Sacramento Police Most Complained About By Black Community
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Tensions between the black community and the Sacramento Police Department continue to rise and now the NAACP says it's receiving more and more complaints about Sacramento police officers.
The spotlight has been on the Sacramento Police Department in recent months and for the first time, it's topping a trend tracked by Sacramento's NAACP.
"We have our top five law enforcement that normally we get calls from all the time," said Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams.
For years, Williams says the Elk Grove Police Department was the most complained about department by people in the black community. But in the last 30 days, Sacramento has taken the title. So, what's behind the shift?
"I don't know why it changed. Did it change because it's a black police chief?" said Williams.
The NAACP holds free legal clinics every third Saturday of the month dealing with a range of complaints including aggressiveness or discrimination by officers. It's expecting double it's typical traffic this weekend and says most of the complaints are about Sacramento police.
"We're better than that," said Johnny Coleman.
Coleman is on the board of the Sacramento Community Review Police Commission which reviews and recommends practices and policies. He says he's seen a number of complaints come in.
"Ultimately we don't want any complaints you know, we want to build relationships with the police department," said Coleman.
No longer the top spot, Elk Grove police say there's been a recent effort to bridge gaps with training underwent by all officers and staff.
"It just allows you to see other people's perspectives and have a better understanding of where people come from," said Elk Grove Police Department spokesman Jason Jiminez.
While changes are being made in the Sacramento Police Department, Williams says more need to come.
"All I can say at this point is Chief [Daniel] Hahn you need to do something quickly," said Williams.
CBS13 did reach out to the Sacramento Police Department for comment about these claims. It declined to comment.
