The City Council recently extended the life of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force for another four years. Does this really make any sense? Has the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force actually accomplished anything? Unfortunately the answer is “no” to both questions, and I will explain why. The Reimagining Public Safety Task Force is largely a solution looking for a problem.

As recently as five years ago, Richmond was receiving national accolades for its effective model of community policing honed by former Chief Chris Magnus. Following are some excerpts from the book, “Seven Highly Effective Police Leaders:”

Figure 1- What makes a police leader effective? Aurora University professor sets out to find the answer

Magnus is a contemporary police reform leader because he challenged misuse of force during the initial Black Lives Matter movement and did so in a way that many criticized as going beyond his authority. Magnus’s dramatic stand with the Black Lives Matter movement (in part by holding a sign at a peaceful protest in Richmond that stated “Black Lives Matter”) came in the wake of a six-year civil lawsuit, ultimately resolved in his favor. That lawsuit came from a group of Black commanders in the Richmond Police Department who alleged that he created discriminatory promotional practices and a racially hostile work environment. These events are described in detail later in the chapter (Photo 7.1). Photo 7.1On December 9, 2014, Chris Magnus stood in solidarity with demonstrators along Macdonald Avenue in Richmond, California, to protest Michael Brown and Eric Garner deaths. Photo credit AP/ Bay Area News Group, Kristopher Skinner. Leadership requires disturbing people with a rate they can absorb (Heifetz & Linsky,

Magnus disrupted departmental and community views on immigrants during his leadership in Fargo and Tucson. His challenge was to avoid the marginalization of immigrants and to create local connections, regardless of their citizenship status, as a way to police more effectively. This type of leadership was described in the chapter under O.W. Wilson when, as the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, he ordered his officers to protect civil rights protesters engaged in civil disobedience. Magnus provided the same leadership when it came to policing concentrated minority neighborhoods that had experienced high rates of violence. Because of his successful leadership with immigrants and improving minority relations, President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing requested his testimony. Additionally, a Senate committee during the Trump Administration invited his testimony on border security and transnational drug cartels. His leadership challenges, lessons, and successes are detailed below. (Kooi, Brandon. Seven Highly Effective Police Leaders (pp. 377-378). Taylor and Francis)

From Magnus’s transformational leadership, Richmond in 2014 was vastly different from ten years prior. In 2004, the city had 38 homicides, and there were only 11 in 2014. Violent crimes numbered 1,078 in 2004, and ten years later, the number decreased to 833 violent crimes. Lastly, there were 7,090 property crimes in 2004 and 2,808 fewer property crimes ten years later. While these numbers were significantly less than the prior decade, Magnus reported to the city council that the RPD responded to 122,159 calls for service in 2014. Nearly 3,000 of these calls, or 2 percent, resulted in an arrest and the 357 guns confiscated. Notably, only 6 percent of the 3,000 arrests required the use of force. Out of those cases, officers used a Taser about 25 percent of the time. During 2014, there were 182 suspects forcibly arrested, and about 39 percent of the suspects were injured, along with 22 officers (Early, 2017). The fact that the RPD and Magnus had these exact statistics to track forcible of force and violent crime in 2014, the rest of the country was on the verge of experiencing increases not seen in decades.

In further recognition of his leadership, the White House asked Magnus to send one of his officers to meet with President Obama and Vice President Biden to discuss why their community policing efforts were successful. Magnus selected RPD officer Erik Oliver to attend the February 24, 2015, White House meeting and discuss in his own words why he felt that the department was having success. The White House also sent Attorney General Loretta Lynch to Richmond on a fact-finding mission to understand what made Richmond unique. The year 2015 was marked by national recognition for Magnus and the RPD. Within his thriving community policing transformation, Magnus improved police accountability by changing how the RPD investigated the use of force. To reduce police misuse of force and ensure fair investigations, Magnus moved the RPD internal affairs function to a newly created Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) located in city hall, outside of police headquarters. The belief was that the OPA would serve as a future model for other agencies and communities who distrust their police. (Kooi, Brandon. Seven Highly Effective Police Leaders (p. 404-410). Taylor and Francis)

In 2015, the death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, MO, sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and the national conversation about race and policing that followed. Chief Magnus and the Richmond Police Department actually embraced the movement and stood with protestors.

Chief Magnus subsequently participated in a panel of experts brought to Ferguson, MO, by the Department of Justice to assist in the investigation of the incident.

The U.S. Department of Justice brought Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus to Ferguson, MO last month, as part of a panel of experts to assist in the ongoing civil rights investigation following the shooting death of an unarmed teen there this summer.

Magnus was invited by federal officials to “look at protocols, procedures, training and supervision,” in St. Louis County, according to Richmond police Capt. Mark Gagan. Magnus will return to Ferguson next month to help complete a report on what the local police can do to reduce deadly force and avoid crises in the future, Gagan said.

