HomeMy WebLinkAbout201116 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Virtual Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
November 16, 2020
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Claire Syrett, Chris
Pryor, Greg Evans
Councilors Absent: Mike Clark
Mayor Vinis opened the November 16, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council.
1. WORK SESSION: Civilian Review Board Annual Report
Chair of the Civilian Review Board Lindsey Foltz provided information about the Civilian Review
Board 2019 Annual Report.
Council Discussion:
Mayor Vinis - expressed support for the work being done by the CRB and Police Auditor's Office
staff; commented on the outreach efforts and expressed appreciation for specific access
improvements for the Spanish-speaking population; asked why complaints had increased each year.
Councilor Syrett - thanked staff for their work; expressed appreciation for outreach efforts and
asked if staff had seen an increase in engagement with Spanish-speaking populations lodging
complaints with the Police Auditor's Office.
Councilor Evans - discussed the disproportionate percentage of stops of African Americans and
asked for clarification of the statistic; asked if there was a correlation between hate crimes
statistics and the Police statistics for African Americans.
Councilor Pryor - expressed appreciation for staff and their work; said the goal of starting the
Auditor's Office was to change the culture of the Police Department; discussed the impact of
individual police officers who have multiple justified complaints on this effort to improve the
department culture, and ways to weed them out.
Councilor Zelenka - discussed the types of complaints, seeking clarification of how they are
characterized; asked how Eugene compares to other cities with a Police Auditor's Office and
CRB system; discussed the hard work that went into establishing the civilian review process
and expressed appreciation for the staff who have implemented it.
Councilor Yeh - expressed appreciation and thanks to staff; asked how the CRB could increase
the number of cases they review; discussed how the CRB regards training as being critically
important and looks at trends with young officers.
Councilor Evans - noted how police officers move around to different agencies and that it's
important that the City looks at officer backgrounds closely before hiring; asked if there were
standards and policies for hiring practices to protect the City from hiring those with misconduct
charges from previous departments.
2. WORK SESSION: Police Auditor Update
Deputy Police Auditor Leia Pitcher provided information about the Police Auditor Update.
MINUTES - Eugene City Council November 16, 2020 Page 1
Work Session
Council Discussion:
■ Councilor Zelenka - asked about the dramatic increase in minor complaints; asked about the
frequency of CRB and Police Auditor disagreements with the Police Chief on adjudication;
inquired about the influence the groups have on police policy.
■ Councilor Yeh - asked about the statistic indicating that internal complaints in EPD are going
down each year.
• Councilor Evans - asked if staff were keeping count of the number of complaints police are
responding to for homeless camps; inquired if there more homeless people coming in to lodge
complaints against the police; discussed the claim that the City is creating an atmosphere where
it is criminalizing the homeless.
The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
r--
ju ie Adams
Deputy City Recorder
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
MINUTES - Eugene City Council November 16, 2020 Page 2
Work Session