The California Department of Justice is hosting a virtual meeting next week to gather community feedback on Vallejo police reforms.
For the first time since reaching a settlement agreement with the city in April, the state DOJ will provide an overview of its reform agreement with the Vallejo Police Department and an update on the reforms to date, according to the agency. The consulting firm Jensen Hughes, which the DOJ hired to monitor Vallejo’s progress, will lead the meeting.
Members of the oversight team tasked with evaluating Vallejo’s reform efforts will also ask the community to share their first-hand experiences, perspectives, and ideas on policing in their city.
“We will use your feedback from this session to help inform the monitoring of the Vallejo Police Department,” the justice department wrote in an event flyer.
The state DOJ has been involved in Vallejo for years, including a voluntary reform agreement launched in 2020 after the police killing of Sean Monterrosa. That effort largely failed to produce change.
In an attempt to gain court oversight of the reform process, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Vallejo last October, alleging that the city’s police force exhibited a “pattern and practice of excessive and unreasonable force,” especially against people of color, according to the complaint.
At the same time, Bonta asked Solano County Judge Stephen Gizzi to sign a stipulated judgment, which laid out a reform plan already agreed upon by the state DOJ and Vallejo officials. But Gizzi did not sign the agreement and indicated in court filings that he might ultimately reject it.
Bonta then dropped the lawsuit against Vallejo, prompting disappointment and frustration among many in the community. Both parties announced in April that they had reached a settlement agreement, allowing them to proceed with the reforms without judicial oversight.
The community listening session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, on Zoom. It will be accessible to Spanish speakers, according to the DOJ. People are asked to register in advance.
