Community Feedback on Policing in San Rafael
Build trust and improve relationships with the community
What we heard from the community…
- Have the police department take deliberate actions to build trust and improve relationships with the community.
- Share community forum feedback and communicate how the Police Department will respond to community concerns.
- Have the police department participate in community events and celebrations more often.
- Have police officers who work in specific neighborhoods take the time to get to know community members better by walking and/or biking, and attending neighborhood meetings.
- Provide additional youth programs.
Improve transparency, communications, and accountability
What we heard from the community…
- Help community members understand the numerous ways they can file a complaint about the police department.
- Implement some form of police oversight with community involvement.
- Address issues regarding bias and/or racism brought forward by the community.
- Share more data and statistics on the nature of police contacts/interactions with the community.
- Find additional ways to communicate directly with residents, including regular community meetings and social media.
- Alert community members when there is information regarding important events in their neighborhood(s).
Increase diversity of the police department workforce
What we heard from the community…
- Hire additional bi-lingual officers.
- Increase the diversity of the workforce within the police department.
Increase cultural competencies, increase empathy, and customer service skills
What we heard from the community…
- Ensure officers hired by the police department have the appropriate experience, training, and professionalism.
- Evaluate officers to ensure they are psychologically fit for service.
- Ensure officers show empathy and compassion when interacting with people.
- Require officers to take diversity, equity & inclusion, and cultural competency trainings to better understand the communities they serve, including first-generation immigrant communities.
- Ensure police officers have racial and unconscious bias training.
- Treat Latino/Hispanic community members fairly, and with dignity and respect.
- Provide classes taught by police officers about the law and individual rights.
- Improve customer service to the community by all police department employees.
Increased police presence / What is needed for improved feelings of safety and security
What we heard from the community…
- Increased police presence in the Canal neighborhood to provide greater safety and security.
- Ensure community members feel safe contacting the police department. Faster police response times to calls for service.
- Ensure residents feel safe leaving their belongings in their cars without fear of them being stolen.
- Ensure that residents feel safe when walking in their neighborhood without fear of harm or harassment.
- Additional streetlights to make it safer to walk at night.
- Add surveillance cameras in the Canal neighborhood.
- Additional traffic control methods to deter speeding, side shows, and running through stop signs.
- Increased security around schools.