Fresno Mayor Autry Supports Unpopular Police Auditor Plan

Fresno Mayor Autry Supports Unpopular Police Auditor Plan
By Mike Rhodes

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry is pushing a plan for an Independent Police Auditor (IPA) that is not supported by the City Council, the Fresno Police Officers Association, or the Central California Criminal Justice Committee. In a plan that seems to be taken directly out of Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ill fated strategy of putting unpopular ideas before the voters, mayor Autry says he will put the IPA issue on the June 2006 ballot. The mayor wants an IPA that is similar to the program in Sacramento. Gail Gaston, who is a member of the Human Relations Committee and works with the CCCJC said the mayor’s plan would not result in an "independent police auditor."

Speculation about why Autry would propose a version of the IPA that nobody seems to want falls into a couple of categories. One theory is that the mayor is making this proposal to undermine the CCCJC which was gearing up to put the issue on the 2006 ballot. The CCCJC brought the issue before the City Council twice already and were preparing to start a ballot initiative when they were contacted by H. Spees, a close political ally of the mayor, who said he wanted to work with them to pass the IPA. This led to the mayor’s proposal. Ellie Bluestein, an active member of the CCCJC, sent an email to supporters today saying "a third rejection of the proposal for an Independent Police Auditor would have been pretty disappointing. But an approval of Mayor Autry’s proposal based on the Sacramento model would have put into place a system that would not be effective, that would not guarantee an unpredjudiced, impartial office. To set up a system that would be geared for failure would not have been a victory. We have to use our time now to educate the city council and the community to the type of auditor system that would succeed in Fresno and if necessary bring it to the electorate for approval. So we have a lot of work ahead, and we’re not giving up. We need to make it clear that this proposal is not a condemnation of the police but an effort to enhance community trust and cooperation between the police and the public and to guarantee that all Fresnans are treated with respect and dignity."

The Fresno Police Officers Association thinks the proposal from the mayor for an IPA could be retaliation for the FPOA’s opposition to the November 8 ballot initiatives, which were strongly supported by Autry. The FPOA strongly opposes any IPA proposal.

A majority of City Council members have made it clear they oppose any version of an IPA proposal. Even Jerry Duncan, who is one of mayor Autry’s closest allies on the council, publically criticized the mayor’s IPA plan and warned him not to use city personnel to gather signatures for the initiative.

Mayor Autry has consistently supported the IPA concept and has brought the issue before the City Council on several occasions. But, it was never clear which IPA version the mayor supported. With the CCCJC beginning to organize a local effort to put a "San Jose" style IPA on the June ballot, Autry might have seen his proposal as a way of circumventing the CCCJC proposal. If the City Council had adopted his proposal last Tuesday (November 15, 2005), he would have won - a weak IPA would have been implemented. Since the proposal failed, the mayor can tell the community that he tried to pass an IPA and it was the City Council that voted against it. If the CCCJC moves ahead with their initiative for the June ballot, the mayor can put his proposal on the ballot too, creating a confusing situation for voters.

The CCCJC is hoping residents will become educated about the two IPA options and choose the version that has the best opportunity for holding the police accountable to the public. Information about the IPA proposal is available on their web site at: http://cccjc.org/home/ . They also have material comparing the two systems and copies of the proposal they are supporting available by calling (559) 485-4707

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