reflects, so it doesn't reflect the diversity
of the community.
And just one other clarification, if I just may, because it's been mentioned a couple
of times, a sergeant doesn't drive me around.
There are two officers assigned to the administration as a result of the collective
bargaining contract.
There were three historically.
We bargained one out to add more officers doing police work.
One officer is assigned to the Licensing Commission.
The other's office of how yes, he does drive me an official occasion because I as a mayor did not I stopped
They practiced this wasn't placed before the mayor had their own
Vehicle paid for by the city. I did not take that
But I'm certain official business the office that does drive me around. He also does work with different departments in the city
I just want to clarify that point. Thank you.
All right
Thank you, Mr. Mayor
So I'm gonna go ahead and recognize
the next
Next question from Councillor Klingin.
Councillor Klingin.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Three or just a couple of questions based on Councillor
Nita Gang's proposal, just to kind of try to weigh through it a little bit, questions
to the Chief.
Well, first off, I have a question about the City Charter. Is there
a certain number of police we're supposed to have by charter?
The answer is no in my knowledge.
Okay, so I'm just trying to figure out based on population.
I thought I had heard a number before of 120.
But that's even here and there, I guess, because it's kind of cascading down to what my point is.
If we were to,
based on the number of our population,
like, I'm just trying to figure out if we have these
supervisory positions in there, you know,
any, like, anyone knows any good, you know,
whatever, restaurant, hotel, whatever, I mean,
without managers, without superior officers for the,
you know, for the younger folks to look up to
and have to guide them.
I mean, I don't, you know, I just want to know
what the numbers look like, because it does sound
a little, you know, off that I think Councilor Nidagang said, two superiors per, or one superior
officer per couple of things. But that may sound, you know, that may seem odd, but I want
to know what is behind that a little bit before I decide to make any cuts on it.
Councilor Nidagang, would you like to address that?
No, this is to the Chief. I'm just trying to get some ideas about why we're at
the levels we're at and what the need is, because assuming that if we were to make this
cut that the police wouldn't just cut all the crossing guards and instead they would actually
make the cuts that Council need again is asking for.
So I just want to understand those numbers of supervisor officers and so on.
All right, Council Chief.
You still muted, Chief.
If we still can't hear you, sir.
You know, I don't want to come across as defensive, but I do, I think it's
so vitally important to add some context here.
I think the cuts suggested would really dismantle
a highly functioning police department.
And I think if you see immediate swing
in the other direction,
not fill in the six funded vacant positions
does directly, absolutely directly
affect the number of patrol officers
we haven't built the year.
Historically, if we look at it,
if we're funded at 88 offices,
some point in that year,
They're very good possibility. We'll be down to 78 officers. It takes 61 patrol, 61 patrol
officers just to fill our patrol division. It's amazing. Councillor Anita gave me an
email on October of 2019, and he stated, I'm writing to beg you to deploy more officers
onto our streets to conduct traffic enforcement. Lieutenant Peter said that the Bravo Unit
of six officers on bicycles was being disbanded. He writes, that's going entirely in the wrong
direction. We don't just respond to crime in this police department. We respond to major
traffic concerns and issues in this city, the most highly densely populated city on the
east coast.
Thank you.
No, but I just want to say, I say, our superior officers have jobs. They're commanded.
Respectfully.
They're commanded.
If you could address the question the councillor had there about the command staff, a supervisor.
I think I was.
I think what I'm saying is the command is, a lieutenant is a shift commander, it's not
only a supervisor, it doesn't come in and say I'm going to supervise, they have a job
to do.
A lieutenant is the highest ranking person in the police department, 16 hours of the
day most often.
They have serious jobs to do, working prisoners, ensuring people's constitutional
whites when they're arrested, making sure they get the court tier of prisoners. I could go on and
on in the list of these duties. Out of the police department, we don't have the programs that other
police departments have. Cambridge, Boston, we're short staff going into this directly
affected. I'll tell you one thing that didn't come up that immediately when I read our council
Anita Gang's proposal is one thing we never talk about the city and I guarantee it's going to
come up if this goes forward is response time. Many departments that take drastic measures
like this have response times up to 20 minutes. I'm not sure the residents of the city want
response times of 20 minutes.
I'm going to ask you very respectfully to respect the chair and to give us the questions
that are answered. I understand you feel very strongly about this, but I want to make
sure that we continue to get the questions answered and that we go through the chair
respect. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, through you to the Chief, my question specifically,
Chief, is how did we get to those numbers? Those numbers just because people go up through
the ranks, they just get there, or those numbers sort of specifically designed for a
purpose based on a number of officers we have on a force is what I'm asking.
To the Chair, I apologize. I thought the question was, how would the cuts affect
the operation of the police department.
That's how I understood that question.
How did we get to those numbers?
We're very judicious and where we put people
in the police offices.
I mean, we need police officers.
Every interaction a police officer has
where a member of the community
can affect that community for a lifetime.
Every interaction an officer has during the course of duty
where the member of the community
can affect that community for generations.
We're gonna take supervision
and accountability out of the police department.
These positions, these offices have been placed, these superior offices, to enforce the policies
and procedures of the Summer Police Department, to set the tone for a shift to respond,
sergeants on the street are there to respond.
Our math, if we have to look at it, and we haven't had much time to analyze it, would
be nine, nine, if these offices would roll back into the police department, nine junior
offices would have to be laid off.
Right. So, I was just asking as to how we got to that, those specific numbers of, you
know, lieutenant sergeants, because I know like when the test is up and people take it,
we put people up based on something, and that's kind of what I was getting at. So, I'll
just move on with my question. So, the second question would be, again, are those numbers
sort of tied to collective bargaining, and with civil service, would, you know, would
those supervisor or lieutenant positions, would they then, you know, trickle down through
bumping rights and essentially lay off the patrol officers?
Chief.
And through the chair, I would need some guidance from the city and the law office about
how to work with civil service, I'm just not 100 percent sure.
how we got there is we fill these positions. These positions have evolved to do the functioning
of a big city police department. Every one of these positions performs a function beyond
supervision. They perform a role within the police department. I'm sorry if I run a little
bit off on your question. I was trying to answer your question.
Mr. Chairman, if I may, could you add a little bit of context, and a lot of this was reviewed.
All of this was reviewed.
And the implementation of a new command structure, geographic community-based policing command
structure and deployment structure of the department, going back now almost 15 years,
when the result of the police advisory group and the work we did to negotiate that new
structure, we had previously spent a shift-based command structure.
So, let me just give you examples of important context.
There's seven offices.
You have road cars.
There's seven offices back then before we shifted.
The structure we had today showed up for a shift.
By seniority, you got to pick where in the city, which car you wanted to be in, and
that changed every day.
So how we deployed offices and how they worked in particular neighborhoods to build
relationships that the Chief alluded to change drastically and really historically
with this major reconstruction of the plan, organizational plan, as well as the command
structure was made to support that.
So, that's the context behind that.
All right.
Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Just Councillor Klingon, please continue with your questions.
And I just want to remind everybody this is a chance to ask questions that are needed
to clarify for discussion on Councilor Neetergang's proposal, but this is there a little bit
back and forth.
The defense from the administration.
So, Councillor Klingon, please continue.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
there. Yeah, I, you know, just on the proposed cuts that Council need to gang made, I still
want to clear on the answer as to how and why we have these certain numbers. I mean, I wouldn't
feel comfortable, you know, cutting positions that in fact, of leadership, that in fact,
again, you know, cutting leadership positions, essentially you're giving more, like I've
I've heard that from people that I've talked to on the street that when a call goes out,
it's almost like calling for a manager that the people on the street know better.
They say, I won't talk to a patrol officer, get the lieutenants out here.
Because they don't think that the officer's word means as much as the lieutenant or
as the, not the lieutenant or sergeant on the scene.
So, you know, folks in the know actually know this.
And so just my concern is that if we cut those positions, what are we left with and what happens
to those people who get rift, as they say, are they going to then trickle down and eliminate
positions that we were really working towards filling? And I would also just say, you know,
one of the things I think about when I think about crime being down in Somerville,
I also can't help but to wonder if that's just because of how one of the reasons is
because of how progressive our police force is in that they don't make arrests on a lot
of things anymore.
I remember growing up, you know, you'd wake up on Monday morning and see all your friends'
names and the thing, you know, it's been 20 arrests long, and now it's three or four.
And it makes me wonder whether or not that some real police just haven't, because they're
not driven by numbers, I have become a much more progressive force.
So that said, again, you know, with the idea that we're a growing city.
If we're at 84,000 now and we've got point yards coming online, we just put what's a place
called assembly square online, I hate to be deager.
As soon as something happens, I know that the 84,000 citizens that we have, or should
say the 80,000 citizens we haven't heard from are going to be like, what in the world
is going on?
Like why?
So I just want to be real careful about how we proceed just based on sort of old
numbers, new numbers. 2004 was probably budget cuts.
So as far as how we've gotten by here
and there, that doesn't mean it's ideal. So again, I'm open to cuts, but I just want
to understand fully what the implications of these cuts will be to the citizens that
I represent, the 12,000 people of Ward 4. I need to understand fully what's going
to happen, and I don't feel satisfied with that answer, and maybe I'm not asking
it correctly to the chief but I do think that there probably are some civil service problems
and collective bargaining problems and also just the idea that I think that we do need
people in leadership.
The fish, as they say, rots from the head or whatnot so without good leadership, you
left with just kind of cops without leadership.
That's all I really, those questions I have and that's kind of my comments on
as it stands now thank you. All right thank you Councilor Klingon. It's my intention to continue
down through people yet again proceeding for people who haven't spoken yet and then we'll
eventually loop back around to Councilor Neeta Gang who started this round and we'll have an
opportunity to respond to comments and questions there. Up next I see Councilor, I see Councilor
human camping, then Councilor Mbaa and then Councilor Valentine. If anybody
It does have something they'd like Councilor Newt again to respond directly to you can request
and yield to Councilor Newt again, of course, to address that. But otherwise, I'm just going
to go back to him as we hit the bottom of the rotation. Councilor Newt again, or Councilor
Ewing, can't be on the floor. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, through you. Well, first
of all, to you, I want to thank you for the document that you presented. I know that
that was made very carefully in response to what you've been hearing from your constituents
and what we've been hearing from the people of Somerville. So I want to really thank
you for taking the time to put that together. And through you, I want to thank Councillor
Niedergang for his proposal, which I've read carefully. And I want to give a kind of just
brief comment. I don't really have a question on why I support this and why it tracks very
similarly to the way that I'm approaching this. So, you know, I think it's always hard in these
budget meetings when we're having this discussion before the Chief of the Police
Department, we're talking about the Police Department budget. I have a lot of respect for
chief. I have a lot of respect for staff that I've worked with, the officers I've met in
confirmations, and this to me is not a punitive discussion whatsoever. I view it much more the
way that Councillor Niedergang described it. Imagine if we were having this conversation
not about cuts to this department, but about we're going to hire 10 new councillors to work
in the school system. We're going to finally hire an administrative staff for the housing
division, you know, that's something that I've heard about for years. One of the reasons
that it always takes an extra time to get answers to our questions is because those folks are just
flat out helping people in desperate need and, you know, my understanding is they lack a single
administrative staff. And I could go on with examples like this. I think if we were having
this conversation in terms of the reinvestments that I think this council is being very clear
that we would wish to see, it would be a totally different conversation. And I understand
that we're having it under what I consider basically the most difficult context where we're talking
about cuts to one department. And again, we're talking about six possible new hires in this
department, one of whom is a dreamer, diverse candidates. I don't think anyone on this council
would say we don't want those people to serve the city of Somerville and work in public safety.
