CC4J sent a questionnaire to all of the eight candidates for the open seats on the Chico City Council in September, 2022. Below are the responses received.
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District 2 - Kasey Reynolds contact: Kasey Reynolds for Council
Kasey Reynolds did not return the questionnaire to CC4J
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District 2 - Morgan Kennedy contact: Morgan Kennedy for Council
Questions for Chico City Council Candidates
1. In “21stCentury Policing”, law enforcement is called upon to be “guardians, not warriors” to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public. What police reform do you see is needed in Chico and what will you do to enact this reform?
I have concern with the over militarization of our police department. We are at our core still a small town and CPD is being armed to the teeth. This is not only further ingraining their department to believe our residents to be inherently dangerous, but it is furthering the belief of our residents that the police will do them undue harm.
2. Chico Police Dept. uses ‘Lexipol’, a for- profit criminal justice company, to write our Use of Force policy. READ MORE......
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District 3 - Dale Bennett contact: Dale Bennet for Council
Dale Bennett did not return the questionnaire to CC4J
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District 3 - Monica McDaniel contact: Monica McDaniel for Council
Questions for Chico City Council Candidates
1. In “21st Century Policing”, law enforcement is called upon to be “guardians, not warriors” to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public. What police reform do you see is needed in Chico and what will you do to enact
this reform?
I think that police officers would be able to relate to the public better, and vice versa, if we were able to humanize them more. There used to be programs that allowed for police officers to be able to interact with the public on a more positive level, like the
trading card program, where officers had little cards that they could give out to the public, got them talking to people more, and kids liked collecting them.
2. Chico Police Dept. uses ‘Lexipol’, a for- profit criminal justice company, to write our Use of Force policy. Officers learn de-escalation techniques at the Butte College Academy but CC4J advocates for even more training. READ MORE.....
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District 4 - Nichole Nava contact: Nichole Nava for Council
Nichole Nava did not return the questionnaire to CC4J
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District 4 - Addison Winslow contact: Addison Winslow for Council
Questions for Chico City Council Candidates
1. In “21stCentury Policing”, law enforcement is called upon to be “guardians, not warriors” to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public. What police reform do you see is needed in Chico and what will you do to enact this reform?
My priorities are citizen-run citizen oversight, de-escalation training and protocols, and establishing a mental health crisis response team to divert some 911 calls from the police.
2. Chico Police Dept. uses ‘Lexipol’, a for- profit criminal justice company, to write our Use of Force policy. Officers learn de-escalation techniques at the Butte College Academy but CC4J advocates for even more training. READ MORE..
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District 6 - Tom van Overbeek contact: Tom van Overbeek for Council
Tom van Overbeek did not return the questionnaire to CC4J.
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District 6 - Jesica Giannola contact: Jesica Giannola for Council
Questions for Chico City Council Candidates
1. In “21st Century Policing”, law enforcement is called upon to be “guardians, not warriors” to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public. What police reform do you see is needed in Chico and what will you do to enact this reform?
I would like to see the following reform actions taken with the Chico PD; Demilitarization steps need to be taken where they can. The policy of taking on used military equipment and purchasing of specific military grade arms needs immediate reevaluation and reconsideration. .
Chico PD has had recent history of officer involved shootings resulting in death of the civilian, and then documentation of subsequent investigation have revealed possible cover-ups, withheld information, excessive redaction, and denial of public records requests. Chico needs independent prosecutors, and civilian complaint review boards for transparency and accountability.
Mental health policies for officers should be addressed as well. Officers are engaged in high-stress intense interactions and it's imperative that they have adequate support for their mental health well being. That can look like regular mental health assessments, required mental health debriefing, skill applications, and careful consideration of misconduct and complaints. Racial bias and profiling training is incredibly important for our officers in determining often unrealized bias that influence their approach to civilians of various ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. This training is crucial in breaking down the bias that leads to dangerous and lethal interactions. I also feel that our officers should not work excessive overtime, as with any dangerous job that requires sound decision making, and high stress scenarios, an officer would experience fatigue and poor judgement when constantly required to work long hours. Just as pilots and truck drivers need breaks between shifts, so
should officers.
2. Chico Police Dept. uses ‘Lexipol’, a for- profit criminal justice company, to write our Use of Force policy. Officers learn de-escalation techniques at the Butte College Academy but CC4J advocates for even more training. Will you support a local use of force policy that encourages increased training in de- escalation and overall humane policing? READ MORE......