Figure 2 - Chris magnus and Tom Butt at Black Lives matter rally

By 2016, Magnus had moved on to Tucson and was succeeded by first, Alwyn Brown, and later, Bisa French, who espoused and committed to continue Magnus’ successful model of community policing. During that time, there were no incidents of police violence in Richmond of the type that were being protested by the Black Lives matter movement.

Then, On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, sparking an even more visceral movement that became “defund the police,” the rationale for which was the thesis that the traditional policing model in America was irreparably broken and required a major overhaul, if not total replacement.

Shortly thereafter, Councilmembers Myrick and Johnson jumped on the bandwagon and introduced an agenda item with the following recommendation:

DIRECT staff to prepare a plan to transition from Richmond’s current “community policing” model to a plan conducive to the reduced police force and return to Council with the preferred policing model and a plan for implementation by the end of FY2020/2021.

The City of Richmond continues to face a long-term structural deficit. While we’ve found ways to close the $29.9 million budget gap for the coming fiscal year, we know that more substantial decisions will need to be made to bring our budget into structural balance. In addition, a recent movement of people nationally and residents locally are calling on municipalities to reevaluate how we prioritize funding for public safety. This movement correctly asks municipalities like Richmond to consider how large police budgets take resources away from more preventative programs and how some percentage of the services police provide can be provided more efficiently and compassionately through community based programs.

In addition, our budget for the coming fiscal year reduces overtime by $1 million while not adding any additional officers. This is a recipe for failure unless our policing model is changed into one that can function with a much smaller police force. The current “community policing” model used in Richmond worked best when we had upwards of 196 officers. Today the Richmond Police Department has less than 150 officers and it is clear we will not be able to afford returning to a force that robust anytime in the near future. This means that to prevent ballooning overtime costs alone it will be necessary for the City of Richmond to change its policing model.

Hence, it is recommended that the City Council receive a presentation regarding different policing models that can be successful with minimum staffing and to direct staff to prepare a plan to transition from Richmond’s current “community policing” model which requires a significant amount of officers to function, to a model that can function well with a substantially smaller force. Staff is directed to return to Council with a preferred policing model and a plan for the transition that can be implemented by the end of FY2020/2021.

June 30, 2020. COUNCIL AS A WHOLE I-1. The matter to direct staff to prepare a plan to transition from Richmond's current "community policing" model to a plan conducive to the reduced police force and return to Council with the preferred policing model and a plan for implementation by the end of Fiscal Year 2020/2021 was presented by Councilmembers Myrick and Johnson III. Discussion ensued. (11:00 p.m. – A motion by Councilmember Choi, seconded by Councilmember Myrick, extended the meeting for 30 minutes by the unanimous vote of the City Council). The following individuals gave comments via telephone or e-mail: Edith Pastrano, Valerie Jameson, Loren Rasmussen, Kristin Lobos, Marisol Cantu, Tarnel Abbott, Mike Parker, Don Gosney, Carolyn Graves, Sara Cantor, Jiggy Athingam, Edith Pastrano, Blanca Retano, Cristina Lorenzana, Hipolito Pastrano, Elizabeth Castro, Taylor Kennedy Sadie Egan, Claudia Jimenez, and Ben Therriault. Further discussion ensued. (11:30 p.m. – a motion by Councilmember Willis, seconded by Councilmember Myrick suspended the rules and extended the meeting to complete Item I-1 by the unanimous vote of the City Council. City Manager Laura Snideman stated that staff could return with options and recommendations on how to facilitate community input for either an ad-hoc committee or a task force. A motion was made by Councilmember Myrick, seconded by Councilmember Willis to approve the item; direct staff to create a transition accountability task force composed by members of the public, including community organizations, individuals who were impacted by law enforcement, and law enforcement. The task force would have access to legally allowable City data, have standing meetings with the city manager and police chief; require the task force to convene within two weeks and report back to the City Council by September 15, 2020, and then monthly thereafter. Councilmember Willis made a friendly amendment to allow the task force to receive legal advice. Councilmember Martinez made a friendly amendment to include community groups, such as Safe Return Project, and RYSE Center. Councilmember Myrick accepted the friendly amendment and also included, but not limited to, members of the Community Police Review Commission, Office of Neighborhood Safety, police department, and Contra Costa County. The motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Choi, Johnson III, Martinez, Myrick, and Willis. Noes: Vice Mayor Bates and Mayor Butt. Absent: None. Abstain: None. Mayor Butt disbanded the previously approved ad-hoc committee.

In June of 2020, Richmond Confidential wrote:

Before July 2021, Richmond is set to have a re-imagined, and reduced, police force. And what that will look like will be determined as part of a community dialogue in the coming months.

On Tuesday, the Richmond City Council voted to form a task force of community stakeholders to develop a plan to transition from the city’s current community-policing model to a new version that works with a smaller staff.

Councilmembers Jael Myrick and Demnlus Johnson III, who introduced the proposal, say the plan would save a city with a structurally imbalanced budget millions of dollars. It also responds to local and national calls “to consider how large police budgets take resources away from more preventative programs and how some percentage of the services police provide can be provided more efficiently and compassionately through community-based programs,” according to the councilmembers.

