100 signatures reached
To: Mayor Kevin Faulconer
#OurVoiceOurChief: Demand transparency and inclusion in Police Chief search
Mayor Faulconer: provide San Diegans full transparency and meaningful public participation in the search for the City’s next Chief of Police.
Our voices have power and already, our voices are achieving positive change. The mayor has agreed to disclose the names of organizations associated with panel members as well as the identities of law enforcement experts participating in choosing San Diego’s next Chief of Police. This is real progress toward conducting a process that prioritizes the needs, concerns and experiences of a broad spectrum of residents – particularly our city’s youth and people of color.
But our work is not done. Mayor Faulconer has not yet agreed to disclose the identities of the final candidates nor to convene a public forum to allow concerned San Diegans to know their backgrounds, qualifications, and leadership styles.
Tell Mayor Faulconer that secrecy and exclusion are unacceptable. Petition him to convene a public forum to allow concerned San Diegans –particularly youth and people of color – to hear from the final candidates before a hiring decision is made.
Our voices have power and already, our voices are achieving positive change. The mayor has agreed to disclose the names of organizations associated with panel members as well as the identities of law enforcement experts participating in choosing San Diego’s next Chief of Police. This is real progress toward conducting a process that prioritizes the needs, concerns and experiences of a broad spectrum of residents – particularly our city’s youth and people of color.
But our work is not done. Mayor Faulconer has not yet agreed to disclose the identities of the final candidates nor to convene a public forum to allow concerned San Diegans to know their backgrounds, qualifications, and leadership styles.
Tell Mayor Faulconer that secrecy and exclusion are unacceptable. Petition him to convene a public forum to allow concerned San Diegans –particularly youth and people of color – to hear from the final candidates before a hiring decision is made.
Why is this important?
A fair, open and transparent selection process that is guided by the needs, concerns and experiences of a broad spectrum of residents – particularly youth and people of color – will ensure that the City of San Diego hires a police chief who is equally committed to upholding the dignity of all San Diegans as s/he is with upholding the law.
A 2016 SDSU study* on racial profiling determined that Black and Latino drivers were twice as likely to be stopped and searched by San Diego police officers, but less likely to have contraband than White drivers. SDPD is currently facing litigation** for illegally stopping a Black minor and obtaining his DNA without a warrant. These and other troubling issues of over-policing and unfairly biased policing are among the challenges our next Chief of Police must address. Building the necessary public trust to meet these challenges starts with how impacted communities are engaged in the selection process.
Decades of secret back room deals and broken promises have eroded public trust and confidence in our elected representatives. If Mayor Faulconer is truly committed to the vision and values of “one San Diego,” he will ensure that members of impacted communities have a real voice and consequential role in this selection process. He will be transparent and inclusive by allowing concerned San Diegans, especially youth and people of color, to hear from the final candidates before a hiring decision is made.
Mayor Faulconer: provide full transparency in the search for San Diego’s next Chief of Police and include the public from start to finish.
* https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/sdpdvehiclestopsfinal.pdf
** https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/public-safety/teenager-sued-sdpd-documented-gang-member-soon/
A 2016 SDSU study* on racial profiling determined that Black and Latino drivers were twice as likely to be stopped and searched by San Diego police officers, but less likely to have contraband than White drivers. SDPD is currently facing litigation** for illegally stopping a Black minor and obtaining his DNA without a warrant. These and other troubling issues of over-policing and unfairly biased policing are among the challenges our next Chief of Police must address. Building the necessary public trust to meet these challenges starts with how impacted communities are engaged in the selection process.
Decades of secret back room deals and broken promises have eroded public trust and confidence in our elected representatives. If Mayor Faulconer is truly committed to the vision and values of “one San Diego,” he will ensure that members of impacted communities have a real voice and consequential role in this selection process. He will be transparent and inclusive by allowing concerned San Diegans, especially youth and people of color, to hear from the final candidates before a hiring decision is made.
Mayor Faulconer: provide full transparency in the search for San Diego’s next Chief of Police and include the public from start to finish.
* https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/sdpdvehiclestopsfinal.pdf
** https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/public-safety/teenager-sued-sdpd-documented-gang-member-soon/