State senator hosts Vallejo ‘justice in policing’ town hall

State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, is hosting a Justice in Policing Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday evening that will include a panel of community leaders and give the public time to ask questions.

The 6 p.m. event will be streamed on government sites and YouTube. Dodd and guests will cover community policing, race and reform following recent police violence against people of color.

Dodd’s goal is to give constituents a forum to discuss police violence and hear input from experts, according to his press secretary Paul Payne.

Guests joining Dodd at the town hall are the Rev. Dante Quick of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo; Bay Area psychologist Terri L. Thompson; Michael Gennaco, an expert on law enforcement reform and accountability systems; and Gabriel “Jack” Chin, professor at University of California at Davis Law School.

The public’s comments will be noted and considered for future initiatives, Payne said.

Dodd represents California’s Third Senate District that includes parts of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.

The state senator issued a statement three days after the June 2 shooting death of Sean Monterrosa by Vallejo police and the state Department of Justice’s announcement that it would review Vallejo Police Department and practices following several officer-involved shootings in the city.

Dodd commented that the review was “a positive step, but there’s much more we need to do.”

He is seeking public input for possible legislation to curb police violence, especially against people of color, Payne said. He also wants to see an independent investigation into the Monterrosa shooting.

Payne said:

“The current audit is looking at practices but not specifically one incident.”

People can follow the meeting online at https://sd03.senate.ca.gov, https://www.youtube.com/user/SonomaTV/ or SonomaTV.org and will be broadcast on radio locally on KSVY 91.3 FM. Questions can submitted by email at townhall@ksvy.org or by calling (707) 933-9133.