Oversight_Panel
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Ms. Upton reported on the Governance Committee meeting that included herself, Kathy Black, Dorka Keehn, Emily Murase and Carol Sacco. Ms. Upton announced that currently there is one open seat on the Oversight Panel. Potential candidates were identified at the Governance Committee meeting and they will be invited to the Oversight Panel meeting. Oversight Panel members felt it important to reach out to the Latina, Asian Pacific Islander and African American communities. Ken Theisen expressed concern that community-based organizations may not have the ability to send a representative to regular meetings. It was noted that there are good candidates among members of the Audit Implementation Committee and Audit Committee members should be invited to the Annual Retreat.
Commissioner Keehn announced that she has polled Oversight Panel members regarding their intention to continue on the Panel and currently all Panel Members wish to continue to serve.
Mr. Theisen reported that the July meeting was cancelled and the Audit Implementation Committee last met on June 12. He stated that a key focus of the committee is to engage the courts. As part of the meeting with Presiding Judge James McBride, the courts stated that they could not attend all scheduled Audit Committee meetings, but would be willing to send a representative on an as-needed basis. The committee intends to invite a court representative to a meeting in the fall. Mr. Theisen further reported that the courts are also facing budget cuts, and will be closed one Wednesday a month, raising access concerns.
Ms. Black stated that the Panel needs to consider budget and staffing constraints when pursuing policy reforms. Commissioner Keehn stated that the work of the Panel has been based on collaboration rather than compulsion, and noted that domestic violence work is often the first to get cut from budgets. Mr. Theisen expressed his view that budget constraints can be an excuse for resisting policy reforms. Panel members agreed that the issue of pushing reforms in departments that face severe staffing and budget constraints should be included in the upcoming Strategic Planning Retreat.
Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall presented a status report on implementation of the Domestic Violence Victim Safety and Accountability Audit. The report outlines the 5 major gaps identified by the audit: 1) risk assessment, 2) stalking, 3) language and cultural competency, 4) batterer accountability, 5) complexity of risk. Of the 68 total recommendations contained in the audit, 21 (31%) have been completed, 8 (12%) have been identified as beyond the scope of departments or not a best practice for San Francisco. Of the remaining 39 recommendations, 8 (12%) are near completion and another 15 (22%) have had some progress. Out of 68 total recommendations, 16 (24%) have not yet been addressed. Several of the recommendations require participation by the courts. Ms. Marshall reported that Claire Williams of the San Francisco Superior Courts will be attending the September meeting of the Audit Implementation Committee.
Ms. Marshall recommended that the Panel prioritize the audit recommendations given the budget context and establish a timetable (1 year or 18 months) for completion of the committee's work.
Mr. Theisen thanked Ms. Marshall for her exceptional work staffing the committee and producing the status report. He pointed to a major challenge in achieving progress on recommendations that require interagency work. Ms. Black stated that there is a need to be clear about policy objectives and to raise the visibility of the work. She added that new members of the Panel could help in this area.
Commissioner Keehn explained that meeting regularly with department heads is a way that policy reforms have been achieved, but interagency progress is challenging. Ms. Allison Hauck cited as an example safety at the Hall of Justice where the number of bailiffs has been greatly reduced. For the courthouse at 400 McAllister, there is now only one bailiff per floor. Mr. Theisen noted that a uniformed escort is available by request at the courthouse.
Ms. Upton reported that the Sheriff's Department has been very responsive to concerns raised about safety in the security line at the Hall of Justice.
In terms of next steps, Commissioner Keehn confirmed that the Audit Committee will review the status report and provide recommendations to the Oversight Panel to be considered at the October Strategic Planning Retreat.
C. Batterer Accountability Committee
Tina Gilbert of the Adult Probation Department reported that budget cuts have had an impact on staffing at the Adult Probation Department. Although the Domestic Violence Unit has remained intact so far, the Department will not have the ability to backfill positions left vacant due to retirement. Ms. Gilbert assured Panel members that coverage for intensive and domestic violence case loads would continue at the Department.
Ms. Gilbert stated that currently there are seven certified Batterer Intervention Programs. The Adult Probation Department has developed manuals and accountability measures for each program. Antonio Ramirez asked if the number of referrals is continuing to decline. Ms. Gilbert reported that the courts have seen a decrease in the number of family violence cases in the past six months. Conventional wisdom is that incidence of family violence goes up in economic downturns, but Mr. Theisen explained that perhaps in this economic downturn families are opting to stay together regardless of domestic/family violence out of necessity (financial assistance, secure housing, etc.).
