Mayor Craig and Salinas City Council :

Across the United States, we have seen great injustices occur and lives taken by police. The Salinas police department has historically violated the trust of the community by taking the lives of our community members as well, has deliberately exploited our residents on live national television, and policed youth in our local schools. The City’s Police Community Advisory Committee has not convened regularly nor has it served as a vehicle for holding the department accountable to community concerns regarding excessive use of force and the mounting distrust of our local department that continues to only grow. This is due to the failure of leadership, lack of transparency, and accountability. 

This year residents of Salinas and throughout Monterey County have collectively unified in the interest of re-imagining policing and public safety. We are committed to building a form of public safety based on community transparency and trust. Last week the City of Salinas increased police salaries by 2.25% every year for the next 3 years despite a flood of public comments against this option and the fact that the City is facing a large budget shortfall.  We demand that the City Council request an independent audit of the Salinas Police Department as part of the 2021-2022 budget approval process. 

We want to work together with our city officials to find solutions and develop policies that will not only allow our community members to live in Salinas comfortably and safely but thrive in our city. In order to rebuild trust, the Council must take our request into consideration and take immediate action. We believe in transparency and relationship building through action, not empty words.  

The independent report should  include at minimum the following:

1.  Categorical list of services provided during the past year, particularly those reported costs incurred in direct response to COVID19.
2. Budget details during the 2020 pandemic, including the number of officers out due to COVID or other pandemic reasons continued to be paid for their service.
3. Crime statistics over the past 5 years including this past calendar year. List of contributions that have supported the decreased crime. 
4. Status update on the original Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 61 findings and 110 recommendations issued in 2016.
5. Listing and evaluation of mental health care crisis training and resources currently being practiced at the SPD. Who conducts evaluations and what is the protocol. 
6. Sub-report on state and federal grants and how they are used and outcomes.
7. The citizen complaint process, count by type, and resolution turnaround time.
8. Any and all gang injunctions currently being enacted in Salinas.

9. Weapons, vehicles, and investigation devices itemized with cost and purchasing/donation source, including:
   Cellular Phone Surveillance Devices, such as IMSI-catchers, Mobile Device Forensic Tools (MDFT), and the Shot Spotter.

10. Current improvement plan to build culturally responsive and community rooted best practices at the SPD. 

An Independent Audit is a common practice for government accountability. Our goals include increasing transparency and accountability for SPD. The findings will help inform how best to make any reforms and budget outlay decisions. This report should be available as soon as possible to inform the budget for 2021-2022. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, 

Reinvest831

Baktun 12 

Community before Cops

Agents of Change 

CSUMB Students for Quality Education

 Xinampa

Monterey County Protest