The task force will include city and police officials as well as community-based organizations such as the Safe Return Project, RYSE Center and Office of Neighborhood Safety. Once formed, it must meet and report back to council on Sept. 15, and then every month thereafter, with the goal of implementing a new policing model by the end of fiscal year 2020-21.

Tuesday’s vote to form a task force followed the council’s decision to pass a budget that “isn’t sustainable in future years,” according to City Manager Laura Snideman. The COVID-19 lockdown’s economic impact worsened the city’s already difficult budget position. The city closed a $29.5 million budget deficit for FY 2020-21 with ample reliance on one-time funding sources. City staff said more cuts are needed, including millions of dollars in labor union concessions.

The need for savings creates the need to reimagine city policing, which accounts for about 40 percent of the current city budget, Myrick said.

“The current overtime [in police spending] is a result of the fact that we have 150 police officers trying to do the work of 196,” the councilmember said. “Even just maintaining what we are doing right now…is going to require us to figure out how we change our policing model.”
Myrick said this is an opportunity to have a conversation about whether sending mental health experts and other social service providers instead of police officers to certain calls would enhance the community.

Ben Therriault, president of the Richmond Police Officers Association, warned of the consequences of significant reductions to the police force. RPD has been credited in recent years for implementing a community-policing model that’s led to significant crime reduction in the city, Therriault pointed out. Therriault agreed there are some calls to which cops shouldn’t respond. He called for the task force to include residents of the city not affiliated with activists with agendas seeking to benefit from funds stripped from the police department.

Therriault also called on council to more proactively engage in economic development activities that could help the city pay for the type of services residents deserve.

“Defunding the police department is defunding the only part of the city that responds, twenty-four seven, 365 days of the year, rain or shine, day or night,” Therriault said. “And if you reduce that you are going to spit in the face of the 7,000 residents who call us every month. Because this is a minority-majority city, most of them are people of color and they rely on us for public safety.”

It is now way past July 2021, and there is no evidence that the “re-imagined, and reduced, police force” has had any beneficial effects. Despite a significant increase in funding for homelessness, it has only gotten worse, with the camps at Rydin Road and under the Parkway between Hensley and North Castro showing no sign of abatement. There is no mental health response team, and crime, including homicides, is about the same as ever.

Other than the Pedie Perez incident in 2014 where an inebriated but unarmed Perez was shot and killed by a Richmond police officer, Richmond in recent years has a relatively unblemished record of lack of police violence, particularly related to African Americans, and that record continued after Pedie Perez was killed. In fact, during the years 2016 through 2021, only 37 complaints have been filed or investigated by the Community Police Review Commission. According to available records, only two have been sustained, including the Pedie Perez death. Neither was even charged by a district attorney. For the three full years 2018-2020, the annual average number of police contacts was 70,667, and the average annual number of complaints was six. That means that the ratio of complaints to contacts was 0.00008, or 8 thousandths of one percent. And during that time, only one was sustained, the Vallejo off-duty incident involving the late Virgil Thomas.

Ultimately, the Task Force did not come up with any new or innovative ways to provide public safety. The Task Force simply recommended transferring funding from the police department to several other existing programs, including ONS, homelessness assistance and  youth jobs. The only new program to be funded was “mental health crisis response,” which has yet to be defined. From the June 29, 2021, Agenda Report:

Finally, the budget also defunds the Police Department by $3M and thereby permanently reduces the size of the department’s staffing by 12 sworn police. The reduction will be accomplished by eliminating 12 vacant positions. The $3M will be reallocated (as part of the $6.38M Reimagining Public Safety
budget) to the departments of Community Development, City Manager’s Office, and Community Services for program implementation.

During the past two months, the team has responded to 24 community calls and over 50% of individuals have accessed our face-to-face crisis services. Prior to this pilot program, individuals were struggling to get support and navigating where to go during a mental health crisis.

Responding to 24 community calls is less than one call every two days, hardly a game changer. Meanwhile, the Richmond Police stay busy responding to shootings and homicides, life-threatening situations, including domestic violence and taking guns off the street. They also respond to mental health-related incidents without resorting to violence, such as:

• On October 10, 2021 at 9:15 PM, officers responded to an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Nevin Avenue after a man lit a fire inside a laundry room. Officers located the suspect urinating on the exterior of the building and sent him to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
• On October 1, 2021 at 5:44 PM, a man drove his adult son to the police department seeking mental health treatment. Officers located the son screaming from his father’s car and throwing items into the parking lot. The son was under the influence of narcotics and having a psychotic episode.

It is ironic that Reimagining Public Safety has become a solid plank in the RPA platform as they continue to try to dismantle what Chris Magnus built.

