Oversight_Panel
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 JUSTICE AND COURAGE OVERSIGHT PANEL
City Hall, Room 416
October 21, 2002, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Minutes
Oversight Panel Members in Attendance
Dorka Keehn, Commission on the Status of Women (COSW)
Susan Leal, City of San Francisco
Belle Taylor-McGhee, Department on the Status of Women(DOSW)
Ken Theisen, Bay Area Legal Aid
Beverly Green-Simmons, Greenbook Initiative
Clara Tempongko
Beverly Upton, San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium
Barbara Brooten Job
Manuel Vasquez, San Francisco Department on Public Health
Patti Chang, The Women’s Foundation
Call to Order and Roll Call
Roll call was taken by the interim secretary/clerk.
Action: None
Welcome Remarks and Introductions
Co-chair Dorka Keehn introduced herself and thanked the panel members for their participation.
Ms. Keehn provided a brief overview of the Justice and Courage Report and its recommendations to create an Oversight Panel.
Panel members introduced themselves and provided a history of their backgrounds.
Action: None
Overview of Oversight Panel and Committee Structure
Co-chair Susan Leal presented an overview of the Oversight Panel. She also provided a description of the committees the Oversight Panel will supervise (Interdepartmental Relations, Resources, Protocol, and Data Collection), and the responsibility of each committee.
Co-chair Keehn stated that the committees will meet on a monthly basis and report back to the Panel. The Panel is scheduled to meet quarterly.
Panel member Ken Theisen commented that he was disappointed by the lack of representation by the San Francisco Superior Courts and stated that the Courts are part of the problem, as well as part of the solution.
Co-chair Leal asked Panel member and Department on the Status of Women (DOSW) Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee to explain the selection process for the committees.
Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that letters requesting nominations or referrals for the committees were sent out to all departments mentioned in the Justice and Courage Report. Ms. Taylor- McGhee added that DOSW has received excellent participation from most of the departments contacted; however, more committee members are needed. She suggested that each committee appoint its own chair.
Co-chair Leal commented that it may be helpful to receive a list of the departments who have responded to the request for committee participation. She stated that the Panel can then write a letter to those departments who did not respond to the request and a separate letter to the Courts asking for committee participation.
Panel member Patti Chang inquired about the participation of the Adult Probation Department on the committees.
Chief Armando Cervantes of the Adult Probation Department stated that he did receive a letter requesting staff participation for the committees; however, his department is presently handling a considerable domestic violence case load and currently does not have the staff to release for committee participation.
Panel members Ken Theisen and Barbara Brooten Job commented that the Adult Probation Department’s participation on committees is crucial.
Chief Cervantes replied that he would take the Panel’s comments into consideration and reconsider the Department’s decision.
Action: A letters will be drafted by DOSW to Departments that did not respond to the initial request asking for committee participation. A letter will be drafted to the Courts requesting participation in the Justice and Courage project and representation on committees. Panel members will provide their email addresses to the clerk.
Sunshine Law Training
Deputy City Attorney Edward Olsen conducted training on the Panel’s obligation under the Sunshine Ordinance.
Mr. Olsen stated that action could only be taken on items placed on the agenda. Therefore, the letters that the Panel would like to write should be typed as drafts, circulated to the panel and placed on the agenda as action items for the next meeting.
Action: None
Update on Justice and Courage Project
Panel member Belle Taylor-McGhee gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the Oversight Panel, the four committees and the database transition from the current Case Management System (CMS) to the JUSTIS system.
Co-chair Keehn asked what departments would be linked to the JUSTIS system, if 911 would have access to the data, and if the data would be imputed into the system by the various departments.
Walt Calcagno of DTIS stated that the JUSTIS system would be a repository for all domestic violence related data and the data will be accessible by multiple departments (basically the key criminal justice departments.) He also stated that 911 is not currently in the present scope of departments that will have access to the data; however, if 911 has a network connection, they too would have access. He stated that conceivably, the data would be imputed into each department’s database and would interface with other databases via the central warehouse.
