Santa Barbara Police Department Encourages Participation in CFC Community Survey
The City of Santa Barbara Community Formation Commission (CFC) has developed a draft framework to create a civilian oversight system for the Santa Barbara Police Department and created a survey to collect feedback to be incorporated into their final recommendation to City Council. The police department is encouraging those in the community with direct ties to the City of Santa Barbara to participate in the survey. The CFC has indicated the survey is intended to collect responses from those who “live and work in Santa Barbara.”
“Civilian oversight of law enforcement can be a valuable tool in maintaining a department’s legitimacy. It is important that any civilian oversight of the men and women of the SBPD is commensurate with the needs of our department and community here in the City of Santa Barbara. Voices from our entire community need to be heard. We strongly encourage everyone who lives and works in Santa Barbara to complete this survey,” stated Interim Police Chief Barney Melekian.
The survey, which is anonymous, will be available until 11:59 pm on March 22, 2022. The CFC will offer paper surveys upon request for those without access to the internet. The links to the survey can be found below.
English-Language Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SantaBarbaraCFC
Spanish-Language Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SantaBarbaraCFCSpanish
About the Community Formation Commission:
The Santa Barbara City Council has established the Community Formation Commission (CFC) to guide the creation of a civilian police review system. The CFC has explored different civilian police review systems, existing and new police accountability systems, and the specific needs of Santa Barbara’s many communities. The CFC has also reviewed the Santa Barbara Police Department’s existing standards and protocols. Following the examination of these issues within the context of Santa Barbara’s specific needs and systems, the CFC will make recommendations to the City Council for the creation of a civilian oversight system in Santa Barbara. To learn more, go to www.santabarbaraca.gov.