Sacramento Police, Residents Meet Ahead Of Search For New Chief

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Thursday night marked the first of four public meetings where the people of Sacramento had the chance to give feedback on Sacramento Police Department.

"I think they need to have more of a dialogue within the different communities, to see what's really important, in terms of their role within the community," said Reba Vinson, who has lived in California for 50 years.

The city's public safety subcommittee has opened up the discussion to the public, looking to improve the best practices within the force. Over the last year, many have had concerns about accountability within the department; much of that sparked from high-profile cases around the country and the city's own officer-involved shooting of Joseph Mann in July.

Vinson believes that race is a big factor and wants to see more faces of color on the force.

"Of course, it should be very diversified," she said. "That way, individuals in the community will be able to identify with officers of their race."

But her husband Ed Vinson says the disconnect between police and the neighborhoods they serve is not just about the color of their skin.

"You have to have the ones come out of the same community, that's where the love at," he said. "You ain't going to hurt the ones in your own community."

Even after 40 years of marriage, public safety is still a dialogue the two have at home. Now, with Sacramento Police Chief Sam Somers stepping down, Assistant City Manager Howard Chan believes public feedback on the search for a new chief will be invaluable.

"It's going to be very heavily weighted I mean that's part of the process," he said. "I really want to open that up and have that dialogue about what this person and this leader needs to look like."

Some of the ideas on the table include strengthening the role of the Sacramento Community Police Commission, expanding the city's body camera program, and releasing incident details to the public much sooner.

Ed spent years working with police and kids in Del Paso Heights and said future success is hanging on repairing the relationship between both right now.

"Let them play together, put a police like a tutor," he said. "Got to tutor him, so you can get that love. See they don't have that, they get fear."

Thursday night's forum was just the first of four meetings open to the public.

Friday's will be held at Hiram Johnson High School and the other two will be on Saturday in Oak Park and South Sacramento.

After the meetings, the facilitators will put together a report and make their recommendations to the city.

Those recommendations will then be available to the public on Nov. 22 and go to the Sacramento City Council for a vote on the Nov. 29.