The Community Police Review Board approved its second annual report Wednesday night, finalizing a yearlong review of 2024.
The report outlines issues the board examined over the past year, including police recruitment practices, use of polygraph testing and the advisory arbitration process. It offers eight recommendations to the Modesto Police Department and three to the city, which will decide whether to adopt them.
Recommendations to the Police Department are:
- Provide a brief public update each month on every critical incident the CPRB is monitoring and on any other case the chief deems of high community interest.
- Publish racial, ethnic and geographic data for traffic stops, and geographic data for arrests and use-of-force incidents in a manner accessible to the public. Continue to seek insights about enforcement practices from the traffic-stop data collected under state law.
- Integrate de-escalation requirements and mandatory body-camera activation requirements into the policy manual using language so that expectations are clear and subject to enforcement.
- Engage the CPRB and at least two community-based organizations when developing policy changes and keep the board informed of policy updates in a timely manner.
- Publish an implementation schedule when a policy or training change stems from an independent police auditor’s finding, a CPRB recommendation, or when the change has an impact on public transparency or civil rights.
- Continue to evaluate the benefits and potential disadvantages of pretext stops with regard to public safety and community trust, and present findings at a meeting.
- Strive to interview officers who are involved in a deadly-force incident as soon as possible, preferably within 24 to 48 hours.
- Adopt a public-facing communication standard that looks for ways to ensure clarity and understanding, particularly with language that explains use-of-force concepts and enforcement priorities when applicable.
The final three recommendations mirror those made by the independent police auditor in June, which Police Chief Brandon Gillespie had already rejected…