PD Editorial: Let the task force focus on citizen review

One conclusion can be drawn about the community task force appointed after the Andy Lopez shooting: The Board of Supervisors asked for too much too soon.

The 21-member panel is supposed to make recommendations on four weighty issues: citizen review of officer-involved shootings, whether to separate the sheriff's and coroner's offices, community policing and restoring public trust in law enforcement.

The supervisors also asked for input on 11 other topics ranging from buy-back programs for firearms and toy guns to providing deputies with body-mounted cameras to creating a memorial park in Lopez's neighborhood. And they asked for all that work by December — and some of it, including the citizen-review recommendations, considerably sooner.

It's no wonder some task force members feel a little overwhelmed. "Clarification certainly needs to come forward," task force member Joe Palla told Staff Writer Jamie Hansen.

This editorial isn't intended as criticism of the task force, which is working diligently, or of the board's intent. The supervisors had the right idea. They recognized the outpouring of shock and anger after 13-year-old Andy Lopez was shot to death by a deputy sheriff who mistook a toy gun for a real firearm, and they provided a forum to address those concerns.

The legal process, which is still unfolding almost six months later, is shrouded in secrecy. The task force is a public forum with the potential to bolster confidence and foster closer ties between the public and the men and women of the Sheriff's Office. That would be the best outcome.

"I really feel thankful for the huge commitment the Board of Supervisors made in the number of tasks they've assigned the staff and task force to try to address the issues that have emerged since the shooting of Andy Lopez," task force members Francisco Vazquez said. "But the expectation may be too high for the very short amount of time we have."

Vazquez is right. Many items on the agenda could be handled elsewhere. The board already is moving ahead on the memorial park. Sheriff Steve Freitas already is buying lapel cameras for deputies. Separating the sheriff's and coroner's offices is a largely bureaucratic decision. Community policing is a proven strategy, but its use has been limited by tight budgets, not official opposition.

Let the task force focus on the issue that has generated the greatest outcry: citizen review.

The debate has simmered in Sonoma County for years, without formal consideration or an up-or-down vote. The task force can inform a vote by studying oversight models in other communities and presenting the advantages and shortcomings.

The panel also can consider the potential cost of an independent investigatory agency and weigh in on the possible conflicts between a desire for transparent oversight and California court decisions that guarantee confidentiality to law enforcement officers in disciplinary proceedings.

That alone is a year's worth of work, if not more. The supervisors should give the task force time for a thorough review and a commitment to vote on its recommendations.