File photo. Jeannie Bruins, shown speaking at a forum last year, was voted in as mayor of Citrus Heights on Thursday. //Courtesy, Metro Cable
Citrus Heights council members unanimously voted this week to select fellow councilwoman Jeannie Bruins to serve a one-year term as mayor of the city, replacing outgoing Mayor Sue Frost.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as your mayor in Citrus Heights,” said Frost, before officially swapping chairs with her successor at the beginning of Thursday’s council meeting. “I’m very pleased to turn over the mayor’s hammer to a well-qualified, multi-time past mayor of Citrus Heights.”
Bruins, who’s served as the city’s mayor in both 2006 and 2011, kept her comments short after taking her new seat.
“It’s truly an honor again to serve as your mayor, and I look forward to a good year ahead,” said Bruins, thanking her fellow council members, and then moving forward with the night’s agenda.
According to her bio on Citrusheights.net, Bruins is a 30-year resident of Citrus Heights, a 22-year member of the local Rotary Club, and an active member of Valley Springs Presbyterian Church in Roseville. She also has two sons, four grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
Prior to winning a seat on the city council in 2002, Bruins was involved in bringing cityhood to Citrus Heights — successfully co-chairing the 1996 “Yes on Measure R” campaign to incorporate the city. Most recently, she was re-elected to her fourth term on the council in 2014, garnering the most votes out of five candidates running for three spots open that year.
Although not specifying any goals for the upcoming term during Thursday’s council meeting, Bruins ran her 2014 campaign on a platform of fiscal responsibility, strong law enforcement, and a focus on economic development.
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Councilman Jeff Slowey, who was selected to serve as vice mayor on Thursday, said outgoing mayor Frost will be recognized at the council’s next meeting in January.
In a short comment during the Dec. 10 council meeting, Frost described her past year as “amazing,” highlighting new businesses, road improvements, an inaugural “We Support Our Police Week” in October, and budget reserves available for projects like the new Dignity Health medical office building and city hall project.
Citrus Heights Police Chief Christopher Boyd highlighted details from a study on body cameras last week. (File photo, CHSentinel)
Updated Aug. 20, 8:58 a.m.–
Body-worn cameras on police officers could likely become a future reality in Citrus Heights, Police Chief Christopher Boyd told somewhat-wary city council members in a presentation last week that summarized pros and cons his department had identified in a council-requested study on the issue.
“I do think this is likely in our future,” the police chief said regarding body cameras, indicating it’s the direction law enforcement is moving toward. “I think there’s a lot of good reasons to have the technology, but I think there’s a lot that needs to evolve in the technology itself.”
Citing general benefits found during his department’s study, Chief Boyd told council members various agencies have reported improved accountability, performance and police behavior after introducing body-worn cameras, with other benefits including better evidence-gathering and the possibility to prevent or resolve “frivolous complaints” against officers. But the chief said the study also found camera benefits differ from department to department, largely depending on the level of trust between the community and police.
Addressing several concerns about the technology, Boyd highlighted privacy issues involved in entering a private home with a camera rolling, the possibility of witnesses being unwilling to cooperate on camera, and the potential for “massive releasing” of video records under California’s Public Records Act. He estimated that requests for public records of the video footage would be “enormous,” and said additional staff time and costs would be involved to “review, redact and scrub” the records of any non-releasable portions prior to release.
The chief also told council members body-worn cameras could send a signal to officers that there’s a lack of trust within the department, but said “most all” of his officers would “embrace” the technology, if implemented. He said the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) tested out various body cameras for several months in studying the issue, but currently have none in use.
City Attorney Ruthann Zeigler also added her perspective during Boyd’s presentation, telling council members there’s “a tremendous number of unanswered questions” about the use of body cameras — referencing privacy issues, public records requests, and concerns about recording minors.
Boyd said new local policies to handle these concerns could be crafted, but cautioned that cities could end up with “very little local control,” pending the outcome of body camera legislation currently in the California legislature that could end up dictating such policy at the state level.
“I think we have an interest to wait and to watch and see how police might ultimately be regulated under new laws enacted with this kind of technology,” Boyd told the council. “It might be in our interest to make sure we know, before we own technology subject to regulation – what that regulation might be.”
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Boyd said estimated costs involved would include $64,000 to purchase cameras for 80 officers, $250,000 for related staff and IT technician costs, and an annual cloud-storage cost of about $100,000. For an alternative cost of about $300,000 every five years, Boyd said the City could purchase its own servers to host the estimated 300 terabytes of data needed to store and backup video footage. The chief said actual costs were difficult for his department to estimate, citing unknowns like how much staff time would be involved in responding to public records requests, how long videos would be required to be stored, and under what conditions body cameras would need to be recording video.
Council members react:
Although no action was planned or taken on the body camera issue following the police chief’s August 13 council meeting report, all five city council members expressed their reservation over implementing the technology in Citrus Heights, citing concerns like cost and questioning if the cameras are really necessary.
“In Citrus Heights we really don’t have the problems they have in Baltimore or Ferguson,” Mayor Sue Frost said during the meeting. “I don’t ever get complaints about how our police act in our community – I get compliments.”
“I’m not a fan of body cameras at this point,” said Councilman Mel Turner, commenting that the push for body cameras seems to be a reactionary approach to what’s going on in other parts of the country. “I like to take the proactive approach, which is to make sure we hire the right officers in the first place, so we don’t have to have these problems.”
“If you’re having a problem, I would be all for it,” said Councilman Jeff Slowey. “But knowing – at least today – that we’re in a good place with our police department, I personally would be a little hesitant to jump out and spend that kind of money.”
Council members had previously requested the police department study the costs and ramifications of body-worn cameras following national discussion on the topic over the past year, according to Mayor Frost. She said no action related to implementing cameras is anticipated in the near future.
Applications are being accepted through December 18 for positions on the Citrus Heights Planning Commission, Construction Board of Appeals and the History & Arts Commission, as city council members are set to appoint 13 positions whose terms are set to expire at the end of the year.
Stock photo, civic center sign. Citrus Heights Sentinel
“It’s always great to see people who want to get involved in city government,” council member Jeff Slowey said at a December council meeting. “If you’re interested, feel free to put in an application, we always like to see new people.”
All positions range from two to four year terms and require applicants to be residents of Citrus Heights and be 18 years of age or older – except for the History and Arts Commission, which allows former residents and descendants of Citrus Heights residents to apply.
The seven-member Planning Commission meets twice a month and hears land-use related projects and “reviews proposed ordinances and other issues relating to the implementation of the City’s General Plan,” according to the City’s website. The commission also makes recommendations to the city council, as it did with the city hall relocation proposal.
An application form for the positions list no formal training or experience requirements to serve as a planning commissioner, but specifies applicants need to have “an interest and desire to participate in the planning and development of the City of Citrus Heights.”
The other seven-member commission with five seats up for appointment is the History and Arts Commission, which works to promote cultural arts in Citrus Heights as well as assisting “in the preservation and enhancement of historical buildings and artifacts.” The commission was founded in 2001 and meets once a month on the first Monday.
The five-member Construction Board of Appeals meets on an “as-needed” basis to hear complaints from those aggrieved by a decision of the City’s chief building official, and “assists in determining suitability of materials and methods of construction, as well as interpreting technical codes.” According to a City notice, applicants for this commission must be “qualified by experience and training to pass upon matters pertaining to building construction.”
Applications for all positions are available online and must be submitted to the City clerk by 5 p.m., December 18. Council members are scheduled to make appointments at their January 8, 2015 meeting.
