CARLSBAD POLICE REFORMS SOUGHT BY GROUP

More than a month after police used a Taser while arresting a Black man — an encounter caught on a bystander’s camera — a grassroots coalition continues to push for changes to policing, including more emphasis on de-escalation practices.

The North County Civil Liberties Coalition held a news briefing last week to announce that its members had recently met via video with two of the top brass at the Carlsbad Police Department to address concerns over policing reforms.

Among the topics was transparency, town hall meetings, and the proposed creation of a civilian review board to look into policing incidents in the city.

Yusef Miller, who founded the North County coalition, said Thursday that he came away from the meeting cautious but optimistic.

“This is a work in progress,” Miller said. “It’s not going to be overnight. We are going to stay here for the long haul.” The group is even pushing for small changes, like finding ways to keep body-worn cameras from easily falling off, as happened with both officers involved in the arrest that prompted the talks.

North County NCAAP Vice President Robert Jenkins said the coalition is “far from satisfied with the answers we received,” but looking forward to continuing the talks.

Asked about the meeting, Carlsbad police issued a statement thanking the coalition and welcoming opportunities to meet with the community. “We understand that a relationship of confidence and trust with the public is essential to effective community policing,” the statement reads.

The statement did not address specific concerns raised by the group, including de-escalation policies or creating a review board.

The push for change will not stop with Carlsbad. Miller said the coalition has also set up meetings with policing leaders in Oceanside, Escondido and Vista.

Miller said coalition members have not talked to the man whose June 11 arrest in Carlsbad prompted the concerns. That arrest was caught on camera by a passer-by who pulled over and jumped from his driver’s seat to record the encounter. Not long after the witness’ video was posted on social media, Carlsbad police released footage from the cameras worn by the two arresting officers. The department also laid out the chronology of events, and said it released the footage to increase transparency as people regionally and nationally have protested the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

The Carlsbad encounter started about about 8:50 p.m. June 11 after someone reported seeing a man face down at Ponto Road and Carlsbad Boulevard. Police arrived to find the man yelling at paramedics.

Asked Thursday where the encounter first went awry, coalition members pointed to the start, when police approached the already agitated man from behind. In less than a minute, the encounter turned to a struggle.

After the encounter, the man, who was taken to Scripps Encinitas for evaluation, was cited for public drunkenness and resisting arrest then released, police said. The District Attorney’s Office said Thursday the case remains under review. No charges have been filed.