Vallejo Police Oversight and Accountability Commission seeks city improvements

Three months after the Vallejo Police Oversight and Accountability Commission held its "first substantive meeting," the organization sent a letter to city officials stating that under current conditions it "cannot fulfill its mandate."

Oversight was one of 45 Vallejo Police Department reforms mandated by the Department of Justice in September 2020. The reforms were mandated after years of Vallejo police scandals, deadly officer-involved shootings, and millions of dollars in settlements of lawsuits claiming excessive force. The commission was finally created in December 2022.

The January meeting aimed to make progress with better transparency and community commitment to police accountability, but according to the report by Chair John Lewis and Vice Chair Renee Sykes, changes must be made.

"Restoring community trust is a complex and ongoing challenge, and progress is difficult to see when the structures meant to support oversight are still being built, and in some cases, still being contested," the report by Lewis and Sykes states. "The POAC is energized and keen to get to work as a key actor in rebuilding Vallejo's public safety landscape and serve as the bridge it was intended to be to bring community and VPD closer to a shared understanding and a shared vision of safety and fairness for all of our communities.

"However, what has happened and what this report aims to document is that in the current environment, the POAC cannot fulfill its mandate. The barriers are structural, not incidental, and resolving them requires action from the city, from the council, and from the outside bodies monitoring this reform effort. We remain committed to this work, and to the community this commission serves."

A letter was sent by Lewis and Sykes to Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce, former Vallejo City Manager Andrew Murray, Vallejo Police Chief Jason Ta, City Attorney Veronica Nebb, the California Department of Justice and the Vallejo Evaluation Team (Jensen Hughes) outlining four major concerns - undermining the commission and its members, having no documentation or legal precendent, the Brown Act and First Ammendment contradictions and finally, reinforcing community trust, with emphasis concerning Nebb.

"The concern is further compounded by the fact that Ms. Nebb is currently under investigation," Lewis and Sykes write. "The City Council has engaged the Shaw Law Group to investigate allegations of misconduct, including obstruction of this very body. The POAC itself has already voted to seek independent outside counsel to specifically distance its legal representation from that office."

Lewis and Sykes go on to recommend five changes, the first being to resource the commission to function independently.

"The commission currently operates without a budget, dedicated staff, or the administrative infrastructure necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. This must be remedied," the report states. "A dedicated budget, a Commission Secretary whose sole responsibility is supporting this body, and clear resource commitments from the city are not optional; they are preconditions for the POAC to fulfill its mandate and do its job."

Lewis and Sykes also seek to establish clear working protocols between their organization and city staff. It requires written, agreed-upon protocols governing agenda setting, email communications, document distribution, and administrative support.

"The absence of bylaws has compounded this problem," Lewis and Sykes write. "Developing and adopting bylaws is an immediate priority and is mandated by the POAC's ordinance."

The report also asks to seat independent counsel and an auditor without a delay and without conflict, and to do so without the involvement of any office whose independence from this commission has been formally questioned.

Another request from Lewis and Sykes is to build a genuine partnership with POAC.

"Meaningful oversight requires meaningful partnership. Oversight requires that all relevant stakeholders work with the POAC, not around it," Lewis and Sykes write. "Decisions affecting the commission's work should not be made in its absence. Timelines should account for the commission's capacity and learning curve."

Lewis and Sykes did note that early collaboration with the Vallejo Police Department "seemed promising" when, earlier this month, commissioners examined the first complete investigation of a citizen complaint. The letter states that the investigation "proved thorough and provided relevant information requested by the commission. They go on to say that Deputy Chief Bob Knight offered assurance that "any evidence requiring further investigation would be addressed promptly and that the officer involved was forthcoming and did not attempt to evade questions."

The commission also requested support with commissioner training and community education.

"Commissioners are committed to building their capacity to run this commission effectively," the letter states. "The city must support that effort, including training on meeting procedures, agenda setting, and the administrative processes that govern commission work."

Other requests included later in the letter ask for its email accounts to city staff members are no longer subjected to automatic forwarding and that the city establish a dedicated complaints intake channel that can be appropriately monitored.

This letter comes five months after it was announced on Dec. 10, the conclusion of the meet and confer process with the Vallejo Police Officers' Association.

City Councilmember Tonia Lediju, the council liaison to the commission, said in a statement at the time, "The successful activation of the Police Oversight and Accountability Commission reflects our collective commitment to meaningful accountability and to fostering stronger trusting relationships between our police department and the community it serves."

Sorce called the completion of the meet and confer process "an important step forward for Vallejo -towards transparency, accountability and rebuilding the trust our community deserves."

Times-Herald reporter Janis Mara contributed to this story.

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