Piedmont PD and Recent Tragic Events, by Chief Rikki Goede

With the tragic and horrific events of the past two weeks, I have been asked by residents, council members, and committee members alike as to how our officers and I are doing.  Inquiries have also been made regarding what our department has done to address the national issues concerning law enforcement.  While I have had individual conversations and e-mail exchanges, I feel it is important to share my thoughts in an opinion piece for the benefit of others who may have the same questions and concerns.

What is happening in our society today with regard to our divisiveness around many issues, most notably race, far transcends the simple notion of a law enforcement versus people of color issue.  It is a societal issue.  The callous murders of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge are my and every other law enforcement officer's worst nightmare come true.  I also believe they are every peaceful protester's worst nightmare come true, as well as the nightmare of every person in this nation who so passionately seeks change and wants our divisiveness to end.  As I told my police department, evil seeks to divide us and turn us on each other, and we cannot let that happen.  
I will tell you, we at PPD have received nothing but support from our community.  People have gone out of their way to stop me and our officers on the street (in both Oakland and Piedmont) to thank us for our service and let us know they support us.  We have received plants, gift cards, and letters and cards of support.  It has been both heartwarming and uplifting to all of us, and we thank you.  I believe it is reflective of all the good work our officers do for this community as well as how they do it, which is respectfully and professionally.
Our Department has worked hard to get better.  PPD officers have been wearing body cameras since September, 2013.  Every one of our officers has been through Biased Based Policing training to better understand the concepts of implicit and explicit bias.  Every single officer and dispatcher has completed the week long Crisis Intervention Training to better understand and effectively deal with those individuals in personal crisis and/or suffering from mental illness.  We have been, and will continue to, thread de-escalation principles throughout all of our firearms and use of force training.  Our Department wholly recognizes the six pillars of policing as defined by President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing:  (1) Building Trust and Legitimacy; (2) Policy and Oversight;  (3) Technology and Social Media; (4) Community Policing and Crime Reduction; (5) Training and Education; (6) Officer Wellness and Safety.
Additionally, we have strengthened our relationships within our own community by partnering with the Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee (PADC).  Last Fall, PADC members and all of our police department employees partnered on a potluck barbeque and, over a shared meal, had an opportunity to discuss candidly the issues of which we are facing.  In May, PADC sponsored and participated in the police and fire departments’ annual Battle of the Badges which raised over $2,000 for Special Olympics.  And, last week one of the PADC co-chairs and I met for over two hours in a very personal and cathartic meeting in which we shared our united grief and frustration over recent events.  None of us have the one answer that will solve everything, but we all feel the pain of what is happening and know these conversations and relationship building are a vital part of moving forward.
The last few years have brought challenges and opportunities for law enforcement to get better.  We have heeded the call to change and made many strides toward understanding and improving those areas in which we had strayed from our core values.  We have embraced this need to change and taken on the responsibility to lead.  Do we still have issues--yes.  Do we still have improvements to be made--yes.  Do we still have work to do--yes.  But, we are doing the work against the backdrop of media rhetoric, false narratives that proliferate through social media, and evil acts that constantly seek to divide law enforcement and their communities and erase all our gains.  And, even with all that we have accomplished here in our community, I know that at any given moment one of my officers may be involved in a use of force or a shooting incident that could put Piedmont squarely in the cross hairs of public scrutiny.  But, I also believe our work will have garnered the trust and support of our community, and we will stand together and use it to get better and stronger and, hopefully, change the narrative.
As President Obama stated during the memorial for the Dallas police officers, "...so much of the tensions between police departments and minority communities that they serve is because we ask the police to do too much, and we ask too little of ourselves…”  The Dallas police chief, who portrayed amazing leadership, challenged his community to do more and encouraged protesters to fill out an application and become a police officer and actually be part of the change they wish to see. 
There is so much truth in both of those sentiments.  We cannot continue to put this burden solely on our police officers.  Across the nation and in our individual communities, we all need to come together and look outside the realities and comfort of our own bubbles and acknowledge we all do not experience things in the same way.  We must also be willing to acknowledge that there is pain, ostracism, torment, anger, and even hatred felt by many in our own city and across the country.  It is real and cannot be ignored.  I truly believe this is a watershed moment for our country.  And, my 31 years of policing experience tell me there are countless more good people in this world than evil who truly want to see the current divisiveness bridged.  The question can no longer be what is law enforcement doing to solve this societal issue, it must be what are we all doing.