Co-chair Leal asked if the leadership and management were on board from the various departments to ensure that the data will be utilized.
Mr. Calcagno stated whether or not the departments choose to access the data is beyond DTIS’ control.
Ms. Belle Taylor-McGhee reported that the Data Collection and Management committee is expected to come up with the DV module for the JUSTIS system.
Co-chair Leal asked if a baseline had been presented to the departments.
Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that information had been shared with the various departments.
Panel member Beverly Upton asked if every individual department was charged with entering its own data or will there be a centralized system.
Mr. Cervantes stated that the Adult Probation Department is currently entering the data in the CMS system. He also stated that the new case management system that Adult Probation is in the process of implementing requires that staff enter data and probation officers will update new information based on their individual caseloads.
Co-chair Keehn stated that the data input process could be facilitated more easily if other departments were not required to input the Courts data. She added that to her understanding the Courts will not be involved with the JUSTIS system and asked if there were a way for the Courts database system and JUSTIS to be linked.
Mr. Calcagno stated that the JUSTIS project will initially get the case management data from the existing CMS system; however, when the Courtsimplement its new system, JUSTIS will receive data from that database. He added that the Courts are on record as being willing to continue to provide information to other departments via JUSTIS.
Co-chair Leal commented that she is concerned about the department’s ability to obtain the necessary resources to coordinate the components needed to set-up the system. Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that an Oversight Panel Coordinator will be hired and that person will help facilitate the process; however, DTIS will be responsible for designing the module that will be used for the JUSTIS system.
Co-chair Keehn asked if department heads responded to the letter sent out by DOSW requesting suggestions and information pertaining to domestic violence issues, and if so would a report be furnished to the Panel.
Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that several departments did respond to the request, and DOSW will provide the Panel with a report.
Action: DOSW will forward to the Panel members a report on the current status of data collection and management among key departments outlined in the Justice and Courage Report. The Panel members will review the report so that the agenda can be set prior to the next panel meeting.
Public Comment: Esta Soler, President of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, congratulated Belle Taylor-McGhee, Dorka Keehn and Susan Leal for their efforts in putting together an extraordinary Oversight Panel. Ms. Soler stated that while she is encouraged that a great domestic violence module for JUSTIS can be developed, it is not just about the domestic violence module, but about making the whole justice system work. She added that an additional issue is: how do we have the right oversight so that the justice system in the city works?
Oversight Panel and Committee Priorities
Co-chair Keehn stated that one of the priorities of the Panel is to establish the working committees as soon as possible. She stated that she would like the Panel to send DOSW nominations for the committees, and that action could be taken at the next Panel meeting on the nominations. She would like the Panel to meet next month (November.)
Panel member Patti Chang asked if there were room in committees for DV specific service providers who are working on the prevention aspects of domestic violence and where they would be useful.
Co-chair Keehn replied that those service providers would be appropriate for any committee. She added that it may be helpful for candidates to look at the Justice and Courage Report so they can decide where they would be most useful.
Action: DOSW will forward to the Panel via email the draft letter addressed to the Courts. The Panel will forward recommendations for the committees to DOSW prior to the next Panel meeting. An email will be circulated listing the Panel members email addresses
Schedule of Future Meetings
The next Oversight Panel meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, 2002.
Action: None
Public Comment
Mauryn Lees, a member of the Public, stated that the most important element needed to make the Justice and Courage Project work is the participation of department heads (Chief of Police, District Attorney, etc.)
Captain Keith Sanford of the San Francisco Police Department gave public comment on behalf of Police Chief Earl Sanders regarding the Police Department’s commitment to address domestic and family violence and the JUSTIS system.
Clara Tempongko stated that she is usually dismissed by the San Francisco Police Department when she attempts to obtain information regarding the status of her daughter’s case. She asked for the Police Department’s help in capturing the alleged murderer of her daughter, Terry Ramirez.
Action: None
Closing Remarks
Co-Chair Keehn thanked everyone for participating.
Action: None
Announcements
Action: None
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
Action: None