I think the way that I feel, I'll just speak for myself, is I very much want those people
to work for the city of Somerville in public safety, but I don't think that the police department
is necessarily the best place for them, and now I can't make a decision which department
they want to apply to, but it is not at all my intention here to say Somerville should not hire
those people. It is not my intention whatsoever to say Somerville should cut the core program.
I think this type of program is wonderful, and what I would like to see is for those programs
to be expanded dramatically and that is really how I've interpreted the outpouring that we have heard from residents it's, I don't want to pretend that there is no one out there, you know, saying caught 100% punitively, but by and large what I have heard is this is about re investing in currently underfunded positions.
And that is the way that that I'm approaching this and I fully understand as well as everyone around this virtual horseshoe that we do not have the authority to make those reallocations ourselves.
But this is the authority that we have. And, you know, I just don't I can't in good faith, you know, continue to kind of kick the can as I feel that I have in the past.
So, again, I want to thank Councillor Neidergang.
I look forward to questions and comments from the committee in terms of whether we vote
tonight or in the future.
To me, personally, I know where I'm ready to do it tonight, but again, it's not important
to me whether we do it tonight or after the public hearing is closed.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councillor Ewing-Campan.
up next, I see Councillor Mba and then Councillor Ballantani, Councillor Mba, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I really appreciate how you are handling this meeting with a lot
of passion and modesty, Mr. Chair. I know it's a tough call, but I want to say when
And I saw when I looked at Max's proposal first, I was really excited that this is something
that I want to do, and this is like we will help a lot of, you know, like we can actually
like cut, you know, like I never thought that we could cut different positions like
he mentioned.
And when I sat down to study the budget and look at it, actually even, you know, I mean,
like, we didn't have a lot of time to talk about it, but I was, like, I was looking
at it and then I realized that it's not possible to, you know, like, just, like, make this
kind of recommendation.
And since Councilor White raised some more points about this, it's like, what impact
will it have?
Like it is in realizing that, you know, we've been on the council for two years, most of
the people that we hire, you know, have been so diverse, you know, people of color, they
just move into the city, some of them got married, they just got their home, then now,
you know, like, I'll shamefully, you know, like, let them, you know, be lay up because
oh, because it's like this is, we've seen that this is the impact that it's going
to have. And then, in good conscience, I'll be like, oh, well, I'm trying to, you know,
like, just support, like, the cause that, you know, it's, it's, I mean, unless they
like, I'm clear that this is, is going to have the intended effect of how, like,
there are possible things that I saw, like, position that I want to just strike off.
You know, you, Mr. Chair, you already know that, you know, like, I'm like,
I asked you some few questions like, what is this for? What is this for?
But I cannot chop those things off. And so as you know, those cut for the excitement of cutting and then
Help the same people that we all claim that all we all care about them. We want I'm all for change of culture
I'm all about that is find the police force. I will leave it at that
Thank you to chair.
All right
Thank you comes from Bob and just as a reminder you're correct
we cannot dictate what the mayor does with the money or how the chief allocates
the money put in his department. Those are expressions of their priorities and
how they see their job functions. Counselor Valentine is up next to the
question and then seeing nobody else who is dialed in here who hasn't spoken
And yet I'll then go back to Councilor Niedigang, Councilor White, oh, I see Councilor Streisler
jumping in.
So I would go back to Councilor Niedigang, White and Klingon.
Councilor White, you seem to have a relevant informational question.
Is there, or is there something that can wait until your next spot in the rotation?
Sorry, Councilor Brown-Tam, I'm just going to see if Council White-
Okay.
It's okay.
I'll yield.
Councilor White, we can't hear you.
Collective bargaining agreement, it's been years since we looked at it.
If you keep a certain number of regular patrolmen,
I believe there has to be staffing of superior offices, at least the sergeants.
So we don't know
that the mayor met it.
Would those comply with the collective?
Okay, that's a fair informational question.
Councilor White, I do have a copy of that contract.
It's a little over a hundred pages.
So, perhaps if any staff can look at that
and get back to us on the answer, that'd be helpful.
Seth, if you do have answers for that,
please just indicate in the chat box
and I'll recognize you.
Meanwhile, Councilor Valentine, back to you.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you.
Through you, Mr. Chair, to Councilor Niedergang,
I wanted to get you to elaborate a little bit
because you made the quote, you said, you know, honestly, I'm not sure which positions should
be cut. So I'm wondering how you took into consideration the need, so the need of the city
in the various calls and the various crime levels in the city and the impact
if that these staffing cuts would have that you've proposed.
Councilor Nidega.
Yes.
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
And thanks, Councilor Ballantyne, for the question.
Well, I looked at historical staffing.
For example, there were no deputy chiefs in the SPD until 2007.
And there were only eight lieutenants in 2006 and nine in 2005.
Maybe the chief is right that we really need 11 now.
But there were 16 sergeants from 2010 through 2018.
Now we have 19.
So, you know, I'm just looking at historical staffing in the upper echelons of the department
And also looking at the crime rate, which has gone down, you know, steadily and considerably and kind of put a rough picture together. I wish I, you know, I wish I had more information than that.
You know, I could just say, well, let's cut a million and a half dollars out of the out of the salaries light item or 10%, for example, which is a number that we've heard a lot from the community.
But that kind of seems even more arbitrary than trying to designate some positions.
So you're right, I have inadequate information. I have no staffing. I have no statistical analysts.
I have no captains or deputy chiefs to help me with this.
I'm just trying to figure out how to reduce a budget that I consider to be bloated.
And you know, I'll say I'll say more about that when I get another chance to speak. Thank you.
So, through you are to the to my colleagues is so I that's how I'm trying to look at that is what are the needs in the community and then how do you build the staff that you need to achieve those needs.
You know, I know in Ward 7 in the last three years we've had three deaths.
One was a motor vehicle, one was the shooting of a young boy, the other was the stabbing
just a couple of months ago, and sadly one of my neighbors who was, I've known since
he was four years old, was shot in Ward 4 and left to die. So I am trying to understand based on,
you know, the deaths that we've experienced in Ward 7 in my neighborhood because I live very
closely, very close by to where these incidences have all happened, I am more than willing
to have the discussion, more than willing to do the legwork on it, but I want to flip
it around and base it on needs because I don't really know what the numbers or the positions
need and what is the impact going to be because of shifting those personnel around.
Thank you.
All
right, Councillor Ballantyne. Let's see here. I see Councillor Strezzo is next who
has not spoken on the topic yet. Councillor Strezzo. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I admit
this is my first budget season. So here we go. But I have my concerns too. And I want
I want to thank Chair Scott and also Councilor Niedergang for thinking this through.
I think we want systemic change and we want positive change and I want this done right.
I want to sit and I want to think and I want to process and make sure that we're making
really, really educated decisions on this because when I lived in Atlanta, I know what
sitting and waited, like when I lived in Atlanta, I've called 911 before and actually waited
20 minutes on a 911 call for someone to answer.
So I know what that feels like.
And I don't want those kinds of service cuts and those situations to happen in
our city.
So we have to really evaluate what that means and what these decisions make and and it means a lot to me though
at the same time with this change and and I was happy to take this on and in my committee of
Housing and Community Development
Development of talking about the 911 system and and and what it would look like with civilian control
so I am open to the dialogue.
I have constituents that are calling me up
and telling me that they are scared
what these cuts mean.
And I'm having these conversations a lot, so we need to really sit this through and talk
about it. I am open for systemic change. I want that, and I want to know what, how, how
does defining these positions, how does that fix systemic racism? I want to answer these
questions and really have these conversations. And I don't know, for right now, that's what
What do you have to say?
All right, Councilor Strezzo, thank you.
I'd like to recognize Liaison Weber, who has some factual information in response to Councilor
White's request.
Liaison Weber.
Thank you.
Through the chair, can you hear me okay?
I can.
Great.
Thank you.
To Councilor White, as far as the contract goes, no, the contract does not specify
the number of personnel in each superior rank. Also, just for clarification purpose,
the title deputy chief is not a union title. Deputy chiefs are non-union positions. The
SPSOA represents employees holding the title of captain, lieutenant, and sergeant. Thank you.
All right. Thank you, Liaison Webber. As a further just information update,
The school resource officer question I asked earlier, I have the answer to that.
Mass General Law Chapter 71, section 37p, defines the school resource officer as either a newly
sworn municipal police officer or a special officer appointed by the chief of police
charge for providing law enforcement and security services to elementary and secondary
public schools.
So with that, I'm going to go back to the rotation saying nobody else who has yet to speak on this.
So that would be Councillor Neidergang, followed by Councillor White and Councillor Klingon at this point.
So Councillor Neidergang.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I also want to say that I greatly admire Chief Fallon and I've really enjoyed working with him.
the city's been lucky to have him as our police chief. That being said, you know,
it's his job to defend the staffing that he thinks he needs. And frankly, you know,
we go through this every year. Last year I proposed a $600,000 cut to the police
department for a captain's position and five patrol officers that had been vacant
for half a year. And the council only only got rid of the captain's position, the 160,000. Those
patrol positions have been vacant for most of the last two years. The department can't fill
them apparently. Clearly we don't need them. When I worked in the police department as a
grant manager from 1995 through 1998, this was over 20 years ago, we had seven patrol cars
circling the city 24 7365 22 plus years later with a lot lower crime we have
seven patrol cars circling the city 24 7365 I ask why let's get some of those
officers out of those cars and doing traffic enforcement that's what I wrote
to Chief Fallon about I don't want to hire more officers I wanted to get
officers out of patrol cars where they're, you know, sitting or running around, especially
you look at the numbers, for example, for the graveyard shift, there are half the number
of calls that the officers who are working 4 to 12 get.
And during the day, you've got dozens or scores of detail officers on the street.
So I think from 4 to 8, we probably need those seven cars.
But during the graveyard shift, when there's no traffic and cars can get places
really fast? Do we really need seven full cars? We could reduce staffing and supervision at that
time. During the day, do we need seven full cars when, you know, people are going about their
business and there's lots of officers, detail officers on the street, Somerville and other places.
Nobody's really defended that. It just seems to be part of the way the policing is done
insurmountable and has been for a generation. But it's time to re-look at that. I think
we probably don't need seven cars and we could reduce some staffing there.
In terms of systemic racism, no, these cuts are not designed to address systemic racism.
You know, Councillor Scott is a visionary and I am a mechanic. I am interested in
saving money from the police department so we can invest it in enhancing public's
health and public safety in other areas of our community life. In affordable housing,
in whatever kind of relief we can offer, food relief, whatever kind of relief we can offer to
people, families that are in emergency due to COVID-19, in traffic calming so we don't have,
you know, more pedestrian deaths on our street. It's all about the money. I have nothing
against the police department. I work there. I have lots of people, lots of police officers
I know who I have wonderful relationships with, maybe not after this, but our responsibility
is to try to get the city's money spent as effectively as possible to benefit the residents,
their health and their safety. And my argument is that the $17 million we're putting into the
police department, at least a couple of million of those is not the most effective use of our
city fund. Just imagine what $2 million in affordable housing, drug counseling,
youth programs, a youth center, what that money could do.
And that's the way that I think.
So that's why I'm going after the police department.
I have nothing against the police department.
You know, I was one of the people who actually defended it
when 4,000 people were calling for 60% cuts.
I said, I don't want to defund the police.
