HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2020 Item Public Comment, Lindahl
From:Solina Lindahl <
To:CityClerk
Subject:Public comment item- Community and Mayoral Policing Questions
Dear City Council,
Chief Cantrell’s June 13 memo belies that the SLOPD leadership have been relying heavily on Lexipol policies. Lexipol is a
private, for-profit company that sells policies to public safety agencies across the nation without any accountability to
the potential harm done to people (and the liability incurred by municipalities) in the event of a lawsuit. Lexipol’s
subscription terms and conditions specify that the company is not liable for its own policies, and it will not indemnify
customers; this lays all the legal risk in the lap of the City and leaves us responsible for legal costs if there were an
unfortunate incident in which those policies play a role.
Several of those policies are demonstrably non-compliant with state and federal law, and even though many California
law enforcement agencies contract with Lexipol, the City’s uncritical reliance on Lexipol policies puts it at considerable
legal risk of liability.
Chief Cantrell cites these Lexipol policies extensively in her June 13 memo, particularly with regard to AB 392 and SB
230; this should be of considerable concern to the Council.
Lexipol disregards the very core of AB 392: the “necessary” standard for police use of deadly force. The necessary
standard is the new and stricter legal standard that determines officers can use deadly force only when necessary to
defend against an imminent threat of harm to themselves or others. Lexipol ‘use of force’ policies omit the word
“necessary,” ignore the plain meaning of AB 392.
Our city needs better and more careful policing policies.
Thank you for your leadership,
Solina Lindahl
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