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- - - - going to empower them, and to help them feel safer, and it's been demonstrated that it will be a safe tool. So, I am going to vote for this." -- Councilwoman Buchan said, "Back in March I said that I truly respected the experience of the community, and that hasn't changed. I do. I had hoped that when the agreement came to us it would be one that I could somehow live with. And I can't. I have serious concerns about much of the language in this agreement. When I get to a state like this, I have to recall the advice given to me by folks who are veterans on the Council when I first came on, and that's simply 'go with what your heart, gut or conscience or whatever word you want to use, tells you to do.' In this case, I'm going to choose conscience. I can't support this agreement. This doesn't mean I don't expect it to be passed. I think it will be. I trust that it will continue to be a help to the neighborhood. But the language is to the point where I cannot support it. My conscience won't let me." Councilwoman La Berge said, "I certainly have had a struggle this week with this particular issue, and I have had citizens from the community speak to me regarding this issue, on both sides. I respect all of the people, and appreciate all of those who have taken the time to contact me and speak to me about this. I feel very comfortable with my decision this evening. One of the ways we in City govemment tend to measure the well- being of the citizens is with statistics. We look at crime stats, home values, we look at the number of cars on the streets that contribute to congestion. We are used to looking at statistics. I think in this case it doesn't really apply. First of all, I began this process by saying, I haven't seen any statistics that show that arrests have been made. Surely, if this -- was a useful and productive system, someone would have been arrested by now. Well, I think that there are certain values that you can't measure with statistics. They are more intangible, and I think that this is one of them. I think that it is true that the community in which this system has been set up, does feel safer. Because they feel safer, they are safer. They have come together as a community and there is great value in that. I think the deterrent effect is very obvious, even though we do not have statistics to prove it. So I will support it." Councilman Leipzig said, "I just wish we could have decided on this issue earlier in the year. I think I called for us just to make a decision one way or the other, work out the language of the contract and move on, because you can add the votes up here and you know where I'm coming from. I think it has been unfortunate for the community to have to drag this out and for that I'm sorry. I wish I could have been a little more forceful with my colleagues and just made a decision on this thing and been done with it. Move forward or not. That's the biggest regret I have. I too have, along with Councilwoman Buchan, problems with the agreement itself. No need to get into that. I still am questioning why the Police Officers Association, the men and women who are out in the street risking their lives are against this system. I still think it sends a false sense of security and I don't think feeling safer makes you safer. I totally disagree with that. It is experimental technology. Redwood City is being asked to be the guinea pig, and it is not the best use of tax payer's dollars to be that guinea pig. So, let's vote." -- REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 WLY28,1997 MINUTES Page No. 491 PAGE 17