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From:Pat Willard To:GRP-City Council Cc:MGR-Michelle Flaherty; MGR-Briana Evans; CLK-Pamela Aguila Subject:Police Advisory Committee changes Date:Thursday, May 1, 2025 12:21:26 PM Dear Members of Redwood City City Council, I am writing to you in regards to the following motion passed by City Council on April 28, 2025: Modifications to the Police Advisory Committee (PAC) ordinance to align with other boards, commissions, and committees by reducing the number of members from 11 to 7, with staggered four-year terms, and appointing all seats by majority vote of the full City Council, as recommended by the Governance Sub-Committee. While I appreciate the change to reduce the number of members, I wonder whether you have fully explored with current and former members the reasons why so many members have resigned from the PAC before their terms have expired. I have my own perspective, based in part on having a couple of friends who have served, and at least one person that I know who told me it would be a was of time to be on the committee. I have learned from these folks that it is rather frustrating to have a sort of circular discussion amongst committee members who state what is essentially their personal opinions about what the chief of police might or might not do. There is never an agreed-upon recommendation, as one might do for example, polling the members or asking for a vote. As for my own experience as a non-member but at one time very early on just a month or two after the committees original start, I was in attendance via Zoom every month for around a year-and-a- half. I would raise my hand and make public comments often. Mind you, I was the only member of the community that showed up, with the exception of once asking my activist/advocacy to attend with me. In that instance where me and my advocate colleagues of Peninsula Anti-Racism Coalition we said that it was time for Redwood City to create its own clinician-led, non-armed, non-embedded with police, mental health crisis mobile response program (aka a "mcrt"). That is because the city is wealthy enough to do it, diverse enough to do it, and large enough and ethnically diverse enough to do it. Well, that went over like a lead balloon despite the same recommendation/advocacy being made by myself including fellow Redwood City for Racial Equity alum currently sitting on the PAC, a Redwood City MCRT still hasn't been created. Lastly, I think it make no sense to have a civilian committee that doesn't give advice to the City Council about policing. The police do the best they can, and fighting crime is worth doing when it's done well. But seriously, if PAC doesn't give advice to the City Council, who will tell you what advice is given, or taken, or accepted and getting done what needs to get done. So, in the end, the residents of Redwood City have no interest in the PAC. And the reason we can tell is that rarely does a member of the public show up. By the way, why would PAC adopt the same practice that City Council took and prohibit public comments to be made over zoom. It's not like PAC is some flash point where some racist bigot is going to hurl expletives at PAC members. The PAC has no powers. Cordially, ~ Pat Willard