Monterey County Civil Grand Jury releases report on Salinas police compliance

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County Civil Grand Jury has released a report on how the Salinas Police Department has addressed recommendations released in a report by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in 2016.

According to the Grand Jury, former Chief Kelly McMillan requested help from the agency after the department experienced four officer-involved shootings over the course of five months in 2014, and 18 months later, the agency released a report with its findings and recommendations titled "Collaborative Reform Initiative: An Assessment of the Salinas Police Department."

In the Grand Jury report investigating how the department has addressed the COPS report, it said the department has addressed 97% of the findings and recommendations laid out.

The Grand Jury found that the department achieved 100% compliance with findings and recommendations regarding use of force, officer-involved shootings, community collaborations, internal and external communications and resource allocation.

It found that out of 14 recommendations related to training, four are still considered "In Progress." Those recommendations involve forming a training committee incorporating community partners and the Police/Community Advisory Committee, developing a comprehensive training plan and sharing it with the department, conducting a training needs assessment and involving all use of force incidents for training-related purposes. The goal is to complete the recommendations by July 2021.

City of Salinas requests Grand Jury review of police department

Last week, Salinas city officials announced that they were requesting a review of the department and its implementation of the Collaborative Reform Initiative by the Grand Jury. The City said it was requesting the audit in response to a petition from residents and community groups.

In the petition, the writers listed 10 concerns that they wanted to be addressed in the report. The report released by the Grand Jury focuses on the Collaborative Reform Initiative and does not appear to specifically address the concerns laid out in the petition based on a letter sent to council members by multiple community organizations.

Read the Grand Jury report and the initial Collaborative Reform Initiative report below.