City officials revealed
the information in an official response to the Solano County Civil Grand Jury
which issued its findings over the summer admonishing the city for the delays
in getting the department a new building, arguing such delays are hurting the
department and community.
The Vallejo City Council
is set to approve the official response during a special meeting on Tuesday.
In the city’s official
response, City Manager Mike Malone said that a new building would help attract
and retain new officers, but he pointed out other issues that were also hurting
the city’s ability to hire new officers.
“However, there are a
range of other factors including, compensation, workload, training, diversity
and community support that also impact law enforcement recruitment,” Malone
wrote. “In addition, there is a nationwide challenge in the ability of local
governmental entities to attract and hire new employees. The City is actively
working to continue to improve and work to employ strategies to recruit and
retain department employees.”
The grand jury further
recommended that the city look for state and federal grant funding to help
renovate the building, something Malone said that “has not been readily
available, so it is likely that a local funding source will be required.”
In April, the council directed
city staff to begin looking at moving the department from its aging facilities
as 111 Amador St. to the John F. Kennedy Library in downtown Vallejo. That
study is expected to be revealed to the council during its Sept. 27 meeting.
Shifting focus away from
400 Mare Island Way was a major victory for opponents who argue that the
two-story building located along the waterfront is the wrong location for the
police force. They say that the department shouldn’t be rewarded with a new building
while it is being investigated for a number of police shootings and killings,
and they question the location of the building near the water as sea levels
continue to rise over the century.
The city said it “agreed
in part” with most of the recommendations, but disagreed with the grand jury
finding that a “significant portion” of the existing Vallejo Police Department
building at 111 Amador “is no longer usable because of asbestos and lead
contamination” and that Vallejo “is spending thousands of dollars quarterly to
pay for testing and cleanup of areas contaminated with asbestos and lead.”
Malone said about 10% or
2000 square feet of the building including the former indoor shooting range “is
currently closed to employee access with shooting range activities currently
occurring offsite.”
“Lead and asbestos
abatement and cleaning in those areas was completed and is monitored to ensure
employee safety,” Malone said.
The city further disagreed
with a finding that the current JFK library is not compliant with the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
“The JFK Library building
has two elevators,” officials wrote. “ADA compliance relating to the Library
overall are part of the City’s draft ADA Transition Plan.”
Vallejo purchased the 400
Mare Island Way property for $13.5 million in early 2019 with the expressed
intent of transforming it into a new police headquarters. Earlier this year,
the council considered obtaining a $30 million loan from the California
Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) to fund design and
retrofit work at the building.
The council, however,
changed course during its March 8 meeting, complying with demands from some
members of the community that the city look at other possible locations for a
new police headquarters.
Malone also addressed the
status of a Community Assistance Resource and Engagement (CARE) Center which
was opened at 400 Mare Island Way in May 2021. Police officials previously said
the center provides a safe space for adult and child victims of abuse by
working with local advocacy groups and the police department.
The unveiling of the new
center caused protests over the department’s lack of transparency when
officials held a virtual opening ceremony at the last minute after advertising
an outdoor ribbon-cutting. It was believed the change was made due to planned
protests of the department continuing to use the building.
The grand jury recommended
that the center remain at 400 Mare Island Way, which received a mixed response
from Malone.
“The City has no immediate
plans to move the Care Center,” Malone said. “However, depending on the
long-term choice for a new or rehabilitated police facility, it may be
appropriate to relocate the CARE center at that time.”
Additional response to grand jury
The Vallejo City Council
will also be asked to approve a second response to the Solano County Civil
Grand Jury in response to that body’s June report calling out Solano County’s
lack of ability to address any future public safety emergencies.
Malone, Police Chief
Shawny Williams, and Fire Chief Kyle Long all agreed with the recommendations
from the grand jury including that the Solano County Board of Supervisors
“broaden efforts to fund and promote the establishment of a modern digital
county-wide emergency communications system.”
The trio also agreed with
a suggestion that the county expedite the creation of a joint powers authority
“to develop consolidated communications system,” and that the county “establish
a county-wide fire department to serve the unincorporated areas of Solano County.”
The grand jury argued that
the county consolidate all existing emergency management, planning and
prevention services into one Department of Emergency Management.
“This new department would
provide an umbrella to coordinate existing county and city functions related to
emergency and disaster events,” the grand jury wrote.
The grand jury also argued
against raising taxes as a way to provide services since the “economy was badly
damaged by the Covid pandemic, those searching for solutions to address the
emergency needs of our community need to look beyond new taxes, which could
exacerbate the already fragile personal financial health of many Solano County
residents.”
The Vallejo Sun
By John Glidden
September 16, 2022
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