I don't want to get rid of the police.
They perform an essential function in our community.
And I think they do it rather well,
although we do have some major problems in our department that need to be fixed and I'm all about that too
But right now this is a budget hearing a budget meeting. This is a finance committee meeting
We and I'm talking about the budget and I'm trying to get the most
Effective use of our funds our city funds possible and yes, the chief is going to scare us this happens every year
That's part of his job
You know he we we probably wouldn't want him not to scare us because he has to defend his staff
He has to defend his officers. He has to defend his organization whether it is optimally organized and
functioning
You know as a lean mean machine or whether it's got you know lots of fat and let me just say one last thing when I say fat
I'm not accusing anybody of not working. I think the people in the department are working hard
I think it's an organizational problem. I think that there are staff positions
that are not needed in the superior officer's ranks.
I think there are jobs that could be better done
by civilians at half the cost.
And I think that's where we need to head.
And, you know, if it's not possible to do it this year
because of the union contract or legal reasons, okay.
I, you know, but I think we should explore
the, you know, significant cuts that we can take,
especially in the upper ranks, and see if that's possible. Thank you.
All right.
Thank you, Councilor Needagang. Next, in the rotation, we'll be going through in
order so that'll be White, Klingon and Valentine. So Council White, could you
further follow up our questions? No, thank you, Mr. Chair. The previous one
was the minimum staffing if there was anything in the collective
to bargaining agreement. That was the point that I put in the chat box.
Okay, great. Then Councillor Klingon to you and then back to Councillor Ballantyne.
Yes, Mr. Chair. Yeah, no, I don't have a question anymore.
All right. Then we'll move on to Councillor Ballantyne. Councillor Ballantyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was wondering if we could circle back and I didn't
I somehow lost my note here on Councillor Rosetti's comments on the grants.
If we could just get that information again, and if there is an opportunity to also get
the information on what those grants are used for and if they pay for any staff.
All right, I believe that was 1.5 million and received grants 690,000 which were recurrent
the relevant question would be do any of those grant pay for salaries?
I can I can answer the question comes Mr. Chair. Please Councillor Rosetti.
Again it's to my notation my note-taking and I you know welcome response from
the department on that, but there is E-911 staffing to my understanding. October 10th
last year we approved $236,976. Similar figure was approved the year previous at $224,000.
dollars. So that's the E-911 office for personnel staffing. Some of the other
came from the math office. On that point? Yeah. Through you Mr. Chair was that for
just that was just for one year and it was for their staffing. I just wanted
to be clear on that. To my understanding yes but you know I welcome
them any correction by the police department on that. The request that was before us on
October 10th was for the state 9-1-1 office supply the grant to fund E-9-1-1 personnel
costs.
Okay. So through you, Mr. Chair, so E-9-1-1 doesn't have anything to do with this budget
that we're looking at because that's the other budget.
Right. That is true. That is true.
Okay.
Okay, so Mr. Chair, through you, if $660,000 out of the $1.5 million, that's about $900,000 left, where did that go?
There were other grants totaling $792,992.94.
a sense.
I couldn't find in my quick, well in the past year of my taking this and trying
to research it, I couldn't find repetition in those, but yearly they do get sizable
grants for their department, which to my opinion is that it's more operational and
not personal services that we could be taking money out of, that they're going
to be applying to these grants anyways, and they get quite a bit of grant funding. That's where
that was my thought in presenting this at the beginning of the meeting. For personal services,
I'm not so sure what of the grants touches personal services, and I would hope that the chief could
answer that.
Yes, please. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Sure. Then through you, Chief, do you have
any way to address where those grants are going in terms of whether I go into
personal services or are they purely to ordinary maintenance items?
So to the
chair, to my best of my knowledge we don't get any personal service grants
that are for police funding besides the core program and I'm not sure and I
apologize I don't know how to get into the queue but I just want to it's
been stated a couple of times I just want to say I don't look as my job is
offending the staffing levels of police department. I look at my job as a state, my professional
opinion on what is needed to provide public safety for citizens of Somerville. So I'm
not trying to defend the staffing levels. I'm just want to give my professional opinion
of what we need to provide public safety to the residents of this city.
I appreciate that. And that was certainly part of your budget and program improvement
request process just like every other department did. We appreciate hearing it, but um.
Mr. Chair, can I just make one more statement before you move on?
Certainly, Councillor Rosetti.
Thank you. Aside from not hearing my question, I answered. I did also want to mention that with
the transfer of funds for the COVID account that was created urgently by the administration
because the city needed monies, whatever we could get from each department.
The police department gave the highest personal services donation from their personal services
account. They transferred $158,165.95 and that was the highest personal services transfer
of any department.
Yes. Thank you, Councillor Rosetti. To that
point, I would say that our average over budgeting for the Somerville Police Department from
fiscal year 16 to fiscal year 19, at the end of each year, our average surplus in the department
was $593,000, close to $594,000. So that's been unspent money in the department at
end each year than, as we know, rolls into free cash, but that is a surplus. So any cut in an
amount less than that would simply be limiting the surplus to my view.
Councillor Ballantyne, are you complete with your question at this point?
Yes, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
All right.
Let's see here. Councillor Klingon, I believe you are up next.
Oh, you're Mr. Masturboni. Mr. Chair, that's okay with you.
All right. Mr. Masturboni, you had some clarification on COVID expenditures.
Sure. Thank you for the recognition, Mr. Chair. First time speaking tonight,
Mike Mashapani, the budget manager. Through you, Mr. Chair, to the committee or the councilor Lee.
Councilor Rosetti mentioned that police had submitted, sort of had the highest amount of lag at
the time where where monies were being transferred to COVID-related expenditures line items.
I mean, part of that is that police and fire have just the highest total amount of salary
appropriations.
So that's not really surprising to me.
We had all departments, script together, everything they had.
And part of, I think, the leftover or sort of unspent personal services funds year after
year that Mr. Chair, you're speaking about, and I think that Councillor Rosetti was
was hinting at, sort of speaks to the difficulty in the, you know, filling of positions that
we can't begin a process until, you know, someone vacates their existing position and
the civil service process as well as the training really have an extremely long lead
time.
This is something we experienced both in fire and police.
So, you know, that's, I just want to mention that, but I think the important thing is that
is the answer on the COVID funding. So, thank you for your indulgence.
All right. Thank you, Mr. Mastavoni.
There we go. We do have some information also from
Director Bean on the destination for that grant and money in terms of personal services
lines. Director Bean, would you like to interject?
Yes, Chairman Scott. Personal services also means overtime. I know the grant money does fund some
overtime for police officers, but I'm not aware that it funds directly salaries, but certainly does
fund some overtime. All right. Well, I see Councillor Klingon has a question and I'm barring
anything else. I'll speak briefly on the point and then I'd like to move on,
Council on Bias and patiently waiting with an alternative proposal that he mentioned much earlier
in the meeting because we're now over four hours. So, Councillor Klingon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, I just sort of respond to Councilor Niedegang's response,
but also with regards to my question. The question still remains, how they got to these
certain levels of, you know, 11 lieutenants, if that's a number by design based on the
number of patrol officers or how we got to that number, because, quite frankly, I think
that, you know, even if they take our suggestions so that all these positions can go away,
if that's even possible, you know, outside of collective bargaining, again, everybody
everybody will just move down and we'll lose our young, fresh, you know, police force that
we've had, that we've been getting through those candidates, and one other thing I want
to say while I have the floor is that, you know, I've been seeing a lot of stuff online
about police should live in the community that they police, and, you know, we have
a residency requirement here, and if we're going to be smart officers for making
a living based on details, which the city does even pay.
I just think that that's kind of talking on the both sides of our
mouth, unless we're going to build some workforce housing.
I don't think that it's fair to say, you know,
you have to live here yet. And that also, you know, opens up the
question, well, do we keep the residency requirement? Well, that
will be something that the community would have to discuss outside of
based on the fact that some people feel like you should live in your
community. But then that's why we've had
such a hard time filling these positions, these six positions.
So I don't know if that's resulting in overtime for police that are on because we haven't had these six positions filled.
I don't know if cutting the overtime makes all of our fun festivals and porch-fest and everything go away.
I just want to know how we got to these numbers of supervisor staffing levels and if they're by design or if it's just people moved up and then that's where they got to.
Thank you.
So I appreciate you trying to come back to this question one more time.
Councillor Klingin, Chief Fallon, could you try to address just the question Councillor
Klingin has asked about how the number of supervisory officers was arrived at?
Because the organization department is a function of the chief and the mayor.
Sure.
And to the chair, I apologize to Councillor Klingin for having asked the question numerous
of times.
where it comes from, the amount of lieutenant and sergeants is very best practice in policing
along span of control, and also as the leader of this police department addressing the needs
of the community.
I'll give you an example of the need for supervision, we're now in an accredited
police department.
We have to maintain those accreditation standards and be recertified every two years
and in the middle of that have an inspection done.
So that takes more supervision.
Vision Zero, we're planning more supervision around Vision Zero.
We had a major retail policy, a retail center built out in our community.
So it's really, we look at the span of control, we look at leadership positions that need
to be filled, and we put supervisors in those roles.
All right, Councilor, Mr. Mayor, on that policy choice.
Yeah, it wasn't just a unilateral policy choice.
I want to give clarification.
I go back to the organizational structure that was adopted after 2005, after the police advisory group,
the recommendations vetted by then board of all the men and the public looked at the then deployment structure we have.
Adopted the new one as I described and suggested command structure that would support that.
The other good example isn't why we have two deputy chiefs.
prior to that, I can't remember when the point in time was, there were Deputy Chiefs in the
Somber Police Department, that may have been 40, 50 years ago, I don't recall off the top of my
head, that was one of the reasons we had to move to take those two positions out of civil
service to create the non-civil service command structure to support the command
structure needed to do the new deployment plan organization structure to support all
the services of the committee. So they were well thought out in terms of, at that time,
of what we needed as an organization and as a community.
All right.
So, thank you, Mr. Chair.
So, again, I don't know if I could vote
on the recommended cut as is now.
I'll listen to the alternative from Councilor Bob.
Now, this has put me in a really peculiar situation
of like, you know, feeling like I'm, you know,
having to, you know,
sure I'll be painted out on social media
as a bootlicker or something. But I mean, this is about public safety. And it does feel
a little punitive, I think, to the guys on the street, because last year we voted against
the $600,000 cut to the police force, all of us except you, Councilor Scott and Councilor
King. So, you know, what are we saying now? What's different now as our population
grows? And, you know, I just, again, I reimagine an entirely different police
force in the future. I just tonight really want to bring up the fact, the point
that it just it seems like cutting for the sake of cutting. We're basically just playing a social
type experiment where, you know, we may see the repercussions later on. And so, you know,
based on what I've heard tonight, I don't think I can support
cutting positions.
All right, Councillor Klingon. Councillor Ballantyne, it looks like
you have another question. And then we'll come back to Councilor Mead again for comment.
And then my colleagues would allow me to speak. We have to do that. Councilor Valentine.
So thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm coming back to, I guess, this point about the staffing
and Councillor Klingon. So I was looking at the fire staffing. And I noticed that I think
it was Councillor Niedergang had put the numbers together. It was something like 2.5 superiors
to officers. And I just did a rough number to look at fire. And it looks like they
actually have more superiors than the police department does. So, I'm not sure if this discussion
about using the word superior is the right word. So, I don't know if that's an issue
for us then in the fire department if they're at around two to one but the police department is
what two and a half to two whatever the ratios are higher at the the fire department so I just
want to come back to the the point and this is what is cute is is trying to identify what the
need is in our community based on all the call types that are given. And I agree that we need to
look at making changes. And I also, you know, have supported that. I am also talking about
my constituents who are like fine with doing this this exercise however they
don't want it to be done rashly and so I struggle a little bit with Councilor
Negator Gang's ratios and numbers and not sure which positions to cut without
first looking at what is the need in our community and what do we
anticipate the impact is, and then we can make the adjustments and the cuts, you know, based
on that, and also everybody's collective voice. I just wanted to also make one point that
Andre Green, who's the school committee rep for Ward 6, was at the Finance Committee meeting
meeting last week for the school committee, award four, thank you.
He is a black man, the only member on the school committee.
And he said emphatically that he didn't want the idea of the SRO to be cut from the high
school without input from the students.
that that was really important for them, that they should have their voice in these changes that are being proposed for their school.
So, I just, you know, wanted to make that point because the SRO was brought up before.
But again, I'm trying to understand the need, the impact, and then building the staff from there if there are staffing changes.
Because all this discussion about the superiors and the officers, I just, I don't understand
what the point of it is because we haven't defined what the need is and the impact or
what we think the impact is to build our staffing budgets.
So let's have that conversation.
It's just it should be intentional and it should involve more people who are directly use our resources a lot and are directly impacted. Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Ballantyne. Councillor Nida Gang, I'll give you another chance to respond here. And then I'd like to ask a few questions and make a comment on the matter.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate it. So, I'm not cutting for the sake of cutting. I'm
cutting for the sake of public safety, for using our money most effectively for public
health and public safety. That's why I proposed a $600,000 cut last year when nobody in
the public cared about this issue. As for the fire department, you know, Councillor
I think you're right.
Unfortunately, I didn't work in the fire department.
I don't really know the fire department very well.
And like I said, I don't have staff or analysts,
so I don't have time to look at two major departments,
each of which are spending $17, $18 million.
I've looked at the number of superior officers
in the fire department too and wondered about that.
It would take a lot of work for me to understand that
and thoughtfully propose any cuts there,
and I just haven't done that.
but I hope that someday somebody will and I hope that somebody will look at the fire
department budget more carefully in the future.
So just here's a here's another proposal. So
I can see that there isn't a lot of love for my proposal to cut almost two million dollars
in the salary line items. Let's look at this. So let me throw out something that might be
little bit more palatable. Chairman Scott just told us that over the last four
years the average, the average leftover amount of money in the police
department salaries line was $593,000. So I think it's pretty clear that
that seems to be, you know, the number that's going to be left over about
$600,000. If we cut one deputy chief that would be another $200,000. That's
It's not a union position so that could be done tomorrow.
And if we cut the six vacant patrol officers, these are positions, again, as I said, these positions have been vacant for most of the last two years.
We cut those. That's another roughly 400,000. So now we're talking roughly 1.2 million in a cut, which could be used again for other public safety needs and public health needs in the community.
homelessness prevention, COVID relief, traffic calming, drug counseling, youth
workers. Thank you.
All right. Thank you, Counselor Neda Gang. I appreciate that
point and a lot of what I'm hearing from you, my colleagues, comes down to a
question of policy and implementation. And since we do have the mayor here,
I'm going
to pose the question to the mayor. I mean, ultimately, budgets are moral choices, right?
But the expression of that policy, how those budgets actually get deployed is a question
of the mayor's values and what he's going to choose to prioritize here. So, Mr. Mayor,
If you would, we have had this discussion, and I think I heard you earlier, but I want
to ask very clearly if there is a significant cut in the Somerville Police Department budget.
Will you be pursuing every method available to execute those reductions, any reductions
that are actually affected from senior officer ranks
by returning to the same bio that you had deployed
in the past to encourage you to retire,
or would you target the young, diverse,
most junior police officers on the force?
So thank you for the question.
First, let me clarify a few things.
There's no targeting of any individuals
when we're making cuts.
There is a riff reduction in force.
The law is clear about seniority being able to bump down.
Last and first out, the youngest will be impacted if none is determined to retire.
Will we entertain? Let me add a little more clarity to what I said earlier.
I'm happy to entertain. It's not an early retirement incentive like the state pushes down,
a separation incentive or one-time buyout.
We can entertain that. That's assuming there's enough.
Well, again, people can determine on their own whether they want to take it, if we do that in any department, in this case, the police.
But we will follow the law if a reduction in force is required because of cuts.
And again, that have to be bargained.
And I suspect it will go by way as it always does.
The senior people will be bumping down, have a right to bump down to a lower rank or to another position and within their rank based on years of service.
And that's how we'll approach it straight by the book,
straight what the law says.
And let me just say,
I agreed that a budget is a statement of values.
It's not one person's values, Chairman.
It's not mine.
It's the communities.
We've invested in this community values.
I've been proud to be as mayor now for 17 years
and fought for the community's values.
So, and while we're doing that though,
I just want to pose this question.
Are we not, are we going to,
I'm just going to make the statement.
I hope we keep those voices.
We claim we do not want to co-opt or speak over
part of the conversation.
because we're not going to redesign or reimagine what the department is in one budget section.
It's going to take a while, and it's going to take everybody's input to do that.
We don't have a framework for what that response will be moving forward.
So, at the end of the day, I'd submit any drastic cuts will have the more likely impact of reducing the force
from the most diverse, hungry, and passionate employees newest to the force.
We're not the impact we envision for the dollar amount.
All right. Thank you, Mayor. I want to say that I've heard this and I have spent the
last long time listening to a lot of these voices, some of which were invited into the
indoor city by our mayor to have a conversation about social and racial equity and justice.
I heard them say that this is a crisis now, that we don't have time for training wheels.
And nobody gets participation trophy for just starting to wake up and enter the ward.
It's time to catch up.
So I want to bring it back to the answer I just heard from the mayor, which is, you
know, we'll see what we can do.
but you know there's structures and those structures are going to end up disproportionately
impacting women and people of color.
I think that's a definition of structural racism. I
think structural racism is what we are here trying to address. Now we can't address that in one
budget cycle. Mr. Mayor, please, as the chair, I'm going to try to finish here. I hope you
would hear.
Addressing structural racism is not something, as we heard from the Boston City
councillors say, not something that we can dress a single budget cycle, but her very
clearly, my congresswoman, Diana Presley, say that this is not the time for more words,
but the only thing she cares about is seeing changes in budgets and laws.
So that's where I'm at with this proposed cut that council meeting is softly put forward
with the alternative that Councilor Niedergang is softly put forward. And I 100% agree that the
implementation of a vision for a new police department, the implementation of the future of
public safety in our city, the implementation of new prioritization, how the city deployed
three sources is one that absolutely has to take place in a thorough community context.
But right now, the question is, are we going to begin making change in my mind?
With that said, I know that Councillor Mba has been waiting very patiently, speaking of
voices, that we should be listening to.
So, Councillor Mba, you had a thought or a proposal to share with us.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I really appreciate also, like, your patience and your time
and your effort, you know.
I cannot thank you enough. I mean just first I want to even just say that the
mayor's response just now is what scares me and of course it's not I don't know you
know like because when you have like I mean like this is I also have been in
union so it's not like I don't think that you know he's trying to scare us
or something if you're in a union I mean Mr. Chair I can imagine like how
much excitement we got, you know, everybody that was on the confirmation of appointment
for the candidate that was brought on the first two years ago. Almost all of them just moved
to the city. And the kind of classic presentation and excitement is now that we are now making
a political show that, you know, we don't really like, no matter how it happens, you
know, like if they go, they go flush out, that's fine. One is called political points
on, you know, like just making a statement, you know, for making it safe that we are just
cutting the police budget. But thank you also can cancel on it even for like revising
this property or proposal. I think like I said in my opening remark, I will be making
drastic cut. I know where I was looking at. And I look at the overtime. I think
we can chop off enormous fat from that overtime. And that's why I want to cut $800,000 from
that overtime, and they can come to us if they need it. They can come to the council and request
that. So, Mr. Chair, I hope you will support me and the members of the council because this
This one has no impact on trying to cut superior officers, because especially with the superior
officer positions and cut.
I don't want, you know, like, officers to be working around with low morale, and then
also you don't encourage the young officer to fire, to walk hard, because they're like,
ah, there's no point, you know, so I think people have walked hard to where they are.
I don't want to discredit them.
or like look at them as oh you know like we need some of that you know like your money or something
you know what they're making I really don't you know but I think we have discretion we can use our
power where we have the discretion that's why I'm looking I've looked you know anything that is
within our power they chop anything that is like within the union's power like we are chopping
we know the consequences. I don't want that consequence. So I move to cut 800,000 from the police overtime.
All right. According to our rules, any motion is in order. So there is a motion before us right now.
From this point, we could entertain discussion on that motion or we could move to lay the motion on the table and return to it at a future meeting.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Councillor Baugh, for making that motion.
I'd like to ask the Chief what he thinks the minimal amount of overtime that the Department
is likely to use this year.
I believe that there are contractual requirements for when officers need to be paid overtime
And, you know, I fear I'm certainly willing to support a hundred thousand or maybe a $200,000 cut in overtime, but I fear that this is essentially passing the buck.
If we say we're going to cut $800,000 of overtime and then the chief comes in basically says, well, we have to spend another $600,000 of overtime.
You have to fund it.
We've been in that position before in the council where basically we were asked to fund overtime and really didn't have a choice in it.
So, you know, it may sound good, 800,000 cut in overtime, but if in fact, over the course
of the next year, we're going to have to give 600,000 of it or all of it back, then
it's really not a cut at all.
So I'd like to hear what the chief has to say about what he expects the minimal overtime
cost to be for the department in the coming year.
Chief Fallon on the question about overtime.
And
to the chair to council need again. Thank you for the question.
I think with 88 offices,
I think, you know, we're looking currently about $25,000 a week in overtime. So I think
it's $1.3 million that we would need just under that to for the year for overtime.
I think it's very important to point out though that, you know, we have been asking
our offices. And one of the reasons for some of the lag money is we've gone away from
automatically filling overtime shifts. We use on-duty resources constantly now. So if you're a detective,
you're working a Saturday, there's a summer streets event, you're asking you to come in
uniform. We're telling you to come in uniform. And to be at that event, that's why we've
never been able to keep our overtime costs down. But, you know, I think we would need about
$1.3 million for the year, averaging $25,000 a week.
All right. Thank you, Chief.
Councilor Neera Gang, are you complete or willing to yield to other Councillors who have questions?
Well, thanks, Mr. Chairman. Let me just respond to what the Chief said.
So, you know, the original figure in the budget was 1.3, and then the mayor cut that by 186,000
to fund the Racial and Social Justice Initiative, which I think is terrific.
So, what we've just been told is if we cut $800,000 out of the overtime budget,
basically we're going to have to cough that money up later in the year.
So to me that seems pointless. I'd be willing to support $100,000 cut if you know if the chief
setting needed 1.3 million and now the budget's down to 1.1 million maybe we can squeeze another
hundred thousand there but $800,000 cut to me doesn't make any sense. Thank you.
All right thank you. Councilor Ballantyne you had a question and then we'll go to
Councillor Rosetti, after that. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. So I want to get back to the number
of unspent, which was over the last few years as the Chair has mentioned, was $594,000 that has
been unspent. And this question through you, Chair, is to the Chief to share with us
That's why it was unspent.
Chief Allen on the point of order,
there's a motion on the table.
I don't support it, but there's a motion on the table.
