Can city, chief, cops get on same page?
Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff had a blistering response to accusations and demands conveyed by the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association in a press release and letter to city officials last week.
The VPOA claimed implementations into improving the department — including staffing — have been inexcusably slow, adding that while it has “shared objectives” with Chief Shawny Williams, the chief “has rejected the VPOA’s repeated requests to collaborate on implementing these reforms in a timely manner.”
The VPOA also claims that attempts to have the chief and city manager sit down for a discussion have failed.
Nyhoff responded via electronically sent letter to the VPOA on Monday, praising the work of the men and women of the Vallejo Police Department, but emphasizing that the city and police chief’s alleged lack of commitment to reform “could not be further from the truth. Make no mistake, we are 110 percent committed to implementing meaningful changes to better the Vallejo Police Department.”
As for the city and the chief “moving too slow,” while Nyhoff agreed that “the chief’s and my desire is that much more would have been accomplished to date,” he noted that “most of the delay has come from VPOA challenging our efforts to implement. I sincerely hope that this letter signals a reversal of that mindset and significant and steady progress can be made going forward.”
Nyhoff added that he was “pleased” to see in the previous VPOA letter to city officials “that the VPOA now recognizes the need for reform within the Vallejo Police Department. Your letter appears to signal a change in your previous position regarding implementations of the multiple recommendations in the OIR reporter and other necessary management, policy, accountability training and tactics reforms.”
Nyhoff requested that the VPOA board and the city meet “ASAP to discuss how we can best move forward in making the changes that are required to improve our police department.”
Nyhoff continued in his letter that he recommends “resolving the numerous grievances and complaints you have registered that have been delaying steps necessary to manage and implement reform and accountability in the department.”
Police Chief Shawny Williams released a statement last week that “while I am encouraged to see that the Vallejo Police Officers Association is now expressing support of our urgent reform efforts, this has not been consistent with their communications to me thus far. I’m hopeful they will retract their current anti-reform grievances and unfair labor practice charges and join in our current plans toward implementing change.”
Williams declined to elaborate what “current anti-reform grievances and unfair labor practice charges” entailed.
The VPOA responded Friday: “Although appears that the city sat idly for months after receiving the OIR Group’s recommendations to modernize and improve the Vallejo Police Department, the VPOA remains, as it has always been, a willing partner in bringing the department in line with 21st Century Policing.”
“We would rather have funds allocated toward staffing basic police functions, such as patrol, instead of continuing to add more layers of administrative bureaucracy. The VPOA stands ready to work collaboratively with city leadership to bring meaningful change to protect our community and our police officers.”
Williams and interim assistant Chief Joe Allio “have been making numerous changes in their short tenure in Vallejo,” Nyhoff said in his letter. “However, other management reform changes are being argued by the Association. My hope is that your (the VPOA’s) desire to now partner with us can bring these VPOA challenges to a close, and that we can now move forward together to address many more.”
Nyhoff said that Williams and Allio “feel it is very important to support and move forward quickly on instituting the countywide protocol for officerinvolved shootings. Having the DA, along with law enforcement agencies from other jurisdictions, provide an independent investigation of the police department where the officer-involved shooting occurred is a much-needed change.”
An independent investigation will provide for “transparency and foster greater trust from the community, assuring them that there has been a fair and unbiased review,” Nyhoff wrote.
“The VPOA is encouraged that the city finally acknowledges that implementing important changes for the police department is a collaborative effort,” The VPOA responded late Monday afternoon.
“We look forward to the meet-and-confer process beginning immediately, as it should have months ago. Our members are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work for our community,” said Peter Hoffmann, VPOA attorney.