Updated June 18, 9:55 a.m.–
Sentinel staff report– Police Chief Ron Lawrence, in an update to the Citrus Heights City Council last week, called last month’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis “sickening” and tragic.
“I want you to know that the tragic incident that happened on May 25, with the murder of Mr. Floyd, was sickening to all of us,” said Lawrence. “I can tell you that the Citrus Heights Police Department stands with our community with just as much shock and sadness as all of you.”
“I can tell you that we don’t condone that type of activity here, or that type of behavior,” he continued. “That does not exist in our police department, nor would we allow it.”
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Lawrence, who recently concluded a one-year term as head of the California Police Chiefs Association (Cal Chiefs), also addressed local protests, looting, use of force and what he termed “procedural justice.”
“There’s been a lot of peaceful and lawful protests and demonstrations, which have been fantastic,” said Lawrence in his 10-minute update to the City Council. He said all protests in Citrus Heights have been “very lawful and peaceful,” but noted unrest and property damage in downtown Sacramento and other areas of the country.
He said 11 arrests for looting in Citrus Heights were made during a single night on May 31, but described the incidents as crimes of opportunity that were “not related to any of the protests.” He said the incidents involved people breaking into multiple businesses and looting them, causing a loss of “upwards of $20,000.”
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Lawrence also said three American flags outside homes have been burned in Citrus Heights, with the incidents being investigated as arson.
Commenting on use of force, Lawrence said while serving as president of Cal Chiefs last year he worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups to pass Assembly Bill 392 and Senate Bill 230, which he said created “the most comprehensive and most restrictive police use of force policies in the nation.” He called on other states to adopt similar use-of-force reforms, “so that these incidents don’t happen, and that we can stop the tragedies such as May 25th.”
Lawrence said Citrus Heights police officers continually receive training on use of force, and also training on the four pillars of “procedural justice,” which he said are: fairness in the process, transparency in actions, opportunities for voice, and impartiality in decision making.
“Those are powerful things,” said Lawrence. “And I want you to know that the culture of our police department here wholeheartedly believes in those pillars, and we believe in treating our community with the utmost respect and professionalism.”
Citrus Heights, however, has not been without criticism for its police department’s use of force in the past.
Last year, the city settled a case for $1.2 million that involved suspect James Nelson suffering severe burns during what police described as “a prolonged struggle on the hot asphalt.” In another settlement to avoid a lengthy civil trial, the city agreed to pay $2 million to the parents of Hunter Todd, who was shot and killed by a Citrus Heights police officer while responding to an early morning report of individuals breaking into cars.
According to a Sacramento Bee investigation three years ago, the Citrus Heights Police Department also was found to have the highest rate of fatal police shootings compared with any other police force “of significant size” in the state, with six fatal shootings during 2013-2016. Lawrence responded at the time that in all cases, officers “were either under physical attack, they were confronted by an assailant with a weapon and their lives were threatened, or there was an imminent threat.”
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