By my last year as mayor, our homicide rate had decreased by 75%, with the list of victims down to eleven from a high of forty-seven. Richmond has been a beacon of hope to urban communities struggling with street violence. Yet we are also a place that holds the sacred memory of every precious life that we have lost. Part of this success comes from our community-involved police force. Our officers deserve enormous praise for having shifted our city toward a new culture. This was started under the able leadership of Police Chief Chris Magnus. (McLaughlin, Gayle. Winning Richmond: How a Progressive Alliance Won City Hall . Hard Ball Press. Kindle Edition).

Not long after the election, in the wake of Michael Brown’s shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, our city drew national attention from a photo with Police Chief Chris Magnus holding a Black Lives Matter sign up at a local protest. It became a symbol of our city’s community policing model. The RPA was also at that protest, but to have a police chief in uniform hold the sign made big news. (McLaughlin, Gayle. Winning Richmond: How a Progressive Alliance Won City Hall . Hard Ball Press).

In the RPA Bible (Refinery Town, page 4)Steve Early wrote, “"McLaughlin hired a good government city manager [Bill Lindsay], who straightened out the city’s books…. and on page 46, Refinery Town states, “One of the most important actions that McLaughlin and council allies like Tom Butt took, even before she became mayor, was hiring Bill Lindsay as city manager.” The fact is that Bill Lindsay was hired on December 7, 2004, before McLaughlin or any other RPA member were on the City Council. It was a majority that included mostly RPA foes who actually hired Lindsay.

Although embracing former Police Chief Chris Magnus and his reforms and crime reduction in Richmond, the RPA has continued to be at war with the Police Department ever since the Richmond Police Officers beat up Andres Soto in 2002 at Cinco de Mayo and the Police Officers Association (RPOA) attacked RPA candidates in elections as far back as 2008. In 2015, Jovanka Beckles took on the RPOA, saying, “When I speak about the Police Officers Association, I want everyone to realize, I’m not speaking about the rank and file, I am speaking solely about the Police Officers Association. We all read the news, we all see how this union operates - they defend racist murders and you know they defend to the core, to the point of making the victim’s look like the criminals.”

I have extracted entries from Capt. Walle’s Facebook page below to show how busy the Richmond police have been in just the month of October, 2021.

• On October 31, 2021 at 12:05 AM, officers responded to the 3400 block of Richmond Parkway for a home invasion. A woman reported that she arrived home, saw her patio door open, and was grabbed from behind by an intruder. The suspect placed his hand around the victim’s mouth until she bit him and he released his grasp. The victim fled from the patio door and sought help from her neighbors who called the police. The suspect eluded capture.
• On October 30, 2021 at 11:30 AM, officers responded to the 5200 block of Nevin Avenue for a shooting. A man reported that he interrupted an auto burglary, chased the suspects in his vehicle, and they fired at him with a rifle. The victim was uninjured but a residence and car were struck by gunfire. The suspects were three Hispanic men in a gold Lexus with driver side damage.
• On October 30, 2021 at 9:21 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a report of an intoxicated man fighting with his father. The suspect threatened to kill officers, punched an officer, and resisted arrest. The suspect was subdued with baton strikes and told the arresting officer that he would kill him upon his release from jail.
• On October 23, 2021 at 12:32 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop at S. 23rd Street/Cutting Boulevard and arrested the motorist for having a loaded firearm and backpack full of marijuana in the vehicle.
• On October 22, 2021 at 8:58 AM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a family disturbance. The caller reported her estranged husband entered her house in violation of an emergency protective order, pointed a gun at her male friend and told him to leave or he would be shot. The suspect left the residence and drove to the police department to provide a statement where he was arrested without incident. A loaded firearm was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle.
• October 19, While patrolling the city’s Northern District, Officer Woody noticed a car that was stopped in the middle of the roadway. As she drove up to the motorist to provide assistance, the driver quickly sped away. Based on multiple traffic violations, Officer Woody conducted an enforcement stop and noticed that the passenger appeared to be rummaging under the front seat of the car. When she contacted the passenger, he told Officer Woody that he was on active parole – a supervised program intended to discourage criminal behavior after an individual is released from state prison. During the course of her investigation, Officer Woody found a fully loaded gun in the car, hidden underneath the passenger’s seat. A records check confirmed that the unregistered gun was illegally possessed based on the suspect’s violent criminal history – including armed robbery and evading arrest. The suspect was arrested without incident, and booked at the Richmond Jail on multiple firearms-related charges.
• 
  On October 16, 2021 at 11:40 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a report of domestic violence. A man argued with his girlfriend over his infidelity, punched her, and strangled her until she lost consciousness. The suspect fled the scene and was arrested without incident at his cousin’s Central District residence.
• On October 15, 2021 at 12:13 AM, officers responded to the dead-end of 1st Street for a ShotSpotter activation and found a man who had been shot multiple times. The victim was transported to a local trauma center in critical condition. At approximately 1:04 AM, an officer saw the suspect vehicle on Interstate 580 at Regatta Boulevard and conducted a traffic enforcement stop. The occupants of the vehicle were identified as the shooter and co-conspirator and arrested without incident.
• On October 14, 2021 at 11:31 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a report of domestic violence. A man battered and strangled his girlfriend until she lost consciousness, threatened to kill her, and fled the residence.

