Vallejo to Release Third-Party Audit of Police Dept. Next Week

The city of Vallejo will release to the public next week the
findings of a third-party audit of the city’s Police Department, including a review
of current policies and practices as well as areas for improvement.

The Vallejo City Council retained the Southern
California-based OIR Group last August to review the city’s police practices,
shortly after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old rapper Willie McCoy in February
2019.

The council voted in a closed session meeting Tuesday to
waive the city’s attorney-client privilege protecting the report in order to
make its findings public. Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams and an OIR Group
representative will present the report’s findings at the council’s virtual meeting
next Tuesday.

“This has helped us develop a roadmap for our
improvement,” Williams said. “This is a plan that members of our
department and community can unite behind as we work to put each of the
recommendations into action.”

The city has had a reckoning about its police practices
following several officer-involved shootings in recent years. On Tuesday, the
council also approved an agreement with the state’s Department of Justice to
reform the Vallejo Police Department’s training, practices and transparency.

While the agreement had been in development for several
months, the timing of its announcement was less than a week after the death of 22-year-old
Sean Monterrosa, who was fatally shot by a Vallejo police officer on June 2.

“I want Vallejoans to know how deeply committed the
City is to implementing (OIR Group’s) recommendations to improve police
services for our community,” Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said. “This
is a multi-year effort and to be successful it requires cooperation and a
shared mission with the community.”

Residents can participate in the council’s special meeting next week via the city’s website at cityofvallejo.net/cms/One.aspxportalId=13506&pageId=22200.

Source: NBC Bay Area