Ms. Gilbert reported that 20 participants from surrounding Bay Area Probation Departments met at the quarterly domestic violence roundtable last week. It was noted that the caseload size per probation officer has increased significantly. In San Francisco, the number is roughly 65 - 72 cases for officers specializing in domestic violence. Other counties have approximately 300 cases per officer, which is the level of cases for general supervision.
Dr. Murase reported that she has asked Carol Sacco and Laura Marshall to begin policy work on batterer intervention programs to answer some of the basic questions the Panel has been asking for several years, including the effectiveness of programs, batterer compliance and overall accountability.
Ms. Upton reported that the Board of Supervisors, in particular President David Chiu and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, have shown interest and a real commitment to seeing the JUSTIS project through and providing the necessary funds.
Ms. Upton thanked Ms. Black for attending previous meetings of the Governance Council. Ms. Upton attended the July 23 JUSTIS Governance Council. She was very pleased to report that the Sheriff's Department is going "live" on August 9 (Sunday). The Sheriff's Department has been a leader in implementation and will be able to track information that has been input into the system. At the end of August, the Mission Police Station is scheduled to go "live" for all new bookings.
Panel members asked for clarification about what it actually means for some departments to implement JUSTIS and others not yet; who would be able to access the information? Commissioner Keehn asked about the status of Memoranda of Understanding among departments participating in JUSTIS. She asked that this item be placed on the agenda at the next JUSTIS meeting for discussion.
E. Family Violence Council
Ms. Upton reported on the July 17, 2009 meeting of the Family Violence Council. The Council heard several presentations on intervention programs, including one that focused on parenting skills for incarcerated parents. However, the availability of programs addressing elder abuse remains an issue. Discussion focused on whether intervention programs addressing one form of abuse could be helpful in addressing other forms of abuse.
The Council also reviewed the First Comprehensive Report on Family Violence, which gathers for the first time baseline statistics on child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse. Ms. Upton acknowledged the work of Ms. Marshall, who worked closely with departments to collect the data. Already, there is interest in working on next year's report.
The next meeting of the Family Violence Council is Thursday, August 13, 3 - 4:30 pm, San Francisco Superior Court, 400 McAllister (at Polk), Room 617, will focus on how to improve the report for next year.
V. NEW BUSINESS
A. Rape Cold Case Presentation
Russell Giuntini of the District Attorney’s Office provided a detailed presentation on the history of Rape Cold Cases and the importance of DNA databases. Oversight Panel members had a number of questions related to the collection and processing of DNA evidence for Mr. Guintini.
Dr. Murase offered to support any efforts to address legislation change or funding. Oversight Panel members suggested that Mr. Guintini present to the community at large.
Ms. Upton reported that the community is monitoring two cases.
1. Maria Lourdes Tamayo-Gomez: Ms. Upton reported that Ms. Tamayo-Gomez’s death has been ruled a homicide and an arrest warrant has been issued for Saul Gallegos, Ms. Tamayo-Gomez’s estranged husband. The community will continue to follow this case.
2. Danielle Keller: James Raphael Mitchell has been charged with murder for allegedly beating his former girlfriend to death, as well as, domestic violence, kidnapping, child abduction and child endangerment. The community will follow this case closely, as there are implications in both Marin and San Francisco, due to criminal history.
B. Update on Language Access in the Jails
Dr. Murase reported that language access was a recommendation of the Victim Safety and Accountability Audit. The issue of language access in the jails was raised at a prior Oversight Panel meeting when the District Attorney's Office had expressed concern over the ability of police inspectors to interview suspects in their native languages. On behalf of the panel, Dr. Murase and Ms. Black met with Sheriff Hennessey to discuss this issue. To follow-up, the Department asked for an update and received a written response from the Sheriff's Department.
Despite the availability of these options, Lieutenant Molly Pengel reported that inspectors have constructed workarounds. She highlighted the victim, officer, and public safety concerns raised in moving suspects from the jails to police department offices in order to access translation services. She announced that the new police chief starts on Monday. Ms. Upton requested that a meeting be set up with the new police chief. The Panel supported the proposal for members of the Panel to visit the jails. Oversight Panel members Emily Murase, Ken Theisen, Dion Roberts and Allyson Hauck expressed an interest in attending the visit.
V. NEW BUSINESS
B. Strategic Planning Retreat
Oversight Panel members discussed the draft agenda for the October strategic planning retreat and expressed a desire to solidify the purpose of the Oversight Panel. Oversight Panel members want to ensure that the focus of the Justice and Courage work is to address the criminal justice system and want this to be at the forefront of future efforts. Panel members agreed that the agenda be revised to include visioning at the beginning of the day and prioritization and action steps developed at the end of the day. Ms. Sacco will revise the agenda and send it to Chair Keehn for approval.
No public comment.