• On October 11, 2021, detectives arrested a man in the 1900 block of Virginia Avenue who was wanted for the October 9th homicide that occurred in the 4100 block of Florida Avenue.
• On October 11, 2021 at 3:55 PM, officers responded to the 100 block of S. 19th Street for a ShotSpotter activation of 5 rounds. Officers arrived on scene, saw a man holding a handgun, and disarmed him at gunpoint. The man said he recently purchased his pistol, had returned from the gun range, and discharged the pistol into the air to render it safe. The man was arrested without incident.
• On October 11, 2021 at 3:04 AM, officers responded to 17th Street/Visalia Avenue for a report of a man and woman stealing catalytic converters from two cars. Officers detained the suspects without incident, discovered they arrived in a stolen car and were on probation for theft.

• On October 10, 2021 at 9:15 PM, officers responded to an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Nevin Avenue after a man lit a fire inside a laundry room. Officers located the suspect urinating on the exterior of the building and sent him to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation
• On October 10, 2021 at 9:12 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence after a woman reported her ex-husband was in her backyard in violation of a restraining order. The suspect fled prior to officers arriving on scene.
• On October 10, 2021 at 3:59 PM, officers were dispatched to a Hilltop residence for a report of a stabbing. A teenager reported that his mother stabbed him in the hand with a kitchen knife while arguing over household chores. He also stated it was not the first time being stabbed by his mother. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 10, 2021 at 2:19 PM, officers responded to the 3300 block of Klose Way for a strong arm robbery. A woman reported that she was robbed by three females wearing masks but recognized their voices as belonging to her cousins. The victim believed she was robbed in retaliation for her ex-boyfriend getting her cousins pregnant and giving them STDs.
• On October 10, 2021, two dayshift beats went unfilled for half a day because officers that were forced over from the graveyard shift had exceeded the maximum amount of overtime hours they were allowed to work. If you’ve recently experienced a long wait time for services, please be aware the police department struggles to maintain minimum staffing levels on a daily basis and officers are frequently forced to work overtime just to maintain minimum staffing levels. In exit interviews, officers overwhelmingly state their reason for leaving to other agencies is the perceived lack of support due to the reallocation of resources from the police department and better pay/benefits at other departments.
• n October 10, 2021 at 2:40 AM, officers responded to the 900 block of 23rd Street for a carjacking. A motorist and his two female companions were in a food truck parking lot when they were approached by two catcalling men. The motorist told the men to stop and they pulled the females out of the vehicle and drove away with him. The suspects drove to the 1600 block of Esmond Avenue, assaulted him, and threw him out of the car. The suspects fled in the victim’s car and he was transported to the hospital for treatment of serious facial injuries.
• On October 10, 2021 at 1:30 AM, officers responded to Stege Avenue/South Street for a DUI crash. An officer asked the motorist for identification and the suspect reached for a pistol in his center console. A cover officer on the passenger side of the car challenged the suspect at gunpoint to drop the gun while the other officer dragged the suspect out of the vehicle. The suspect resisted handcuffing until sufficient body strikes were delivered to gain compliance. A loaded 9mm pistol was recovered from the vehicle.
• On October 10, 2021 at 12:52 AM, officers were dispatched to S. 39th Street/Cutting Boulevard for a woman in distress. Officers located a woman with a bloody face, black eyes, and torn clothing. The woman said her ex-boyfriend assaulted her and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.
• On October 9, 2021 at 11:16 PM, officers responded to a Central District residence for a report of domestic violence. The caller reported that her boyfriend was drunk, attempted to dismantle their cable box, and slapped her when she tried to stop him. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 9, 2021 at 9:12 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a report of domestic violence and were advised that a woman was screaming and getting beaten while on the phone with dispatch. The suspect was arrested for felony domestic violence without incident.
• On October 9, 2021 at 1:40 PM, officers responded to the 100 block of 20th Street for a parking dispute. A woman was enraged that a man had blocked her in with his car so she pepper-sprayed him. The man responded by jumping on the hood of the woman’s car and causing major damage. Both motorists were arrested.
• On October 9, 2021 at 7:30 AM, officers responded to a Central District residence for a report of domestic violence. The caller reported her ex-boyfriend was visiting their son and assaulted her when she refused his sexual advances. The suspect threatened to kill the victim and fled the scene.

• On October 9, 2021 at 3 AM, a man reported that he was smoking a cigarette in his car in the 2000 block of Macdonald Avenue when a passerby demanded all his property, including his car keys, and drove away in his car. At 12:54 PM, a San Pablo PD officer stopped the suspect at 23rd Street/Standard Avenue and arrested him without incident.
• On October 9, 2021 at 3:57 AM, officers responded to the 4100 block of Florida Avenue for a shooting and found a man who was mortally wounded. Despite lifesaving efforts by medical personnel, the man died at the scene.

