RICHMOND — Improving public safety in Richmond will require both greater investment in its police department and alternative policing models, according to a new investigation by the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury.
Hiring and retention challenges in the Richmond Police Department prompted the examination, according to the recently released 10-page report which details the investigation, findings and recommendations from the civil grand jury, a 19-member body charged with identifying how local governments can be improved.
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“Based on our investigation, the City of Richmond should consider taking a two-pronged approach to addressing the issues of police staffing and implementation of an alternative nonpolice response program,” the report states.
Police killings of Black people sparked a national public safety reform movement over the last five years that has also influenced policy changes in Richmond, the report acknowledged. But city officials have dedicated resources toward police reform and oversight for decades after contending with its own history of alleged police brutality, excessive use of force and killings.
The city’s Community Police Review Commission, previously known as the Police Commission, was established in 1984 and tasked with investigating complaints against officers and reviewing policing policies. The Office of Neighborhood Safety, a non-law enforcement city department with the mission of reducing gun violence, was launched in 2007.
Most recently, the city has spent the last five years developing a Community Crisis Response Program, officially known as Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness. Commonly referred to as ROCK, it was modeled after the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets program out of Eugene, Oregon.
To support that project and the work of the Office of Neighborhood Safety, the council voted in 2021 to reallocate $3 million from the police department to those programs, homelessness services and YouthWORKS, which provides career readiness and financial literacy programming to young people.
But in reallocating that funding, the jury report notes the city removed funding from an already understaffed and overworked police department, citing two reports by Raftelis Financial Consultants and Matrix Consulting Group, which recommended the city add 27-30 sworn officers to the force.
In 2020, a total of 178 sworn officer positions were approved but only 149 were filled, according to the civil grand jury report. As of the current fiscal year, the city has approved the hiring of 146 sworn officers but only about 113 of those positions are filled.
As a result, officers were expected to work hundreds of hours of overtime, specialized units have been dissolved, officers have either opted to retire early or to leave for different agencies, capacity to train new officers is greatly limited and those in the force feel elected leaders are biased against them, the report states.
Violent crime has also spiked over the last four years, according to the report, which also contends that many crimes are going unreported. While homicides have fallen by nearly 40% since 2021, sexual assaults have increased by almost 21%, robberies by 37.4% and aggravated assaults by nearly 20%, according to data shared by the civil grand jury.
“The loss of resources to these specialized units results in a more reactive police force in these areas. With fewer officers in these areas the RPD is unable to be proactive and attempt to prevent the crimes,” the report states.
Meanwhile, progress on establishing the ROCK program has been stalled due to a dispute between the city and the Richmond Police Officers Association over which union should represent future community intervention specialists who will be responsible for providing unarmed emergency services.
The police union has argued the roles should be represented by their unit because the position would be taking tasks from the police department, they’d be working closely with sworn officers and will likely need protections unique to the association.
But Human Resources Director Sharrone Taylor has asserted the role would more sensibly be represented by the SEIU Local 1021 General Employees Bargaining Unit given that the responsibilities of community intervention specialists will resemble those of other non-sworn law enforcement personnel. That arrangement would also signal to the public that the position is providing unarmed, non-punitive services, Taylor said during a recent city council meeting.
The Richmond City Council recently settled that dispute during a meeting in early May by agreeing to place the position under the general employees bargaining unit.
The civil grand jury has recommended that the council further direct City Manager Shasa Curl to create a timeline by Jan. 1, 2026, to implement the ROCK program and to work with the police department on establishing a training program for dispatchers to enable them to send appropriate personnel to incidents.
“These groups, working together with the RPD, will help the community at large feel more supported, safer, and benefit from a better overall quality of life in the City. Additionally, the City should consider investing in and supporting the efforts of the RPD, with a goal of filling all vacancies and having enough police officers appropriate for a city of its size and complexity,” the civil grand jury report states.
Also by Jan. 1, 2026, the civil grand jury has recommended that the city council should consider reviewing the Matrix and Raftelis reports during a meeting and following police officer staffing recommendations in those reports. Additional recommendations call for creating a plan to increase the number of field training officers in the force and reducing mandatory overtime.
To improve conditions in the police department, the civil grand jury’s final recommendation called on the city council to consider using some of a $550 million settlement with the Richmond Chevron Refinery to help hire and retain officers.
Representatives with the City Manager’s Office and Richmond Police Department did not respond to requests for comment. Mayor Eduardo Martinez was out sick and unable to comment at this time, his staff said.
Officials will have between 60 and 90 days to formally respond to the report including providing opinions on whether they agree or disagree with each of the jury’s 16 findings and where they stand on implementing recommendations.
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