Oh.
Right.
That's a good point.
I yield.
All right.
Thank you, Councilor Neidegame,
for the reminder, it's getting late.
Councilor Rosetti, comment on the motion.
Yes, sir.
through you to my good colleague, Councilor Mabba. I just, I know you've made a couple of statements
earlier this evening and I want to make sure you understand. I too am looking to do some form
of cuts tonight and so I don't want this to be taken in the other form.
But you've been speaking about not wanting to pay for or have overtime for roadwork or sewer
fixes and line problems and what not, construction projects. I hope you understand that all construction
projects and Eversource works and what not, where the overtime officers you will see
working are paid by the construction companies or are paid by ever source.
That overtime line is not for that type of detail and I just wanted to make sure you understood
that because you did reference it a few times.
All right.
Thank you.
Councillor Rosetti.
you were directly addressed, if you'd like to respond, you may.
Mr. Chair, Councillor Roseli,
I mean, I think what you're trying to say is this, like the
overtime, like the construction site details is not paid through the police department.
Is that what you're trying to say?
Through you, Mr. Chair, if I may respond, yes, that's what I'm trying to say.
Chief can correct me if he wishes, but I'm pretty spot on on this one. I'm pretty I believe I
believe that's correct, sir
Yeah, and so I mean, thank you councillor Rosetti
I appreciate that, you know, I think
We can find civilians to do that job. Police have better job to respond to
than hanging the construction site. Even if the construction company that is paying paying them
They have no business that we want to have
you know, like civilians that can do that job.
All right.
Councillor Klingin on this point.
I just want to make note of the fact that, you know,
the state legislature did pass a law, as you know,
many years back to use flag men.
And because we have such a great state of Massachusetts
where we do recognize prevailing wage,
that most of the municipalities didn't end up using flag men, because essentially, you know,
why don't have a police officer out there doing it, and then they can also break into action.
So it's like you're getting more for your buck with the police officer. So I just wanted to
pose that to officer, to consular M. Bob, because I hear that a lot. And I remember this very
very contemptuous fight back in the early 2000s about using flagmen here in Massachusetts
and I'd like to say I am proud that we live in Massachusetts where we do respect collective
bargaining and prevailing wages.
All right.
Councillor Neatagang, you had a motion.
No, thanks, Mr. Chair.
I just wanted to call a question unless there's other comments and let's move on
to other motions that people may have.
All right, Councilor Netagang would like to call the question on the motion by
Councilor Imba to cut $800,000 from the overtime.
Yeah, I've not yet gotten to
speak on the point, Councilor Netagang.
If anybody wants to speak, I'll hold
off, but I didn't realize anybody wanted to speak. Sorry, Mr. Chair.
I'm sorry. I do believe Councilor Ewing-Campan would also like to speak. So, Councilor Ewing-Campan and then I'll speak.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, as I stated, I'm prepared to make a sizable cut to the department tonight. I think it's the right thing to do.
This particular one, for a number of the reasons that were stated, is not the one that I'll be supporting tonight.
but I thank Councillor Rimbaud for bringing it forward.
Again, I think under the contractual obligations,
we will be paying this money one way or the other,
so this is not the cut that I'll support.
Thank you.
All right.
Very well.
Just as a point of information then,
thank you Councillor Ewing-Campan
and we are reminded by Director Conner,
some point I wanted to bring up as well,
that the JLMC decision from,
I want to say 2017 requires that all work details in the city be filled by police officers,
not just that we can, but that we must.
And they cited one reason as being an extra source of income for officers.
2016 decision, thank you for the correction.
So at least as it pertains to flag men without a complete re-negotiation of the contract
and some way to nullify the JLMC ruling, here in Somerville, we are required to fill all
construction details with officers.
All right, so just on this motion that's been made, I appreciate both Councillor Ambar's
decisiveness and his immense frustration with this process, frustration that I know
must be shared by the over 100 members of the public that continues to watch us at
nearly 11 o'clock five hours into our discussion of police budget. My concern is
very much in alignment with some of my colleagues and also the exact concern
that was stated by the Boston City Council when considering some of our
overtime cut, which is that these are contractually obligated. These and if we
do cut this line and simply means later in the year will be compelled to
effect a transfer into it. Now, again, that does come down to the mayor and where he requests
that transfer from. He could request that transfer from open lag funds in the salaries account,
for example, if he anticipated that those expenses would be coming and that he would
be able to prepare for that. In that case, it would be perhaps the effect of a blunt
instrument from the city council, but if the mayor chose to prioritize leaving a room for
that very easily anticipated expense, he could do so by refraining from filling some positions
in the police department to make sure those funds were available in the future when it would be
needed. That being said, I think it's important to hear and honor that frustration. So with that,
but we have the motion in front of us.
Councilor Neal again would like to call the question.
So a roll call vote is in order on the motion
by Councilor Mba to remove $800,000
from the police overtime budget.
This is a roll call vote on removing $800,000
from the police overtime budget line number 513000.
Councilor Klingham.
Yes.
Councilor Mba.
Yes.
No.
Councilor Rosetti.
No.
Councilor Strezzo.
No.
Councilor Neidegain.
No.
Councilor Davis.
Councilor McLaughlin.
Is recused.
Councilor Ewing-Campan.
No.
Councilor Ballantyne.
No.
Councilor Scott?
Yes.
Mr. Chairman, three members have voted on the affirmative.
Seven have voted no, and one is recused.
All right. I will remind councillors that the public comment period remains open until tomorrow morning.
That does not preclude us from taking any votes. It's just an item to be aware of as we consider further motions and voting.
All right. So, that being said, we are returning to general discussion.
Councillor Ballantyne, I believe you had a question.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I just I had a question through you to the chief that your
comment, Mr. Chair, that there was about 500 on average, $594,000 unspent every year
for the last few years, and I'm curious to know why.
All right, Chief Fallon, would you be able to address that?
Can't hear you, Sarah, check your microphone again.
Apologize to the chair, the councilor Palantyne.
Thank you for the question, ma'am.
In the lag money, at the police department,
it's all from personal services.
You have an officer retire.
We lose an officer to attrition.
That money remains in the salary line, and that's returned to the city at the end of the fiscal year.
Okay. Thank you.
All right. Thank you.
Are there further questions of discussion?
Again, just as a reminder, procedurally, we are, we're going to be at this for a while. We have several more committee meetings scheduled with that schedule going out all the way to,
I believe the 8th of July, on the 9th of July, there is another committee of the whole at
which point we can revisit any motions. However, if it is the intention to execute a cut that
we would rather have reinvested in the city in various ways, it would at the time
the incumbent upon the mayor to decide to submit a revised budget that honors that cut and
redeploys those funds elsewhere. So, it's certainly possible that we can end up with
a vote on a cut that the mayor would then be allowed to give respect and redeploy or
would simply result in a reduction of the income real estate tax rate in the city.
So, with that said, we could also entertain further motions when we return to the committee
the whole on the 9th or other motions would be in order to see and also just continue discussion.
Patient delivery, delivery model of this council. All
right. Bring nobody jumping right in.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to make a motion at this time because I do want to
propose a cut in the salaries line item, which is I had a line item number 51100. And I would
I would request that the mayor, if this cut is approved, that the mayor come back to us
with a spending plan for it to enhance public health and public safety in the city.
So I do want to make it tonight so that the mayor has some time to consider that.
And I want to go back to what I suggested as a revised proposal.
So, starting with the $593,000 of lag money that you identified that has been left over
in the police budget the last four years, and adding onto that a cut of one deputy
chief position, which would be $196,500.
That is a non-union position, so it would not require any civil service or bumping
to occur.
and adding on to that the six vacant patrol positions which have been vacant
for most of the last six years that's another $391,000 so the total cut that
I am proposing to the salaries line item number 511000 is one million
$180,000, $1 million, $180,000 and $500.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
All right, so Councilor Netagang has made a motion
to reduce the salaries line item by $1,180,000 and $500.
Councilor Strezzo on the motion, you have a question.
First up.
Does the motion have to be seconded first or because there's a question on this?
The motion's before the committee.
Can I ask the question?
Or do you want to be seconded?
The motion is before the committee.
You have to.
It's okay.
It's late due to the rules of the city council.
We don't need a second on a motion like that.
The motion is before us.
And so now we're discussing the motion.
And you can ask questions about the motion if you like.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
So the 593, the flag money and this one deputy chief position is not staffed at this current time and has been vacant for some time.
This through you, Mr. Chair, to Councilor Niedergang.
Councilor Niedergang.
my understanding is that this this is a position that exists so somebody would
lose their job if we approve this we should ask the chief to confirm that
but that's my understanding and there will be there will be a vacancy in the
chief's position as of January you know it might be possible but that's
obviously up to a community process as the mayor as the mayor said it might be
possible that one of the deputy chiefs would become the chief that kind of
happened last time.
But I don't think we can presume that. I think we need to assume somebody's going to get laid off.
Is Chief Fallon still—can we hear from Chief Fallon?
I would like it if you had a specific question from the Chiefs here, Councillor Strasso.
Okay. Is—because I don't think we asked Chief Fallon specifically if this—or
Is this one position staffed right now? The second deputy chief position is it staffed?
It is.
So this would be, okay. And the six vacant patrol officers, I believe, okay.
All right.
I think that's all I have right now.
All right. Sorry, chief.
All right. All right, thank you, Councillor Strezzo. Councillor Klingin, you're up next.
Mr. Chairman, on that point, can I just add something that I didn't realize? The deputy
chief position is listed as one of the expected vacancies for next year.
So
that could be an early retirement perhaps. All right.
to be recognized.
Councillor Sarezzo.
Is that okay to be recognized?
I just did.
Okay, thank you.
So, okay, that's what I thought
because I thought the second deputy chief was vacant
or was planning on being vacant.
Okay, thank you very much.
Thank you.
Councillor Klingin.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair, through you to whoever.
The six vacant positions
Just so I understand those are positions those aren't
Those are additional positions. Those aren't
One of the one of the new cadet the new hires coming on that work without we're saying we can do without her
This is separate. I just need to understand
The six vacant positions are positions that have been vacant as councillor need a game points up for I think over a year
Okay, but that's going to do it like so when when these new hires come on they'll still going to be these six additional
Vacancies we have no new hires proposed or presented to the city council to know I just meant the ones that are just about to get on
I don't we have some people in the Academy right now or something no we do not have anybody in the Academy right now
I thought we had a new crop of officers coming on to the force
There was a representation that if we completed a hiring process, the top names in that list
would potentially be a number of people.
We do not have any appointments before the City Council for consideration or confirmation.
Okay.
So three messages.
So when I hear that this young lady who's a dreamer was going to be coming on, that's
part of the six or not.
That's all I'm trying to understand.
We haven't met that person yet, so I guess Chief Fallon, if you could tell us about your
certainty and the hiring that would be completed?
And Chief, before you go, just so I understand where we are in the process, have we sent
them any like letters, like letters of hiring or are we really just, these people are
real people that exist, correct?
We can't hear you, Chief.
Chief, you're going to need to turn to Michael.
I've got two buttons to hit, sir.
I'm hitting one or not the other, but to the cheer,
I just want to point out that we haven't been out these six
for a year and a half.
In October of 19, we had 94.
And then it goes down from there.
One new recruit resigned, 93.
Two retired, the 91.
So, it's really in March 14th of 2020, they were at the 88 patrolmen.
We've been through a very thorough process with this group of recruits that are finding
positions on our budget.
