WATCH: Backed by community leaders, Mayor Steinberg unveils fundamental policing reforms

WATCH LIVE: 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 15

This morning, we gather to announce two major police reform proposals.

 In addition to these two lead proposals, I also put forward a declaration today committing to dedicating the remainder of my election terms over the next four and one half years to do all I can to end systemic racism in Sacramento

I know our entire city government will commit to the same.

In the days ahead, we will announce a formal mechanism to engage our city and community in a long term look inside, in all parts of our city and community life, including law enforcement, to change our laws, policies, behaviors, budgets, and actions to reflect that commitment.

Our community and country is crying out for zero tolerance of police brutality and any forms of racism. Our community is right.

 George Floyd’s death was not only a vicious murder. It also tore open the fear and trauma that African Americans experience far too often in their daily lives.

 We will also in the days ahead ensure our compliance with ‘8 can’t wait,’ and meet with our police commission to consider their important and detailed recommendations. We will look at the Department of Justice review of the department and see what changes we still need to make. I will push for passage of legislation banning neck holds statewide and setting up a special unit in the Attorney General’s office to review deadly force incidents for possible criminal prosecution.

Today, we only begin. We are living through history in real time. We are experiencing an essential sea change in American culture. We must be leading that change, not standing aside or watching from behind.

 The two proposals I bring forward today are not intended as the end or even the middle of a long overdue course correction on true accountability for police misconduct and redefining the roles and responsibilities of our modern day police department.

 The first proposal is to change the longstanding practice that the police department exclusively investigate their own when an officer shoots someone or a person dies while in custody.

Let us be honest. No matter our progress and the positive changes we have made under the leadership of Chief Hahn, we have a collective credibility problem. We have no system of required independent investigations in the most serious cases of alleged officer misconduct. Nothing else we do around police reform will have nearly the positive impact we hope until we fix this

 I propose the establishment of an inspector general reporting directly to the Mayor and city council’s through its Office of Public Safety Accountability.

The Inspector General will have broad powers, and a responsibility to fully and publicly investigate any officer involved shooting, death while in police custody, and police use of force that results in serious bodily injury. The Inspector General will interview witnesses, issue subpoenas for relevant evidence and most important, publicly announce their findings, conclusions, and recommended discipline if warranted.

The Inspector General will report the above to the citizens police commission, the city council, and the public.

The commission will have the full opportunity to review the Inspector General’s findings and make its own public recommendations on any aspect of the investigation, including potential discipline. The City manager will not make any decision on a pending case until the Inspector General and commission have fully and timely weighed in.

The second proposal requires us to reimagine modern day policing. It is time to show the community that we are listening to and are willing to translate our imaginings into systems change and real action.

I propose we invest $5 million now to establish a new city department for non-law enforcement responses to 911 calls that do not involve criminal activity. We all know that our police officers are the first and last resort for all calls involving community crisis. Large percentages of calls and even larger amounts of public resources are spent on law enforcement responding to calls involving mental health, homelessness, and other difficult situations that don’t involve the actual commission of crimes. Our police force must no longer be the first and last option for virtually every situation.

This isn’t what police officers signed up for. And the presence of even a compassionate officer with a gun and a uniform too often invokes fear and trauma in people crying out for help

This new unit will provide trained, community-based outreach teams to defuse, deescalate, and help people with the thousands of calls where law enforcement is plain not necessary or helpful

The $5 million is merely a down payment. I’m not interested in pilots or years of playing around the edges. For I believe we must set a new policy in the Capital city that represents the beginning of actual systemic change.

I propose that over the next 24 months, we permanently shift calls and responses not involving actual crimes from our police department to the new department of community response. The money we are currently spending within the police department for these calls and responses will he shifted to the new department and function.

Twenty four months will ensure that we make these changes thoughtfully. The $5 million now will ensure that the we do not wait.

 I conclude with this; We must do better as a city and country, and we must do it by action not merely by speeches, written words, or poignant photos. We must do it now, not tomorrow. Those of us entrusted by the public with positions of leadership bear a special responsibility to embrace the discomfort this moment has caused and follow through with action, rather than hoping and expecting that things will just settle down and return to normal. It is long past time.