• On October 9, 2021 at 1:30 AM, officers responded to 23rd Street/Lowell Avenue for a public disturbance along with a ShotSpotter activation at the same location. Officers contacted two brothers and subsequently arrested them for unlawfully discharging a firearm and possessing a ghost gun.
• On October 9, 2021 at 12:36 AM, officers responded to an Iron Triangle residence for a report of domestic violence. A woman was visiting her ex-boyfriend and child when they began to argue, resulting in the man shoving the woman into a wall and dragging her out of the residence. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 8, 2021 at 11:53 PM, an officer investigated a suspicious vehicle at 24th Street/Preble Avenue and arrested the motorist for auto theft.
• On October 8, 2021 at 7:17 PM, officers responded to the 2900 block of Rheem Avenue for an injury accident and arrested a motorist for DUI with a .22 BAC.
• On October 8, 2021 at 4:14 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of Virginia Avenue after a caller reported an unknown man jumped over a fence into his yard and hid in the trunk of his car that was parked in the garage. When officers arrived on scene, the owner started his car to open the trunk and the man jumped into the driver’s seat and crashed the car into the garage wall. Officers subsequently detained the man without incident and sent him to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
• On October 8, 2021 at 3:56 AM, an officer conducted a security check at the N. Castro homeless encampment and arrested a man for an outstanding warrant for making criminal threats and firearm possession.
• On October 8, 2021 at 1:46 AM, an officer conducted a traffic stop at S. 31st Street/Center Avenue and arrested the motorist for an outstanding domestic violence warrant.
• On October 8, 2021 at 1:35 AM, an officer investigated a suspicious car at Bissell Avenue/Civic Center Street and arrested the motorist for outstanding warrants for animal cruelty and DUI.
• On October 7, 2021 at 11:12 PM, Hercules PD officers pursued a stolen car into the city and arrested the suspect at McBryde Avenue/Lassen Street with the assistance of RPD officers.
• On October 7, 2021, dayshift officers utilized their training day to conduct a tow operation and impounded 26 abandoned cars throughout the city.
• On October 7, 2021 at 9 AM, officers responded to the North Castro homeless encampment for a report of a man stealing parts from a vehicle. The suspect was arrested without incident
• On October 7, 2021 at 12:49 AM, officers responded to 22nd Street/Macdonald Avenue after a caller reported two men stealing a catalytic converter from a Prius. The two suspects were arrested without incident and charged with grand theft, conspiracy, and probation violation. One suspect was on probation for auto theft and the other suspect was on probation for grand theft.
• On October 6, 2021 at 11:41 PM, officers responded to S. 6th Street/Virginia Avenue after a woman reported that her husband assaulted her boyfriend. The suspect was arrested for felony battery and having a loaded firearm in his vehicle.
• On October 6, 2021 at 8:28 PM, Sheriff's Office deputies advised they were pursuing a car that was involved in an earlier North Richmond shooting. The suspect vehicle crashed on Cuthbertson Court and four men fled from the vehicle. Officers searched the area with a police canine and police drone, subsequently locating three suspects and four discarded firearms. The fourth suspect eluded capture.
• On October 6, 2021 at 6:56 PM, an officer saw a car speed past him on Harbour Way at 70 mph and stop at Kaiser Hospital. A passenger in the vehicle had gunshot injuries and said he was shot at 5th Street/Market Avenue. Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the hospital to assume the investigation.
• On October 6, 2021 at 9:03 AM, a gas station in the 5500 block of Central Avenue reported the business had been burglarized overnight after the night clerk forgot to lock the front door. Surveillance video recorded three suspects stealing cigarettes, lighters, and candy.
• On October 6, 2021 at 12:54 AM, officers assisted sheriffs office deputies and El Cerrito PD officers in pursuing a carjacked vehicle that drove through Richmond. The suspect crashed in El Cerrito and was apprehended by an ECPD canine after he fled from the vehicle.
• On October 5, 2021 at 9:39 PM, officers responded to the 2500 block of Emeric Avenue for a felony assault. Two neighbors yelled at a passing motorist to slow down and the driver stopped and attacked them with a box cutter. The victims sustained minor injuries and the suspect was arrested for felony assault and DUI.
• On October 5, 2021 at 6:13 PM, officers responded to a Belding Woods residence for a report of domestic violence after a woman punched her ex-girlfriend in the mouth and attempted to run her over with her car. The victim jumped out of the way and the suspect crashed into a building. The suspect abandoned her car and walked away from the scene.
• On October 5, 2021 at 5:48 PM, officers responded to 3rd Street/Macdonald Avenue for an auto v. pedestrian accident. The pedestrian had minor injuries and was transported to the hospital in stable condition.
• On October 5, 2021 at 5:42 PM, officers responded to Park Central Street/Hilltop Drive for an injury accident and both motorists declined medical treatment.
  On October 5, 2021 at 3:23 PM, officers responded to Auto Plaza/Blume Drive for an injury accident. A motorist sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital in stable condition.
• On October 5, 2021 at 10:05 AM, officers responded to the 3200 block of Pierce Street for a purse snatch. A woman reported that she was seated in her car at a shopping center when a man opened her passenger door and stole her purse from the front seat. The suspect was a Black male with stocky build wearing a black gator mask, dark grey hoodie, black pants, and black shoes. The suspect fled in a waiting newer model Range Rover with dark tinted windows and chrome rims.
• On October 5, 2021 at 11:46 AM, officers responded to Vernon Avenue/Fred Jackson Way for a report of a man brandishing a firearm. The suspect discarded a firearm when officers arrived on scene and fled into the block. Officers utilized a drone, helicopter, and police canine in an attempt to locate the suspect but he eluded capture.
• On October 5, 2021 at 11:43 AM, officers responded to S. 23rd Street/Cutting Boulevard for a report of domestic violence. A couple were arguing over child custody and a woman struck her ex-boyfriend in the face with a bottle of orange juice. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 5, 2021 at 4:15 AM, officers responded to the 900 block of 23rd Street for an armed robbery. A store clerk said a man made a purchase and robbed him at gunpoint upon opening the cash register. The suspect was described as a Hispanic or White male wearing a face mask, 6’, heavyset, wearing a black sweater, blue jeans, and tan crocks.
• On October 4, 2021 at 11:39 PM, officers responded to the 2700 block of Groom Drive after a motorist crashed into a wall at Hilltop Park and walked away from the scene.
• On October 4, 2021 at 8:18 PM, officers responded to a Southern District residence after a man assaulted his girlfriend because he suspected she was using drugs.
• On October 4, 2021 at 7:44 PM, officers responded to a Hilltop residence for a report of domestic violence. A woman reported that her ex-boyfriend arrived unannounced to visit their daughter and assaulted her upon learning she had a new boyfriend.
• On October 4, 2021 at 7:08 PM, officers responded to the 1600 block of Lincoln Avenue for a hit and run accident after an elderly motorist left the scene. Officers contacted the 70 year old driver at his Belding Woods residence and learned that he left the scene because he felt threatened by a hostile crowd that formed after the accident. The suspect was not arrested and the case will be referred to the DA office for review.
• On October 4, 2021 at 6:45 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop at 30th Street/Barrett Avenue and smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana in the car. The motorist refused to comply with the officers commands during the car stop, resisted handcuffing, and was arrested after a brief struggle.
• On October 4, 2021 at 3:25 PM, officers responded to Kaiser Hospital after a patient disclosed she was a victim of domestic violence. Officers transported the victim to the Family Justice Center where she received assistance from domestic violence advocates and detectives assumed the investigation.
• On October 4, 2021 at 7:18 AM, officers responded to Carlson Boulevard/Bayview Avenue after a motorist fell asleep and crashed into a light pole. The motorist was arrested without incident for an Alameda County probation violation warrant.
• On October 4, 2021 at 1:54 AM, officers responded to a Southern District residence for a family disturbance. A woman reported her baby’s father was banging on her door while demanding entry, threatened to shoot any men seen at her residence, and fired a gun into the air as he left.
• 
  On October 4, 2021 at 12:50 AM, officers responded to a roving sideshow of 60 cars at 1st Street/Macdonald Avenue, Fred Jackson Way/Market Avenue, and San Pablo Avenue/Solano Avenue. Officers received a ShotSpotter notification on San Pablo Avenue and saw an Audi and Jeep flee the scene. RPD officers pursued the Audi to Emeryville and CHP officers pursued the Jeep to Sacramento where the motorists were arrested without incident.

