July 3, 2020 Re: Oceanside Police Department Policies, Procedures, and Practices Attn: Oceanside Police Department Chief Dear Chief McCoy, On behalf of the Oceanside Justice Coalition, we write to express our appreciation for your letter addressed to the community on May 30th, 2020, regarding the events surrounding the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis. In addition, we were encouraged with your decision to adopt the San Diego County Police Chief's and Sherriff's Association's collective philosophy on Crisis Management and De-Escalation. Because the Oceanside Police Department ("OPD") has demonstrated that it values its relationship and partnership with its community, we, as residents of Oceanside, we would like to continue collaborating with OPD in its ongoing endeavor of strengthening relationships with our fellow neighbors. The Oceanside Justice Coalition is a community led network comprised of Oceanside residents who also serve in the city as educators, small business owners, faith-based leaders, mentors, and service providers. We also have the support of local attorneys. As Oceanside residents who spend a great amount of time investing in our community, we acknowledge OPD's efforts in community policing with programs like Coffee with a Cop, Oceanside Youth Program ("OYP") and the Neighborhood Police Team ("NPT"). As stated in the May 30th, 2020 letter, it is OPD's "job to provide a sense of safety and security to those who the department is committed to protect." Establishing trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship, which helps provide a sense of safety and security. In our experience in serving the Oceanside community, we have learned that transparency leads to establishing and maintaining trust. As community leaders in Oceanside, we believe that it is imperative that we are proactive as a city in filling any gaps that may exist in the relationship between OPD and the community. Thus, we identify two key areas that require immediate and transparent policy modifications: I) OPD's current policies and procedures, as advertised on social media on June 5th, 2020, are not sufficient to satisfy the 8 Can't Wait Campaign's recommended policies and procedures. II) OPD's need for an independent Citizens Review Board as recommended by the San Diego County Grand Jury on May 25th, 2016, and supported data. Our substantive analysis for these two policy and procedure modification are attached to our letter. As mentioned in your letter to our community, "OPD officers will continue to work hard to maintain your trust and remain steadfast in providing the level of service and protection that you expect from us." Hence, after you review our analysis, we request that OPD move swiftly to make the immediate necessary changes. In doing so, OPD will demonstrate that it is a proactive department that remains steadfast in providing the level of service we expect from OPD. We look forward to your continuous efforts in establishing trust with our community. We intend to bring forth the information detailed in this letter and in our analysis to the Oceanside City Council on Wednesday, August 5th, 2020. Sincerely, Oceanside Justice Coalition [email protected] A community led network mobilized to strategically counteract systemic racism. Constructed to educate and empower Oceanside’s marginalized communities to obtain racial equity as well as influence local policies and practices.
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