The Concerned Community for Justice (CC4J) says it’s encouraging people to address the Chico Police Department’s “negligence in allowing ICE and Border Patrol to access its Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) data” at the upcoming meeting Tuesday.
In a recent press release, CC4J asks community members to oppose “warrantless mass surveillance that ALPRs facilitate” during the public comment period at the City Council’s Aug. 18 meeting.
At that meeting, the Council will also consider a four-year police union contract that covers pay, benefits and other employment conditions, and would provide officers with 14.5% raises by 2029. No changes have been made to the agreement since the Council’s failure to approve it at a July meeting. The proposed amendments to the contract are estimated to cost $5.8 million over the four-year term.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at 421 Main Street.
1 Comment
What accountability, transparency, objectives and goals are there concerning any increase in salary and benefits for the Chico Police Department, which is already the largest item in the city’s annual operating budget? Isn’t the request for additional funds simply because the union says they are entitled to it? Are the scandals to be ignored? Have the hiring practices been defined and have improvements been recorded? Has the union promised to eliminate rogue officers when the department’s leaders have clearly failed to do so? Does the department want to act like a casino game, where you make a big bet and hope for the best? The people of Chico deserve to have answers regarding the recent crimes and misdemeanors committed by their “peace officers.”