• On October 3, 2021 at 11:55 PM, officers responded to a North & East residence for a report of domestic violence after a man shoved his girlfriend into a wall. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 3, 2021 at 2:38 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop at Richmond Parkway/Hensley Street and arrested the motorist for auto theft. The suspect was cite-released at the scene due to the county’s COVID-19 emergency bail schedule.
• On October 3, 2021 at 2:13 PM, officers responded to Point Richmond after a resident reported her neighbor was harassing her in violation of a restraining order. The suspect was arrested without incident.
• On October 2, 2021 at 10:43 AM, officers responded to the 1300 block of Fred Jackson Way for a ShotSpotter activation and found a car that had crashed into a residence. The motorist said he was being chased by another car, crashed into the house, and the occupants of the car shot him as he fled from his vehicle. The victim was transported to a local trauma center in stable condition.
• On October 2, 2021 at 12:23 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of Lincoln Avenue after a man pointed a rifle at his neighbor. Officers surrounded the suspect’s residence and saw him exit the back door and hide an AR-15 rifle in the backyard. The suspect was detained without incident and during a protective sweep of the house officers found additional firearms in plain view. Detectives responded to the scene to obtain a search warrant so they could conduct a search of the residence for additional evidence.
• On October 2, 2021 at 9:40 AM, officers responded to the 300 block of S. 35th Street for a ShotSpotter activation of 3 rounds. Officers located bullet casings at the scene and witnesses reported seeing a man firing a handgun from a passing white vehicle. There was no evidence of anything having been struck by gunfire.
• On October 1, 2021 at 5:44 PM, a man drove his adult son to the police department seeking mental health treatment. Officers located the son screaming from his father’s car and throwing items into the parking lot. The son was under the influence of narcotics and having a psychotic episode.
• Early Thursday morning, the RPD Communications Center received a ShotSpotter activation registering seven (7) rounds in the 5000 block of Hartnett Avenue. Officer Hodges and his K-9 partner Gunnar, patrolling the right place at the right time, saw a car quickly speeding away from the neighborhood shortly after the ShotSpotter activation. As Officer Hodges attempted to catch up to the car, the vehicle increased its speed and fled from Officer Hodges and K-9 Gunnar. Officer Hodges then saw the driver throw out an AR-15 style rifle magazine from the car window, shortly before crashing into a nearby parked car. The driver quickly ditched his car and began running away. Despite Officer Hodges’ and K-9 Gunnar’s commands to stop, the suspect decided to ignore their warnings and continued to flee on foot. Ultimately, the suspect was quickly taken into custody, with the help of K-9 Gunnar. Within the suspect’s car, RPD officers found a fully loaded AR-15 rifle and a loaded handgun, along with a bulletproof vest! Responding RPD officers also found evidence of a shooting at the scene of the ShotSpotter activation, where multiple ammunition casings were collected, and a victim was later contacted with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, before being booked at the RPD jail for a multitude of firearms-related charges.  Richmond PD is committed to protecting our community by maintaining a proactive approach to prevent and deter crime! Excellent work, Officer Hodges and K-9 Gunnar! He was detained without incident and sent to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

