Antioch Police Oversight Commission

CITY OF ANTIOCH ANTIOCH POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Regular Meeting March 18, 2024 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL City Clerk Householder called the meeting to order at 6:33 P.M. on Monday, March 18, 2024, in Council Chambers. Present: Commissioners Lacey-Oha, Hadden, May, Spears, Taylor, Thurston and Williams Staff: Acting City Manager, Kwame Reed City Attorney, Thomas Lloyd Smith City Clerk, Ellie Householder Interim Police Chief, Brian Addington II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE City Clerk Householder led the Pledge of Allegiance. On motion by Commissioner Thurston, seconded by Commissioner May, the Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) unanimously amended the agenda and moved Agenda Item IV up as the next order of business. IV. INTERIM POLICE CHIEF BRIAN ADDINGTON’S COMMENTS Interim Police Chief Addington introduced himself, offered his support and invited Commissioners to participate in a ride-along with the Antioch Police Department (APD). III. OPENING REMARKS BY MAYOR LAMAR A. HERNANDEZ-THORPE Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe thanked APOC members for serving, provided opening remarks and discussed the importance of their role on the Commission. He recognized those serving honorably in the APD. V. ELECTION OF A CHAIRPERSON City Attorney Smith reviewed the role of the APOC Chairperson and the selection process. Commissioners May, Taylor and Thurston expressed interest in being selected as the Chair and provided their basis for wanting to serve in that capacity. The Commission received public comments from individuals who spoke on the election of the Chairperson for the APOC. Antioch Police Oversight Commission Regular Meeting March 18, 2024 Page 2 of 5 Discussion ensued regarding the nomination process. Commissioners May and Williams expressed support for the nomination of Commissioner Taylor as Chair, while Commissioners Hadden and Lacey-Oha supported the nomination of Commissioner Thurston for the same position. After the discussion, City Clerk Householder facilitated a poll among the members of the APOC. The result of the poll was a vote of 6 to 1 in favor of selecting Commissioner Thurston as the Chair of the Commission. Chairperson Thuston received the gavel and presided over the remainder of the meeting. He thanked the Commission for appointing him as Chair. VI. ELECTION OF A VICE CHAIRPERSON Commissioners Taylor and May expressed interest in being selected as the Vice Chair of the APOC. The Commission received a public comment from an individual who spoke on the election of the Vice Chairperson for the APOC. Commissioners May expressed support for the nomination of Commissioner Taylor as Vice Chair. City Clerk Householder facilitated a poll among the members of the APOC. The result of the poll was a vote of 7 to 0 in favor of selecting Commissioner Taylor as the Vice Chair of the Commission. Chairperson Thurston stated he looked forward to working with Commissioner Taylor as Vice Chair of the Commission. VII. DETERMINATION OF THE DATE AND TIME OF REGULARLY SCHEDULED ANTIOCH POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION MEETINGS City Attorney Smith informed the APOC that staff was seeking guidance regarding the scheduling of regularly scheduled meetings. Acting City Manager Reed asked the Commission to consider scheduling meetings on the first and third weeks of the month, to avoid possible scheduling conflicts with City Council meetings. A motion was made by Commissioner Hadden and seconded to hold APOC meetings on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. Antioch Police Oversight Commission Regular Meeting March 18, 2024 Page 3 of 5 Speaking to the motion, Commissioner Lacey-Oha commented regarding a conflict in her schedule, particularly her inability to attend meetings on Mondays until May. She added if Mondays were preferred by the Commission, she would determine how to proceed. A substitute motion was made by Commissioner May, seconded by Commissioner Spear to hold APOC meetings at 6:30 P.M. on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. The Commission received public comment from individuals who spoke on the determination of the date and time of regularly scheduled APOC meetings and Roberts Rules of Order pertaining to public comment. City Attorney Smith explained the process for the public comment period. A vote taken on the substitute motion to hold APOC meetings at 6:30 P.M. on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, unanimously passed. VIII. OVERVIEW OF THE ANTIOCH POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION’S