Hello Council,
I'm writing with input into tomorrow's closed session on the topic of the Police Sergeant's Association (union) contract. I've
written you and the Police Chief [http://ccin.menlopark.org/19729.html]before, but I've not heard back regarding my last email.
I've also submitted a Public Records request to obtain a copy of the 2014 Review of the Police Department. Today, I received
notice that the City requires additional time to process my request.
My questions/concerns remain with the below the most important:1) Can Staff Reports related to salary increases be first reviewed
by the Finance & Audit committee before they go to Council? This will ensure a more careful review of the financial details by
trained financial and accounting professionals who serve on the Committee?2) I would like to know the ethnicity of the Police
Department, especially the management team. The Chief and his two commanders all appear to be Caucasian. The PSA contract seems to
cover the next management-level down so I hope you will find out the specific ethnicity of those serving as Police Sergeants. If
the numbers show a non-diverse (i.e. mostly white) group, I hope that Council will request diversity goals and to publish progress
towards those goals. I like theInteraction and Inclusion
[https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/equityandinclusion/interactiveequityandinclusiondashboard] example from Cambridge, MA.
Our police force (especially the management level) should reflect the diversity in the MP Population.
My original email had additional concerns related to the size of our police department, benchmarks and their day-to-day police
priorities. Does our Police Department have a strategic plan tied to broader MP city goals and residents' likely values? If not
(and I cannot find one), I suggest that the Police Department develop a Strategic Plan such as in the example fromChander,
Arizona. [https://www.chandlerpd.com/about/strategicplan/]Here's another example from Union City
[https://www.unioncity.org/DocumentCenter/View/689/UCPD-Strategic-Plan-PDF?bidId=]and one from the City ofAlbany
[https://www.albanyca.org/home/showdocument?id=28477]. Department plans, aligned to what the department believes are Council and
resident priorites, would help MP to become a more results-oriented City and to deliver better alignment and focus in MP. Of
course, I also believe that MP needs an overall Strategic Plan, based on a community led process, that would sit above all other
plans in the MP planning hierarchy. Until then, at least the departments can set goals based on municipal best practices and what
they know of our community and resident and small business owner priorities and concerns.
Lynne Bramlett
