[The following information regarding the positions of various candidates in this year's Fresno City elections was obtained from materials provided by the Central Valley Progressive Political Action Committee.]

Do you support the hiring of an Independent Police Auditor?

Susan Good - City Council District 4
I am not convinced an Independent Police Auditor would be good for Fresno, because I haven’t yet seen an IPA model do what it was intended to do in a city. First, they are not truly independent. Depending on who the auditor reports to, the auditor is perceived as being too political and as being unfair and biased. Second, before we see a whole new bureaucracy set up in haste, I want to set up a policy that requires the police chief to sit down regularly with the Council in closed session to thoroughly review all complaints that have been received. If the police chief isn’t doing his job, the Mayor and Council must be willing to hold the police chief accountable!

Lee Brand - City Council District 6
No. There are multiple layers of oversight for the Fresno Police Department. The first level is the department’s internal affairs department. You could argue that they are biased and will protect their own. The next level of oversight is the Fresno Grand Jury. There is also the Fresno County District Attorney’s office. If there is a concern that none of the local agencies can provide objective oversight than you can go to the State Attorney General’s office for an investigation.

The hiring of any single person will create conflict and controversy. Does the mayor appoint the police auditor and what role does the city council play? There is absolutely no way to get around the politicization of the selection process. If a Caucasian male is hired as the police auditor would the African American community feel that they would not be represented and treated fairly? Every decision will be second guessed and over analyzed. The cost of hiring a police auditor and support staff will cost well over $100,000. In a tight budget with cutbacks looming how do you justify the cost to taxpayers?

Michelle Jorgensen - City Council District 6
I support a Citizens Review Board. Both an Auditor and a Review Board have not proven overly effective. However, there are has been an evolution of how Review Boards operate that has been promising. For example, they need to have the ability to subpoena police records and their decisions can not be overturned by the Police Chief. This will give residents a place to air complaints and grievances that does not currently exist.

Jim Boswell - Mayor
I would need to know just cause. I believe that we should, as a community, work with the Police department. I also believe that if we have a responsible Mayor who will work for the people, it will not be necessary.

Tom Boyajian - Mayor
Of course I support an IPA, I am the one who initiated the concept of an IPA here in Fresno. I believe a police auditor is a great opportunity for everyone. As a councilman I saw a great deal of issues come before the city in closed chambers. Many of these matters are kept confidential. From this experience, I feel a police auditor- structured separate from the Mayor and City Manager- will provide a level of protection between rank and file officers and the administration they work for. Additionally, the nature of the auditor being in place will offer assurance to the public that our local law enforcement is respectful of the public's interests. This will result in millions of dollars saved, that would have been used to settle law suits brought against the city, many of which have been brought by employees who have suffered unfair administrative actions. The police auditor is actually an entire committee of highly qualified professionals that review complaints brought to them by either the public, or employees. This is not a new concept, in fact, it is happening all across the country.

Ignacio C. Garibay - Mayor
Yes.

Henry T. Perea - Mayor
No, but I do support the re-establishment of the Human Relations Commission.

Doug Vagim - Mayor
I can’t support an independent police auditor. That position is just another way for the elected officials of the city to dodge responsibility. The mayor is responsible for the performance of the police chief through the city manger and together they are responsible for the PD.

For more information about efforts to create an Independent Police Auditor in Fresno, visit the Central California Criminal Justice Committee online at http://cccjc.org/