The exact point we're at, they've been interviewed, and
they would be the six that fill these
positions.
We have an Academy stat date, I believe, at the end of July, July 27th, I'm being
told to send these candidates to an academy on July 27th.
So Chief, we don't have those appointments before the City Council for confirmation,
do we?
I don't think they've rung up yet.
With due to COVID-19, we've been working with the council, I believe, through the
mayor's office, through Cushboo.
There was some delays with the physical agility test and things to social distancing,
But the best of my knowledge, they're ready to go before the council.
So, so I asked Councilor Clean if I could just ask the Chair of Confirmation of Appointments for clarification on the point.
Mr. Chair, in January when I was given the appointment of the Chair of Confirmation of
Appointments, I sat with then Director Personnel Ms. Cooper and Ms. Gushpa Webber and went
over the 90-some-odd outstanding items in that committee, getting ready for my meetings
for the year to understand their importance. At that meeting, I was advised that there would be 16
recruits coming before the committee, but not until March or April because of the process
that they had to go through. But they were hoping that we could interview them in a timely fashion
for a potential academy late spring. As time grew closer and COVID hit,
And Ms. Webber did reach out to me that they wanted to, they were going to submit those
names and if we could put them into a confirmation of appointment meeting.
I questioned why they were putting names before us when there was a freeze, a hiring freeze
on.
She understood my question.
I asked her if she could, you know, explain the rationale and get back to me.
And she didn't get back to me for a while, but eventually she did and stated that I
was correct.
there was a hiring freeze on, and I haven't heard anything since.
Yeah, so Mr. Chair, the reason why I appreciate your technical approach to this,
where you're saying that they're not technically before us. My question is that we've seen this
before. I need to know where the city is in the hiring process, because if we end up, you know,
getting sued, like if we basically have already conditionally hired these people,
they just haven't gone through a few steps. I just need to know what that's going to
look like we could end up paying these people for not doing the job for so so I
think that's an important piece to this. Thank you. And so for the
clarification there until they receive until they've completed their PATs and
all their medical checks or until they've completed the PATs I believe
they can't get their conditional offer letter. I think I heard the chair say
earlier they have not received their conditional offer letter and with
And that said, it's been the practice, the administration in recent years, to offer to
generate the civil service list for hire to the police reserve list, not to the police
officer list.
That would mean that even if they did receive their letter and were appointed to the position
of reserve police officer, that they would not become employed officers of the city
at that point they would need then a further appointment from the reserve list to the
position of police officer.
So I guess I'll ask the chief for further clarification.
In this civil service process, it's been undertaken the list that was requested and the position
they'd be appointed to.
Was that for a police reserve list, sir?
Councilor Rosetti, you know?
I could answer that, Mr. Chair.
I was I was told there were 16 recruits that were going to be coming before us at that time. The number was 16
16 to the reserve
Well to come before us for consideration at the confirmation of appointments meeting
I never went further into discussion. The only discussion I had was I thought there was a hiring freeze on
The number was 16 1 6. All right
She fell in was this list generated for the reserve list or for direct hire to officer?
Can I hit that button again?
I believe they've received conditional
office of employment from the city. I'd have to discuss with personnel.
Deputy Carabino has been leading on this initiative on the new highs.
He's not in the room this evening. I believe they've gotten conditional
office of employment, whether they go to a reserve list
and then offer reserve lists into the academy. Tonight I'm not sure
or I'll get you an answer in the morning. That sounds good. That would
be I think relevant for Councillor Klingen's consideration here. Councillor Klingen, basically
the concern is whether or not they would be, you know, this would basically affect a reduction
in force in a layoff or whether this would be just simply, hey, you get to wait on the
reserve list until your spot comes up. I'm seeing from Director Conner. Director Conner,
would you like to clarify that for us? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are 10 recruits
and there they would be going to the reserve list. All right. Thank you very much Director Conner and
as we've seen in the fire department that reserve list can sit around for a very long time.
All right. So Councillor Klingon are you complete on your questions? I am satisfied Mr. Chair.
Thank you for that three-way. All right. Getting deep into the weeds and civil service here.
Councillor White you had a question next. Thank you Mr. Chair. As the hour is
getting quite late I'm trying to basically this
is what was told to Chair
Rosetti about there being a hiring freeze. There seems to be an inconsistency
there and then also with what Ms. Carter said about going to the
reserve list with the intention to then take six from the reserve list and
and then have them go before confirmation of appointments
for permanent position to go to the police academy.
Director Connor, maybe you can address that piece of intention.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As to the steps after the reserve list,
I'm not sure what the intention was there.
I would defer to the chief on that.
All right, chief Allen.
To the chair, could you repeat the question, please?
Councilor White, you can repeat it,
but I believe the question was what the intention was
for it sounds like 10 officers being filled to the reserve list was the
intention then to bring six forward for filling these vacancies. Is that correct
Councillor White? Yeah essentially that's what I'm trying to figure out is
because we again the hour is late I don't want to say it's in but it's not
clearly logical to me what the full intention was because we've been told
that you know officers were going to be made to six people they were
So,
the names weren't put forward, then we hear that there was a reserve list, but nobody
knows whether they're going from the reserve list to be, to then become permanent police
officers, assuming we confirm them, to then go to the academy.
It's not easy to follow through it, you know, follow the thought pattern.
Yep.
So, to the chair, Councilor White, thank you for the question.
To the best of my knowledge, this evening, I believe the intention was to put 10 offices
on the reserve list.
We were, after going through the process, we only came up with six candidates.
They were funded positions in last year's budget and fiscal year's 2020 budget.
So we were looking at them, not where it's new highest, but as filling funded vacant positions.
That's my belief sitting here tonight, that our intention was to high attend to a reserve
list and fill the open category seats.
That being said, I believe we're only able to get six candidates after the conclusion
of the hiring process.
People be the six vacant positions that we've been talking about.
To the chair, the council, right?
That's correct.
Thank you for your question.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Councillor White.
I confirm by your next to the question and then I see Council meeting with the question.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I think Councillor White asked what I wanted to ask because I was confused about the new
hires that she was talking about. Even mentioned a DACA recipient, which I don't know if any
city or town or state or even the country has ever even hired any of such people in their police
So I wasn't sure and then so I wasn't sure like if we are talking about two different things
But now I see like so if we are trying to cut this position. We are trying to cut from
Diversifying the police force. Is that true chief?
If the question was addressed to you.
To the Chair, we believe the six going into, we know the six going into this academy if they're
put forward. Two black males, one's a Hispanic male from El Salvador. One is a dreamer. One
is a non-citizen. That's a dreamer. Deputy Carabino is not in the room tonight, led
on that initiative. I know he's very proud to bring that kid into Florida when we talk about
interacting with our community, especially people are saying they're afraid to come forward because
of their status as a citizen. This sends a tremendous message to the community that we
are the community. We have dreamers amongst us and, you know, let's break down these communication
Thank you. I must add, Mr. Chair.
All right. Thank you, Councilor Mba. Councilor Knudegang, you're up next.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. But it's mighty hard to say no to these diverse candidates.
I guess the thing I'm still confused about in terms of the reserve list through you to the Chief,
is there nobody on the reserve list right now so that in other words,
these six candidates would be numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on the reserve list and would be
certainly the first six hired. The reserve list currently is completely empty.
Through the Chair, that's correct. Our intention was to put the six, I believe,
onto a reserve list possibly and then immediately hire them. Right now, there's no
offices on a reserve list to be hired at the Civil Police Department.
Council Member, again, that's consistent with my understanding and my experience
being chair of the conference last year. The very same thing happened with our last
session of hires.
Can we take a restroom break again? I apologise.
Certainly. Unless there's an objection, I do see Councillor UN Campan with a comment.
So, Councillor Netagang, we can return to you if you have further questions when we
come back from recess. This committee will go into recess now. We will reconvene
at 11.26 we'll stand at recess for five minutes and return to open session. Thank you. All
right.
It's now 11.27 and I'll be calling this committee back to order. There
you go.
As well as I'm handing the screen back to you. There we go. Great.
Committee is now back in
open session. Councilor Niedergang, did you have further questions to follow up?
Not yet, Mr. Chair.
All right, then we'll move on to the next person.
That's Councillor Ewing-Canton.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
So I want to speak in favour of Councillor Neidergang's motion.
And I want to address this issue that has come up again about the specific six people that we want to bring on board.
So I was recently reviewing last year's budget hearing on the police
because I was trying to remember what my argument was last year for not supporting
a $600,000 cup that councillors got a neater gang had proposed. I was one of
the eight councillors who voted against that. And basically what I said at that
meeting is something that I think I'm hearing again tonight, which is that
this is not the right process to make this kind of decision. We need to take
this into a committee, we need to have a community process, we need to think carefully and strategically
about how to do this.
I don't feel, this is what I was saying last year, I don't feel like I've had the time
to internalize this issue, and I felt like I had not had enough time to think about
it.
So that was a year ago.
We did not do that work.
I would say after the straight pride parade, you know, again, I realize COVID came up,
but, you know, we, the city, we committed ourselves to taking a series of actions,
and we did not do them until this crisis forced the issue again. And again, I'm not,
this is not an accusation against anyone, individual person, by any means. This I,
I am as aware as everyone here of just how much work is before all of the elected officials
and city staff. I know. This is just a statement of fact. I don't think that this vote ever gets
easier. I think this is a very hard vote. That is why we're on, you know, hour five and a half.
This is not fun. All of us are stressed out about being put in this really tough position.
It is not going to get easier. I really don't believe that. I think we are not in a normal
moment. The the community you know I've done a lot of reaching out in addition to the public hearing
to a large number of people in my own ward and people who work in you know various agencies,
the police department. I've done a lot of thinking about this myself and I have convinced myself
that you know I really firmly believe that to make progress here we need to dramatically
re-invest in other services in our city. And as we said, countless times we keep coming
back to these six positions, we cannot decide which positions get cut. I do not want these
six people to get their hopes up about being public servants in Somerville and then get
that snatched away because of the decision we make. I take responsibility if that is
what winds up happening, you know, this is my role in the process and so be it.
That is not the message I'm sending to them. I think we've been extremely clear
about the, well, you know, Councillor Neeter-Dang and myself and others who
spoke in favor of this, I think have been very clear about the sorts of changes
that we would want to see as a result of these cuts. You know, there may be
legal and union issues that make that more difficult and frankly I think
that is one of the reasons that cities across the country have just been
sitting in stasis on this issue. It is very, very hard. So I just, you know, everyone that
is around this horseshoe thinking about this, I just, I asked you to think what on earth
could possibly ever make this easier as a vote. I think this is a really tough vote.
But I think that's, you know, the vote that we're being asked to consider. So I want
to leave it at that. I support this, you know, again, whether we vote tonight,
I do I feel like if we've gone records saying that the public hearing should remain open
I have no problem voting in the future, but but that's where I am. Thank you. All
right. Thank you councillor you encampment
next comment is councillor Davis
and then
Council meeting is already spoken so I'm going to go to councillor Strezzo who has not yet spoken I believe on the
Well, that's the question
Councillor Davis you're up
Thank you, Mr. Chair
You know, Councillor Ewing-Campden addressed a lot of the points that I
was going to make
and it's, you know, it's true, a year ago we sat here, well, not here in the horseshoe
and started to think about the same things and just so to dovetail a bit on one of the
This is one of the parts of what Councillor Ewing-Campen said.