PURPOSE City Attorney Smith provided an overview of the APOC purpose. The Commission received public comment from individuals who spoke on the purpose of the APOC. IX. USE OF COMMISSIONER SPECIFIC EMAIL ADDRESS Acting City Manager Reed and City Attorney Smith discussed the importance of Commissioners utilizing City issued email addresses for all communication with staff and the community on behalf of the APOC. They also reminded Commissioners that City email accounts were subject to public records requests. X. PUBLIC COMMENTS The Commission received general public comments from several individuals including Fred Brown Jr., Capresha Poole, Kathryn Wade, Tachina Garrett, Gavin Payton, NAACP Youth Council and Sara B. XI. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS Acting City Manager Reed announced that staff would be reaching out to Commissioners to get their preferences for name badges. He thanked the Commissioners for their commitment to the City and noted staff looked forward to working with them to improve the relationship between the community and APD. Antioch Police Oversight Commission Regular Meeting March 18, 2024 Page 4 of 5 XII. COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS Chairperson Thurston reminded Commissioners to complete their 700 forms and ethics training. City Clerk Householder stated Commissioners with questions about filings or ethics training could email cityclerk@antiochca.gov for assistance. Commissioner Hadden confirmed with City Clerk Householder that recently completed Ethic Training for another jurisdiction could be counted as completed for Antioch. Commissioner May questioned if the Commissioners would be receiving business cards. In response to Commissioner May, City Attorney Smith explained that the Commission operated under Robert’s Rules of Order and he would direct members to the Antioch Municipal Code which contained rules of conduct for the Commission. Commissioner Williams and Chairperson Thurston thanked the public for their participation this evening. Commissioner Taylor congratulated Chairperson Thurston. She thanked the public for their input and discussed meeting the needs of the community. Commissioner Spears thanked the Commission for their input. She congratulated Chairperson Thurston and Vice Chairperson Taylor and stated she looked forward to working with them. Commissioner May thanked the public for their participation and the Commission for choosing to serve in this capacity. She congratulated Chairperson Thurston and Vice Chairperson Taylor. Commissioner Lacey-Oha congratulated Vice Chairperson Taylor and Chairperson Thurston. She thanked the community for their attendance this evening. Chairperson Thurston stated it was an honor to serve the Commission and community. He noted as a team they would resolve matters within the APD. XIII. UPCOMING/ FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Chairperson Thurston announced the Commission would engage in a working session to discuss and determine agenda items for the upcoming Commission meeting. Following discussion, the Commission created the following list of agenda items for future meetings: Antioch Police Oversight Commission Regular Meeting March 18, 2024 Page 5 of 5 ➢ Presentation by Field Training Officers ➢ Internal Affairs Process ➢ Review of Hiring Processes (new and lateral officers) and Promotional Protocols ➢ APD Equity Training ➢ Community Participation in Oral Boards (new and lateral) and Promotions ➢ Use of Force Policy ➢ Officer Involved Shooting Protocols. ➢ Communication Dissemination to the Community ➢ Formation of Ad Hoc Committees ➢ Ongoing Training Types and Frequency ➢ Protocol for Use of APD Tactical Units ➢ Community Complaints and Resolution Process ➢ Presentation from Mental Health Crisis Response Team (AQCRT) and CORE Team ➢ APD Response to Crisis Calls ➢ APD Policy for Police Officer Mental Health ➢ Pier Support ➢ Officer Involved Shooting Protocols Acting City Manager Reed encouraged the Commission to review the APD policy manual. Following discussion, the Commission prioritized the following agenda items: ➢ Use of Force ➢ Complaint and Resolution Process ➢ Hiring Process ➢ Protocol for Tactical Unit Chairperson Thurston stated that either he or Vice Chairperson Taylor would meet with staff to initiate the process of scheduling future agenda items. XIV. NEXT MEETING DATE Chairperson Thurston announced the next meeting would be held at 6:30 P.M. on April 1, 2024. XV. ADJOURNMENT On motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Hadden the Antioch Police Oversight Commission unanimously adjourned at 9:31 P.M. Kitty Eiden KITTY EIDEN, Minutes Clerk