While still going strong in Richmond, the “Defund the Police” movement is foundering across the U.S.

Anti-police candidates and a policing overhaul referendum were rejected on Election Day in Seattle, Minneapolis and Buffalo, continuing a trend of voters and public officials choosing moderate and measured approaches to policing over sweeping or radical changes.

The debate over every issue related to law enforcement has played out in city councils and state legislatures across the country since George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer last spring, setting off the largest protest movement in American history.
Protests and unrest in response to Floyd's death have shaped local and national politics since. A policy favored by protesters was cutting spending on law enforcement, with proposals that ranged from gradual shift of law enforcement funding to social services to outright abolition of police departments and the role police play in America.

In cities where "defunding the police" was up for discussion on Tuesday, voters rejected the notion. Since Floyd's murder, reform to law enforcement has been more tailored to local concerns.

In Minneapolis, ground zero in the backlash from the George Floyd killing, voters rejected a ballot measure to reinvent policing:

Voters in Minneapolis have resoundingly rejected a proposal to reinvent policing in their city, 17 months after the killing of George Floyd by police sparked massive protests and calls for change.

Approximately 56% of voters rejected a ballot question that would have removed the Minneapolis Police Department from the city charter and replaced it with a "public-health oriented" Department of Public Safety. The "Yes" campaign conceded defeat in a statement that read, in part, "We spoke the truth while the opposition, Democrats and Republicans alike, spread lies and mischaracterized our measure to create confusion, distrust, and fear. " Nationally, the vote was seen as a test of the political movement to "defund" traditional policing as it ran up against concerns about rising violent crime.
The "defund" movement, which called for shrinking police budgets and shifting the money to other social purposes, gained ground in the summer of 2020. A few days after Floyd's murder, most members of the Minneapolis city council appeared at a "defund" rally.

But as violent crime surged nationally — and in Minneapolis — some of those same local politicians backed away from the idea. In 2021, the "Yes" campaign, supported by national left-of-center groups such as the ACLU and MoveOn.org, also distanced itself from the "police defunding" label.

Minneapolis voters ousted at least two incumbent council members Tuesday in an election that largely hinged on the future of policing after the murder of George Floyd and how

Candidates who opposed the failed public safety charter amendment — which would have replaced the Minneapolis Police Department with a Department of Public Safety and eliminated a requirement for the city to have a minimum number of police officers — appeared to have leads in several key wards.

LaTrisha Vetaw, a member of the Minneapolis Parks Board, defeated Council Member Phillipe Cunningham, winning nearly 61 percent of first-choice votes in the Northside’s Ward 4. Emily Koski won 58 percent of first place votes to Council Member Jeremy Schroeder’s 30 percent in the south Minneapolis Ward 11.

Both Vetaw and Koski opposed the public safety charter amendment, while Cunningham and Schroeder both supported it. “The main issue, and the only issue, was safety,” Vetaw said about her council race Tuesday. “We all felt like we were silenced when council members got up on the stage in Powderhorn and said they were going to defund and dismantle police,” she added, referencing the June 2020 rally where nine members of the city council pledged to “end policing as we know it."