You know, so as the Chair of Public Health and Public Safety, you know, certainly following
the, you know, the rally against, you know, the rally against Pride,
I had fully committed
to pursuing the reforms that were discussed in the public forum that was had and in
communications that we had and I you know COVID and schedule and everything else it just you know
it kept me from doing it and I and I guess only I know how like strongly I wanted to do that and
push that forward because of everything that we heard and and all the calls that we heard that
so personal.
And we couldn't get it done. We didn't do it. And, you know, as others have
said, you know, there's a lot of, you know, a lot of things that you can do, you know,
It's not, if we move forward this motion this evening, it won't be up to us to say what
ultimately happens, which positions are retained and which positions are cut, or whether the
candidates that have been discussed are placed on the reserve list so that they're first
in line when positions do become available through natural process.
It's not our call. It's up to the mayor, it's up to the chief, it's up to those
powers that be what happens to these candidates. What I think our responsibility is is to to
follow through on the word that we, as Councilor Kepin said, said that we were going to do
a year ago, gave to our constituents within the past, you know, six or seven months
I can't remember how far back that public meeting was after the straight Pride event.
but we're gonna put our money where our mouth is and so I think this is a well-placed motion and
on the client's support.
All right. Thank you, Councilor Davis.
Councilor Clean, I believe,
you know, I've lost track of who's spoken yet. So I'm just gonna go into order. Councilor
Neeter-Gang, then Councilor Strezzo, Councilor Clean. Councilor Neeter-Gang, you're up.
Mr. Chair, I'll pass. I've spoken. I'll go to the end of the line. I like
All right, I have to say.
I'll say Strezzo.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And thank you, Councilor Nidagang for passing.
First, I have a question.
Why can't this motion be potentially split
from the 593K lag money in deputy chief
to the six vacant patrol officers?
Why can we split that motion?
The motion is made in before us.
If you would like to vote against the motion and then propose a different motion that is smaller, you can propose that.
However, these are simply cuts to the salaries line item.
We can only cut a line item. We cannot cut specific positions. We can only cut a line item by a given amount.
Okay. Because I am not comfortable with the six vacant patrol officers. I am not comfortable
voting favorably potentially allowing residents of color to become patrol officers. So that's
a big way to question. Okay. Thank you very much.
All right. Councillor Klingon, you're up now.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My final comments will be, let me just say that, you know, in asking
where we were in the process with those six, it had more to do with the fact that we could
end up having to pay folks for positions they never even get, if we hadn't effectively
already, you know, hired them in some way. That being said, they'll still be on the
list and I understand you know that list could could move quickly it could move
slowly but but you know hopefully those folks will stick around in those for
those positions as they become available so you know I I mean I'm willing to
support this this cut I just think that you know saying you know put our
money where our mouth is and these other things to me it just seems a
little off because, you know, the question really is that this is a fundamental question
we have in front of us right now is, is the SPD budget inflated? Is it, is there a lot
of fat? Can we do without? So we're kind of going back and forth from saying, yes, that
is the case, to then saying, we told people we were going to look at the police budget
and just make cuts. Like I'm not, I'm not really parsing out the two. I understand
the community is calling out for cuts. And I do think that Councillor Niedergang's cut is doable
and would make some sense. Sad as it will be to have those candidates hold on just a little longer.
And I also don't fully understand the repercussions of what will happen with
over time and such if we go down to 88 officers but you know I heard the people
loud and clear and they want at least the ones who reached out to us not the
other 80,000 but you know and as you all know I have lots of shootings in my
ward so I'm just hoping that you know with these with this cut that you
you know, public safety will still be upheld, you know, and to the best that we can here
in the city of Somerville, but I will support this cut.
All right.
Thank you, Councillor Klingon.
Next, we have Councillor Rosetti, followed by Councillor Ballantyne, and then I may
speak from the chair.
Councillor Rosetti.
Mr. Chair, thank you.
I'm trying to process everything that's been discussed.
I too came into this evening's meeting knowing that I was going to support some cuts to the
department budget.
My research on the grants is mostly operations and I will, if nobody else does, will be
proposing cuts there.
I am comfortable agreeing to a cut.
But I will be voting no on this particular motion and if it fails, I would propose instead
to cut from the bottom line from the salaries account a total of $650,000 based on the
history of the remainder and the vacancies that have been in place for over a year
for the personal services line.
I'm not comfortable going above 650
because I do plan to have cuts in the operations budget as well.
And I just wanted to be clear
on why I would be voting no on this particular line.
And I am hopeful that my colleagues
will think about that as well.
All right.
Thank you, Councillor Rosetti.
Councillor Ballantyne and then Councillor White
who hasn't, I believe, spoken on this motion yet. Councilor Bowensack. Thank
you, Mr. Chair. Similar to my good colleague at large, I won't be supporting
this motion. I will support the lag money in another motion. I am still very
aware of the feedback I have received from my constituents.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you, Councillor Ballantyne.
Councillor White.
Where's on my limited coordination even gets worse about hitting the unmute button.
So on this, I want to thank Councillor Needy-Gang, might have had a little fun with him early
on, but I know he does his work and, you know, what his interests are.
I have a problem with this.
I'm thinking back to
some of the library when folks from the community,
people with color, wanted to participate in the decisions that were going to be made.
And to me, this could very much have an effect on people of color in our community.
Funding
for these six vacant positions is going to be removed.
So these people, maybe they'll wait a year hoping that we have the funding next year.
I definitely believe that we should have a close examination of our police department
and with the lag money, I'm clearly, you know, in support of that cut.
I could not and in good conscience for the Sixth Vacant because I know folks are saying
that, you know, we're just giving the cut and it's up to the mayor to implement,
But there's the danger wherever he cuts, there'll be the fall, you know, there'll be the backflow,
so it'll be the, you know, the younger folks who are on who may suffer from this.
And there is the potential about the deputy chief, you know, that position.
So I think Council Rosetti mentioned 650 if I have to take a look again at the deputy chief's position.
But for me, I want these six people on with a measure of surety.
I mean, I've worked, you know, as a counselor or an alderman for a long time that we have
moved to do things in this department.
And one of the most important things is, you know, in my mind has always been to expand
the, you know, representation of people of color on the police force.
It represents the community.
It's always been important, and especially the dreamer.
Again, I don't want to repeat myself.
But I remember 2010 when there were actual dreamers, people, kids in high school, you
know, talking to us about how important it was, and just to, you know, to take this away.
And again, these are my thoughts just to confirm what the motion is currently.
It is, if the Chair could just restate the numbers actually
voting on, if we could
have the question restated.
Thank you.
I believe the motion is to cut $1,180,500.
Is my recollection correct, Councilor Neidegain?
Yeah, that's correct.
$1,180,500 from the salaries line.
Councilor White, are you complete?
Councilor Cleaney.
Mr. Chair, thank you for that recognition.
As I said, really, really quick.
So I completely understand what happens here, Councilor White.
And just to your point though, I would ask, I know we don't have personnel here, but I
would ask the chief, you know, I know they do typically have a forecast of possible retirement.
So I'm just curious before I take this vote, my memory could be wrong, but I'd like to
know the number again, how many retirements we have and coming up in the near future,
very near future, possible retirements.
Would
the chief like to address that? Chief?
Chief, we're going to need you to hit that
button again.
But what we can do is we can predict retirements. We can never be certain until somebody puts
their time in. And that's a classic example with the deputy. There's a possibility a deputy
may retire, but we don't know if he's going to retire until they, you know, we get
notified from the person, from the personnel, actually not even the personnel office from
retirement board. So there's no guarantees. We're projecting out looking at time and service
and the possibility that office may retire. But a good point with the deputy, too, is they're
on a leave from the civil service rank. So they would actually go back to being a captain,
which had caused that trick or down effect. But I'm being told in the room here that nobody's
actually maxed out at this point, so to speak, pension-wise.
Okay, so there isn't a fork at the number, like I said, Ms. I remember Candace Cooper
used to have a pretty good handle on when they wanted to call for a new list, how many
potential retirements that we have either close to or already at, like they're already at
the point they could retire, they just haven't retired yet.
Is there any way to come up with a rough idea?
We're predicting, we're predicting, to the chair, I apologize, we're predicting
possibly six retirements, but we just have no way to quantify that until people come in
and until we get notified from the retirement board that people have put in their retirement
papers.
Okay.
Well, with that information, Mr. Chair, I will be changing my vote.
I will support most of that cut, but not the six positions, so I will be voting no
on Councilor Neeta Gang's proposal,
but I'd be open to another cut.
All right, Councilor Neeta Gang,
you would like to comment yet again?
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair.
I can see the direction this is going in,
but I'm gonna weigh in anyway a little bit more.
So first, to me, a hiring freeze is a hiring freeze.
Second, we don't know if any of these six officers will make it through the Academy or actually
become Somerville Police Department officers.
Three, if this $391,000 were put into the Office of Housing Stability or into teen empowerment
or into any number of other city departments, we could hire terrific diverse candidates in those departments as well.
I don't see why the police department is special in that regard.
Finally, in terms of retirements, my experience from working in the departments is that generally,
like teachers, police officers go out when they can because they're getting a pension.
if they continue to work.
So we got on paper from the administration the prediction, and I know this is not certain,
but I would probably, you know, that a good deal on these numbers. Six patrol officers,
one sergeant, one lieutenant, one deputy are all slated to retire over the next year. And
And that actually fits with the data from the last four years.
We've had 11 retirements and resignations in 2019-12, in 2018-8, in 2017-9, in 2016.
So I think it's virtually a certainty that, you know, somewhere between 8 and 12 police
officers in the Sonoma Police Department will retire over the next 12 months. All of those
things being said, you know, I hope people will reconsider and vote for this cut. Thank you.
All right. Thank you, Councilor Nida gang. Before I speak from the chair,
the mayor is asked to comment on this. Mr. Mayor, I'll allow it. I'll sponsor you to
speak on the motion unless there's an objection from my colleagues from allowing the mayor
to speak. Please proceed.
We can't hear you, Mr. Mayor.
I think he's passing.
Oh, all right. All right, then. Councillor White.
Yes, just
time and state school year on what creates lag money. That's one of the reasons
why we have been around consistently $593,000 in personal services at the end of the year.
So the motion has that cut, so you can't take that into account.
And then you're talking
about an additional number of people who are going to retire to get to the 1.18 million,
then it appears to me that you may be double counting. But again, the hour is late as it's
now almost midnight.
All right. Thank you, Councillor White.
I will simply say on this point that I am
reminded of the
words of Councillor Wu in Boston on this point. I mean,
not clearly
really not because it's almost midnight and it's functionally the bread and butter of structural
racism.
The bread and butter of resistance to change of all kinds is procrastination and timidity.
So I support this.
I have confidence in our mayor to execute policy with the same force that he would
if this was a decrease in the police budget that was imposed by a natural disaster or any
other exigent circumstance. So I have confidence that these positions will be filled, that
we will see bright, young, diverse faces in the police force. And I'll say that, you
know, in the past week, I've been approached by quite a few members of some post-police
Department who wanted to talk with me about this. Some of them wore those
young faces who care very deeply about the community, who care very deeply about
the job they're doing and believe that that wave is the future and they
heard deeply when they hear the hurt that's been expressed by
people in our community, whether it's for indignities that they have suffered, and
they have some real police department, or just the outrage that they have felt in
seeing the state of policing in our country,
and make no mistake, those
indignities have existed. We have on paper in the responses from the
administration that I believe the number was 15. Well, 14. 14 claims of
of these of course since January 1st, 2015, five of those claims were by people of color.
So the anguish that we hear from constituents, I believe.
