Hi Tony, Thank you for responding to our emails and providing more information. I still have concerns, however, which I have added to your email below in Purple. I realize things are challenging in the Police Department right now, especially with the Chief having suddenly announced his early retirement, but Menlo Park has an opportunity to create an exemplary city that is focused on the welfare and empowerment of its citizens, and I don’t want us to waste it. Kelly “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” - Benjamin Franklin On Jun 18, 2020, at 2:32 PM, Dixon, William A Good afternoon, I read the emails you sent to the City Council over the last few days and I wanted to provide you with some additional information on the points you’ve made. Number of Police Officers Our department was budgeted for 54 sworn police officer position in FY19-20. Earlier this month, we froze four vacant police officer positons and issued lay-off notices to six existing police officers. I still think 54 police officers is more than is needed for the population of, geographic size of, and the number and type of calls made in Menlo Park. One officer per 1,000 residents, or 35 officers, is a more appropriate number given Menlo Park's size of approximately 10 square miles, the low number of calls to police, and the fact that the majority of calls relate to thefts, which have already occurred and are, therefore, just reports being taken. Additionally, I am concerned that the lay-offs of the six existing officers are of officers of color who bring much needed diversity to the police department. Police Budget Each city department recently presented 20% in potential cuts to the City Council in an effort to create a balanced budget for FY20-21. The recent increases to the police budget referenced can be attributed to the development agreement between the City of Menlo Park and Facebook. The staff report presented to the City Council and background information can be locatedhere https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentCenter/View/15627/H8---Budget-amendment-4th-police-unit?bidId =>. The development agreement provided the basis of Facebook funding for the newly created police unit. The development agreement with Facebook is extremely upsetting to me. I can’t understand how something like that was ever even considered by the city. It is nothing more than corruption of a public agency by a private entity. Facebook paying Menlo Park Police Officer’s salaries is a blatant conflict of interest. City Council should be able to direct that money to where it is most needed – education, homelessness, mental health care. Putting the Facebook money specifically into East Palo Alto and its Ravenswood School District would be a far better use than for police. Mobile Police Vehicle The entire cost of the mobile command center is derived from grant monies. The staff report presented to the City Council describing the impact on city resources can be found here https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentCenter/View/23402/E2-20191112-CC-Mobile-command-vehicle >. The fact that this mobile command center is being paid for by grant money doesn’t resolve the issue completely. While the cost of the vehicle won’t impact city resources, the fact is the mobile command center is not needed. As I explained in my email, the fire department, county, and neighboring Palo Alto already have mobile command centers. Menlo Park does not need one. That grant money could be better spent. If Menlo Park is getting grant money, it should get it for things that are needed – education, homelessness, and mental health. Police Transparency We recently changed the hosting platform for our open data portal however data.menlopark.org https://data.menlopark.org/ > will still work to access an array of information about what your police department does daily. Additionally, our department’s policy manual can be found online here https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentCenter/View/23932/Menlo_Park_PD_Policy_Manual-1-16-2020 >. The page allows you to search by keyword or term. By doing so, I think you find that the majority of the suggestions made by the “8 Can’t Wait” campaign were already implemented in Menlo Park and the State of California. With respect to the 8 Can’t Wait recommended policies, I don’t see where MPPD has adopted the following policies: (1) ban chokeholds and strangleholds, (2) duty to intervene, and (3) require comprehensive reporting. At a minimum, all of eight of the recommended polices in the 8 Can’t Wait campaign should be adopted, implemented, and enforced. If you would like more information or have additional questions please let me know. Tony William A. Dixon Police Commander Police Department 701 Laurel St. tel 650-330-6300 menlopark.org http://www.menlopark.org/ > Received on Fri Jun 19 2020 - 20:48:39 PDT
