Mother of man shot by officer is among endorsers of committee’s plan for Modesto PD
A committee won praise for its ideas for the Modesto Police Department, including a civilian auditor who would review officer-involved shootings.
The Forward Together panel also urged Thursday evening that more mental health experts be on hand for people in crisis. And it suggested that the department improve its training for a variety of situations, work to reduce youth arrests, and engage more with Latino residents.
The endorsers included Darlene Ruiz, whose son, Trevor Seever, was fatally shot by an MPD officer in late 2020.
“This is what I have been praying for in light of losing Trevor,” she said over Zoom at a meeting of the Modesto City Council. “I wanted to help make some positive change.”
Council members also spoke well of the recommendations, but they do not yet have a timeline for carrying them out. The cost of the auditor and other proposals is not yet known.
The committee has 23 voting members from a wide range of groups — the ACLU, the NAACP, the Modesto Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Community Roundtable, the police union and more.
They met over a year, reviewing current MPD policies on the use of force and other practices. Members heard from leaders of police-review bodies in other California cities. Some even rode along on patrol shifts, and tried out the gunfire simulator that trains officers for life-and-death decisions.
Anger over recent shootings
Forward Together launched last year amid tension over the death of Seever and other use-of-force cases. Family members said the 29-year-old was in a mental crisis when he was shot outside a Woodland Avenue church. Since-fired officer Joseph Lamantia faces a manslaughter charge, and the family filed a civil lawsuit.
Speakers on Thursday also cited the July 14 death of Paul Chavez Jr. and the July 4 wounding of Dylan Harvey. Both shootings remain under investigation.
The current process has two parts — an internal review of whether the shooting violated department policies, and a decision by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office on prosecuting the officer.
The auditor proposed by Forward Together would stop short of the wholly independent body that some cities use to investigate officer-involved shootings.
The auditor nonetheless would have access to internal reviews at MPD and could issue public reports with as much detail as laws allow. Forward Together recommends a civilian advisory committee to work with the auditor. They could make recommendations on various aspects of police work along with use-of-force cases.
The auditor could be an attorney or other person well versed in police procedure, Chairman Will Kelly told the council.
“What is essential is that the auditor is someone who has the trust of all stakeholders,” he said. “They cannot be seen as a hack or a tool for one side or the other or any particular interest.”
Kelly is organizing director of the North Valley Labor Federation.
Committee member Dan Starr is an MPD sergeant and also president of the Modesto Police Officers Association. He told the council that he appreciated working with the ACLU and other groups.
“There were varying viewpoints, based upon life experiences and things that they have seen and heard throughout their lives,” he said.
New approach on mental health
The report said MPD got 19,238 calls for service in 2020 about people who were mentally ill, homeless or both, which was 11% of the total.
About two-thirds of them posed no safety risk for officers, so they could be referred to the Community Health and Assistance Team. It launched last fall with help from social service providers.
The calls deemed risky can go to the Mobile Crisis Emergency Response Team. It began in April with county Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
The team aims to avoid encounters with police that end in death or injury for mentally troubled people. Its expansion to 24/7 coverage was supported by committee member Linda Mayo, a local leader with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“Some really horrible things are happening to people that we love, so that’s why I signed up for this (committee),” she said.
Other ideas for police
The committee is not expected to continue gathering beyond the council’s consideration of its proposals. Some members suggested that the permanent advisory board monitor progress on officer-involved shootings, mental health and other suggestions. Specific measures were not included in the report.
Among the other ideas are:
- Increased training on civil rights and possible bias toward certain groups
- More alternatives to arrest for juvenile offenders
- More mental health treatment for officers under stress
- Keeping a record of all police stops
- More training on use-of-force alternatives, such as Tasers
- More engagement with Latino people, who were under-represented in department surveys.