The fact that there are people in the Somerville Police Department right now who believe that
doesn't have to be that way, that it can be better, who want to support these changes
that we are aiming to make, I believe them to.
You know, I also believe the folks who are more senior and tenured, who have expressed
just like on some of you getting suggested that, you know, maybe it's time to move on.
So I think American execute on this, I am supporting this cut.
If this cut fails, I will support the next one.
because I believe that I have to represent
my constituents and my constituents
have been very clear on this point.
Councillor Strezzo, you have one further question.
Thank you very, very much for recognizing that,
Mr. Chair, I appreciate it.
So could I speak to, please to Councillor Neidergain
through you, Mr. Chair?
You can ask whatever questions you like,
Councillor Strezzo floor is yours. Thank you. Councillor Niedergang could I make a
friendly request that you amend the motion to take out these six vacant
positions and I support two-thirds of this. I just can't go with the six
vacant patrol officers. I can't do it.
Mr. Chair, thank you Councillor
I actually did consider that, and I will say yes, you can make a friendly request, but
I am going to say no.
My motion stands as it is, but I appreciate the friendly request.
So the motion is before us still for a cut of 1,180,500.
councilor need again could withdraw the request or withdraw the motion or the question can
be called if a member requests that and then further motions can be made at that point
once that motion is known before us.
Councilor need again would like to call the question.
So on the motion to reduce salaries by one million one hundred eighty thousand five
hundred roll call vote please.
This is a roll call vote to reduce the son of a police department salary line number 511000
by the amount of one million one hundred eighty thousand five hundred dollars.
Councillor Klingon.
No.
Councillor Mubarak.
No.
Councillor White.
Councillor Rosetti.
No.
Councillor Strezzo.
No.
Councillor Neidegang.
Yes.
Councillor Davis.
Yes.
Councillor McLachlan has recused.
Councillor Ewing-Campan.
Yes.
Councillor Ballantyne.
No.
Councillor Scott.
Yes.
Mr. Chairman, four members have voted yes.
Six members have voted no.
One has recused.
All right.
Right, and here we are at 1157 p.m.
There are no motions currently before the committee.
Are there any motions to be made?
Councilor Rosetti, I see you have a question.
I move to cut 51100 by $650,000.
All right, motion is made to reduce the salaries.
Oh, is that salaries?
Please correct me, I don't have the line
in front of me, Councilor Rosetti.
I believe it is sir that's what clerk for us at least just read the line as all
right so the motion is made by Councillor Rossetti to reduce the salaries line
item of the summer police budget by six hundred and fifty thousand dollars on
that motion is there any discussion being
no discussion I
suppose a roll
call vote is in order this is a roll call on reducing the police
Department salary line item 510000 by the amount of $650,000.
Councillor Klingon.
Yes.
Councillor Mubarak.
Yes.
Councillor White.
Councillor Rosetti.
Yes.
Councillor Strezzo.
Yes.
Councillor Neidegain.
Yes.
Councillor Davis.
Yes.
Councilor McLaughlin is recused, Councilor Ewing-Campan, and Councilor Ballantyne, and
Councilor Scott.
Yes.
Mr. Chairman, 10 members have voted yes, no members have voted no, and one is recused.
All right, that motion carries. I will, at this moment, make a motion requesting that
the administration revise their budget and present this council with either depositing
this into the revised budget that would place that amount into the Social Justice
fund or with other proposals of how to deploy those funds into the city.
That would be a resolution
in the form of a motion.
On the motion Mr. Chair. Councilor Davis. Thank you Mr. Chair.
This is, as you have said, kind of the key point. All we can do is what we've done, which is
turn my camera on here. All we can do is what we've done, which is cut some money out of the
budget. It is upon the mayor and his administration to determine where that money goes. And having
taken votes this evening, I think, you know, it's clear, as the chair said, it was important
to do that in this timeframe so that we still allow time during this process. And I absolutely
support this and calling that
has been heard.
We lost your audio at the moment there,
Councillor Davis.
You have me back now? You have me back now. All right, very good.
In short, fully support this motion and we'll
go back and take the smaller
amount that was struck from the budget this evening and find a place to put
that, as I said earlier, we have folks doing this type of work already in some certain circumstances.
It strikes me that it wouldn't be difficult to find good places for this money in this
year's budget.
And I truly hope that in the spirit of collaboration that we will see that before we have a final
budget upon which to go.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Right.
Thank you, Councillor Davis.
Mr. Davis, Councilor Rosetti, you have a question.
It's not a question, sir.
It's a brief comment.
Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want to thank my Councilor Davis
for raising that 100% support that statement.
Thank you, Councilor Davis.
All right.
Unless there's any further comment on this,
Let's have a roll call vote on that on their resolution.
Mr. Chairman, can you restate the resolution please?
Sure. The resolution is a request to the city council that the mayor return to us with
an amended budget that would place $200,000 in the Social and Racial Justice Fund or
in other badly needed city service.
Okay. On that motion,
Councillor Clingham. Yes.
Councillor McLaughlin. Yes, please. Councillor White. Yes. Councillor Rosetti. Yes.
Yes.
Chancellor Strezzo.
Yes.
Chancellor Anita Gang.
Yes.
Chancellor Davis.
Yes.
Council is recused. Council, you and Kampen. Yes. Council, Ballantyne. Yes. And Council, Scott. Yes.
Mr. Chairman, 10 members have voted yes, zero have voted no, and one is recused.
Thank you. Before we adjourn, I want to thank Mayor Curtatoni, who has stayed with us for this
entire time. Mr. Chair, I'd like to make one further motion if I may be recognized.
Thank
you, Mr. Chair. I apologize to you and to the Mayor for jumping in here.
The motion
that was just passed was, I think, spot on. I think it bears repeating the points that
were made earlier. I'd like to make a motion that it's symbolic, but I think it's worthwhile
to reiterate the commitment that the mayor and the chief gave in response to
questions earlier this evening I'd like to move that the administration work
collaboratively with the city council without delay to work on substantial and
meaningful reforms to law enforcement within the city of Somerville to
include without limitation establishment of a civilian review board
and reimagining an approach to policing that involves responses, civilian responses to
matters that are currently addressed by the police department.
Okay.
I'm going to ask you to reduce that to writing for the clerk, unless the clerk caught all
that.
Definitely not.
I did not.
All right.
But we all heard it.
I think the sentiment is good.
Is there any discussion on this motion from Councillor Davis?
All
right, then hearing none roll call vote on that resolution on that resolution councillor Klingon. Yes
Councilman Boba
Yes
Councilor White. Yes
Councilor Rosetti. Yes
Councilor Strezzo
Yes
Councilor need a gang. Yes
Councilor Davis
this? Yes. Councilor McLaughlin is recused. Councilor Ewan-Campan? Yes. Councilor Valentine?
Yes. Councilor Scott? Yes. Mr. Chairman, 10 members have voted yes and none have voted
no and one is recused. All right then, unless somebody else has an immediate motion, what
What I was returning to was thanking the mayor for his attendance and his attention tonight.
Mr. Mayor, you've heard the resolutions, you've heard the action of the committee.
Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First, thank you to everyone for all your deliberation, allowing me to be on as a
panelist.
And I appreciate the gravity of the work you did in those resolutions.
You will receive an adjusted or amended budget to reflect the resolution.
That investment will go to the Resource Social Justice Fund, which is my first thought, based on the resolution or any other programs that meet that purpose.
So we'll have that to you ASAP. Thank you.
All right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. There's a big list of program improvement requests.
I'm sure we'll be able to generate some. All right. I'm sure.
All right. We have reached the end of our planned agenda for the evening. Councilor
need again. You have a comment you'd like to make before we move to adjourn.
No, I'll pass. I'll pass, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Mr. Chair, it's Councilor Rosetti. Councilor Rosetti.
If you could let the public know when we're going to be taking up the remainder of the police department's budget, please. Oh
Good Lord. Thank you for the reminder. There are still two more pieces of
Related to the police department. That is the animal control
No, no, no, Mr. Chair. We didn't do up the OM account of the police department either. Good Lord. I
Make a fair point that is Eddie. Would you like to continue this evening?
I think my colleagues will kill me, no, but we do need to allow time to do the
OM portion of the police budget because that was my grants reference at the start
of the meeting. All right, I would be inclined to take up the OM lines, geez, and
a request, we have multiple requesting colleagues that these be taken up in a
In a committee of the meeting, I guess it's appropriate to ask colleagues at this point
if they feel present for discussion on the OM lines, the Animal Control Department, and
E911.
We could convert our Thursday meeting into a committee of the whole.
The meeting has already been cancelled.
So, Mr. Forsley, I say, is it allowed to change that to a committee that hold on short notice
or does that mean an application?
For Thursday's meeting?
That's correct.
Yeah, we can do that tomorrow, that will still be the $48.
Oh, yeah, right, because even though it says Tuesday on my computer, it's just because
it's after a minute.
Councillor Rosetti, we could take this up conceivably on Thursday the 2nd.
Thank you.
Yep, that's great.
We got a number of other items that evening.
We have to continue, sir.
We might as well go while the momentum is with us.
Oh, right. Then let's plan to take up the ON lines, the animal control and E911 when we resume on briefly
looking at our calendar.
We have a special meeting at the city council scheduled for tomorrow night to receive and presumably vote on the continuing appropriation.
On July 1st, which is Wednesday, we have community preservation.
information, info technology, law department, health and human services, council on aging,
summer promise, vets, libraries and traffic parking that will be simply a committee meeting.
On July 2nd, we also have already on the docket, auditing, purchasing grants, assessing personnel,
health insurance, workers comp and the arts council.
We could make this a committee the whole and take up the OM lines, the animal control and E911 at the start of that meeting.
And then if councillors decide to leave at that point and we lose quorum for the committee the whole, it would simply revert to a committee meeting at that point, I believe.
But I'm going to look to Councillor White who's been doing this longer.
No, not true.
Not true.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'll let councilor white respond but we can't once you start at the hole you have to keep of the hole for if you want to move motions I
Would check I would check with the city solicitor on that
But the danger is that it has been scheduled as a committee of the whole so if there's no quorum present for the committee of the whole
I don't think it were necessary reverts to a regular committee meeting
All right
Well, then we'll need at least one intrepid volunteer who sits with us for the entire time and given how many our colleagues have been watching these
meetings from the sideline, even when they were committee meetings, I'm sure we'll have.
So let's go ahead and plan to take this up.
We will convert the meeting on July 2nd to Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Force-Lizzi, if you could update that, and we will modify, we'll make sure that
the first things we take up are the OM lines of police and the animal control and
E911 budget.
All right. Thank you everybody for your time, your attention. Thank you to the
nearly 60 members of the public that are still in attendance. And I will see you all tomorrow
are on night, chair moves to adjourn.
On
the motion to adjourn?
Second.
It was really neat.
Second, let's.
I'll third it.
We need to roll call on the motion to adjourn.
I'll third it.
Roll call on the motion to adjourn.
Councilor Dwingan.
Yes.
Councilor Mubah.
Yes.
Councilor White.
Yes.
Councilor Rosetti.
Yes.
Councilor Strezzel.
Yes.
Councilor Niedergang.
Yes.
Councilor Davis.
Yes.
Councilor McLaughlin is recused,
Councilor Ewan-Campan.
Yes.
Councilor Scott.
Yes.
Move to reconsider.
You forgot me, Mr. Corsola.
I forgot who?
Valentine.
Councilor Ballantyne.
I was ahead of myself.
Councilor Ballantyne.
Yes.