Dear Mayor and Council:

On February 9, 2015, and February 16, 2015, members of the Piedmont Police Department stopped two individuals during separate incidents while in the lawful course of their duties. The stop on February 16 was the result of a traffic violation observed by the officer, and the stop on February 9 was investigatory based on a 911 report of a suspicious person taking pictures of houses. Neither the individuals stopped, nor the circumstances under which they were stopped, were related in any way. However, both individuals publicly recounted their experiences ‐ one through an opinion piece in the Oakland Tribune and the other in a personal blog. Both cited race as an overriding factor for the law enforcement contact. Understandably, many who read one or both of the writings were concerned.

As the Piedmont Police Chief, I take any dissatisfaction with our police services seriously, but especially those dissatisfactions centered on impartiality or bias. As such, I am writing this letter to update the council on the work that has been done by the Department and future plans that are in the works in our continuing efforts to achieve thoughtful discourse and continued collaboration with our community, both inside and outside of Piedmont.

It is important to note that there are usually two perspectives in every law enforcement encounter. By definition, perspectives are evaluations of situations or fact from individual points of view and do not necessarily establish a right or wrong. Given that experience and history often shape opinions and perspective, two people can conceivably share opposite perspectives with neither being wrong. For this reason, outreach and collective discourse become crucial to understanding and learning from each other and finding common ground from which everyone can benefit.

With this in mind, the Department reached out to both individuals to see if they would be willing to meet and discuss each of the stops, which both were very willing to do. Both meetings were very congenial, informative, educational, and productive. I truly believe we all walked away with new thoughts, ideas, and perspectives that can only be gained through honest self‐reflection and dialogue. I am grateful to both individuals for taking the time to meet with us and, more importantly, for their candid insights which have greatly aided us in framing the ongoing conversations with our personnel. Many of those conversations have centered on awareness of the anxiety and vulnerability that people often feel when stopped by law enforcement. More importantly, how mindful consideration of this can improve our efforts to communicate with the public, put people at ease, gain better cooperation and, ultimately, bring humanism to our law enforcement interactions.

In addition to the afore mentioned meetings, all sworn personnel and dispatch have either attended or are scheduled to attend Bias-Based Police Training, as well as the 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training. It is anticipated all officers and dispatchers will have completed both trainings by this time next year. Also, the Department recently participated in the Law Enforcement Executives’ Summit on Police Legitimacy and Procedural Justice which was sponsored by Melinda Haag, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. The day-long summit featured many law enforcement leaders, scholars, District Attorneys, and community leaders who came together to discuss how to better engage and build trust with our communities while ensuring justice, fairness, and transparency in law enforcement. It was a powerful day that gave us new ideas and validated those we have already instituted. Finally, all supervisors within the Department have been directed to read the 102-page investigative report on the Ferguson Police Department conducted by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and we will be discussing it at length at April’s monthly command staff meeting. Understanding and learning from others’ mistakes, as well as identifying our own potential pitfalls, is crucial to avoiding them.

I do want to point out the Biased‐Based Policing and Crisis Intervention trainings, as well as our attendance at the Law Enforcement Summit, were planned prior to either of the two stops occurring. The Department is and has been committed to being proactive as opposed to merely reactive in our attempts to continually improve police/community relations. We engage often with members of the Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee ‐ in fact, a member of the PADC was very instrumental in helping the Department schedule a meeting with one of the individuals from the previously mentioned enforcement stops.

As Chief, I have an absolute expectation that everyone in the Piedmont Police Department always provide excellent customer service, and that it be delivered fairly and impartially. I am very proud of the day-to-day efforts of the men and women who police this community and truly appreciate how they actively engage in our dialogues with them and embrace our efforts and directives. The Piedmont Police Department doors are always open to everyone, and we welcome thoughtful and collaborative conversations that will better our collective efforts at policing Piedmont safely, fairly, and impartially.

As always, please feel flee to call or come by the police department if you have any questions or want to discuss any of this further.

Respectfully, Rikki Goede.