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During tonight’s Arcata City Council meeting, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn will present an update on the department’s steps toward policy reform in response to the killing of George Floyd and subsequent “Black Lives Matter” protests against racism and police brutality.

Following a presentation given by Ahearn to the council in June on Campaign Zero and police reform, the council directed the chief to consult with the city’s Public Safety Committee to form a cohesive strategy for local police reform and to immediately begin implementing changes to many of APD’s practices, including removing use of the carotid control hold, expanding the use of body-worn cameras, returning 14 rifles obtained through the Department of Defense and reviewing the department’s use of force policy.

Ahearn met with the Public Safety Committee during its June 23 meeting and has begun a draft of revised policies, which are pending the committee’s approval. You can take a look at the revised policies, included in the staff report.

In addition to the policy changes, the department says it is working to finalize a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) de-escalation training program, developing an online process for community members to submit complaints and suggestions for APD and writing a Standard Operations Procedure that “enhances training, transparency and accountability.” 

APD is also implementing changes directed by the National Police Foundation in their review of the department’s response to the stabbing of David Josiah Lawson.

From the staff report:

As these reforms directed by the City Council are implemented the Police Department is also continuing the process of implementing the recommendations of the National Police Foundation in their review of the Arcata Police Department’s response to the stabbing of David Josiah Lawson on April 15, 2017. One of those recommendations was to develop internship programs with HSU and the College of the Redwoods. The development of the internship program has undergone several iterations. A draft final plan was submitted to HSU on June 28, 2020 and contains four job descriptions to include:

• Gauging community sentiment of APD performance through the use of a survey instrument;
• Curriculum development and presentation by students to APD employees on what their expectations are of the Police Department;

• Develop a house party response protocol; and

• An opportunity to work alongside employees in various Police Department units to get insight on what specifically those units are tasked with on a daily basis.

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In other business, the council will again discuss applying for a state funded, coronavirus response Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which can be used toward local public services, improvement to healthcare facilities, efforts toward sheltering the homeless, or supporting local businesses. The City of Arcata is eligible to apply for up to three eligible activities and up to  $147,657 in funding, according to the city staff report.

During its July 1 meeting, the council discussed several different potential projects and directed staff to move forward with proposals from the Mobile Intervention and Services Team (MIST) program to help increase staffing and a request from Arcata House Partnership for funding toward improvements to its Boyd Road shelter project. The council will take public comment on these proposed projects and consider approving submission of their applications.

The Arcata City Council will discuss these items and more at its online meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. You can view the full agenda here.

Directions on how to participate in the meeting:

How to Observe the Meeting:

To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can observe the meeting on television on Access Humboldt Channel 10, by visiting www.cityofarcata.org and clicking on the See Live Meetings, Agendas, and Archivesbutton on the home page, or on the City’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYGp9zDPdWMGtA0BtfFX_A.

How to Submit Public Comment:

Members of the public may provide public comment before and during the meeting by sending comments to the Clerk by email at pc@cityofarcata.org. Such email comments must identify the agenda item number in the subject line of the email.

The comments will be read into the record, with a maximum allowance of three minutes (approximately 500 words) per individual comment, subject to the Mayor’s discretion. If a comment is received after the agenda item is heard, but before the close of the meeting, the comment will still be included as a part of the written record of the meeting but will not be read into the record during the meeting.

Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodations:

Any member of the public who needs accommodations should email the City Clerk at bdory@cityofarcata.orgor by calling (707) 822-5953. The City Clerk will use their best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while maintaining public safety.