0.5% of the $96,544,000 total Fremont Police budget for Fiscal Year 2020/21 is allocated to training for the entire department. Please note this figure does not include travel expenses and per diem for non-POST training. Training is provided to both sworn and non-sworn staff as appropriate.Please refer to the training section on our Accountability page for more information on the types of training offered to our officers.

In calendar year 2019 FPD Dispatch handled 257,872 Fremont calls, of which 85,110 were 911 emergency calls and 172,762 were non-emergency calls, resulting in 21,620 documented police reports.FPD Dispatch also handled 60,856 Union City calls, of which 29,682 were 911 emergency calls and 31,264 were non-emergency calls.

We were concerned by the information and have begun to take a closer look at this research and their methodology.  We have confirmed that the data is taken from URSUS (Use of Force incident reporting), population data, and demographic data. These numbers do reflect what has occurred, but these numbers do not include context, situation, or other pertinent factors that led to these incidents.  These are some of our additional findings and facts:

These incidents were ongoing investigations and responses to calls for service; apart from June 1, 2016, which started as a car stop.   

Many of these incidents stemmed from our officers engaging offenders who entered our community to commit serious crimes.  Many of these incidents involved ongoing investigations, which meant we had investigative leads to include identified offenders and evidence that led to these contacts.   

One of the deadly force incidents on June 1, 2016, was the result of two Fremont officers being severely injured from the suspect’s gunfire.  

Campaign Zero used a subjective scoring system for each agency on deadly force incidents, the proportion of citizen complaints that were found in favor of the complainant, and how the department prioritized investigation of violent crime versus lower level crimes.  Using their methods, nearly every single department rated by this site received an “F” grade, including those that had NO uses of deadly force at all in the time period assessed.

Fremont had one of the best scores on the site for proportion of complaints found in favor of the complainant, and an excellent score on policing methods:

• FPD received an A grade in our approach to policing.  
• FPD had a very low amount of misdemeanor arrests and it’s specifically noted in the Scorecard data, as well as the unsolved homicide rate, as noted in the slide. 
• FPD solved all Fremont homicides during the review period (2013-2018). FPD is dedicated to bringing justice to ALL families, regardless of race, religion, socio-economic status.
• FPD reduced violent crime by 20% in 2019, with reductions in all crime categories reported to the FBI – homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault.
  
  

It is a reality that police officers are asked to protect the public from the small percentage of people who are willing to harm others.  Unfortunately, when confronting these individuals, sometimes force is required to either take them into custody or defend themselves or others from harm.

The 3-year time period assessed provides a data set too small to extract broad conclusions.  It’s important to view the circumstances of each incident individually and you can look at these incidents yourselves on our Transparency Portal.

We are preparing for the RIPA (Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board) requirements to capture all STOP data by 2022 (per AB 953)

The City of Fremont and the Police Department enjoy a very positive relationship with our diverse community and we specifically engage with different minority groups through various measures. Our current Engage Fremont Initiative is an example on how we strive to deepen the dialogue on policing in our community. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with various ethnic groups through both established programs and special events. When schools are in session, we engage our youth population through our Building Bridges program. Outside of school, we engage our community through a variety of special events and communication channels (e.g. Coffee with a Cop, Badges and Boba, National Night Out, Neighborhood/District community meetings, etc.) With the recent pandemic, we suspended in-person events, but are beginning to engage our community through virtual events and online meetings. We will also continue to provide our officers with a very robust and comprehensive training program, with topics in cultural diversity and implicit bias, and we will enhance our training in diversity related topics as appropriate.

The City of Fremont has long been a leader in progressive policing practices and is committed to responding to this pivotal moment in our nation by working with the local community to establish a shared vision of public safety that serves everyone equitably. In Summer 2020, the City launched the Engage Fremont initiative to deepen the dialogue on policing with our community. Through the initiative, Fremont community members are invited to participate in a series of community engagement activities to assist in identifying community priorities and recommended next steps on the topic of policing and race in the City of Fremont. This broader initiative stems from the Town Hall Meeting held on June 10, 2020 that featured the topic of policing in Fremont. During the virtual event, more than 800 community members listened in. People commented and asked questions on a wide variety of issues including social services, homeless services, use of force policies, and police accountability and transparency. City leaders emphasized their desire to continue the dialogue with Fremont community members and their intent to develop a plan for an ongoing conversation, leading to the initiative.

Community Partnership has always been one of the core values of Fremont Police and we sincerely value our relationship with the community. Effective policing requires public trust and support. We work to build trust, cooperation and communication with all members of our public. For over twenty years, we have a Community Advisory Group that brings together a representative cross-section of community perspectives to serve in an advisory capacity to the Chief of Police by providing input on policy issues, department direction and prioritization. Board members also facilitate two-way communication between the Fremont Police Department and those we serve. The group provides invaluable guidance to us in dealing with complex issues such as immigration, homelessness, and the balance of technology and privacy rights.We also have many community programs for adults and kids, as well as special events and charitable projects where we continue to build our trust and partnership with the community.Some of these programs include Building Bridges, Youth Academy, Youth Explorers, School Visits, Shop with a Cop, Coffee with a Cop, Community Police Academy, National Night Out, Neighborhood Crime Watch, Safety Fair, and charitable projects supporting Special Olympics of Northern California.

During an emergency, it's important to call 9-1-1 so we can dispatch police, fire, and medical assistance as needed and as quickly as possible. Every situation is different and the resources required to resolve the situation is not solely characterized by criminal or non-criminal activities. As mentioned in earlier FAQs, Fremont Police's Mobile Evaluation Team (MET) was created in partnership with health professionals to provide a more comprehensive and compassionate response to calls for service involving the homeless and/or community members experiencing a mental health crisis.MET continues to link community members to mental health and/or homeless service providers and provide resources and guidance to family members and loved ones of those dealing with mental illness. The City of Fremont also has a several programs and services available to address social issues. Please visit the Human Services Department for additional information on services offered by the City.

As of FY 2020/21, FPD staffing is approved and budgeted for 320.5 full time employees, of which 199 are sworn personnel, and 121.5 are non-sworn professional employees. All sworn personnel are armed while on duty. Professional employees include Community Service Officers (CSOs) and staff supporting a variety of functions in crimes analysis, records, dispatch, equipment, jail, property and evidence, digital media, public affairs, purchasing, budgeting and finance, and animal services. Since the 1970s, our Community Service Officers (CSOs) have handled non-emergency calls for services that do not require the presence of an armed police officer, such as identifying and enforcing parking ordinances, responding to and investigating non-injury traffic collisions, investigating property crimes with no suspect information such as vandalism and burglary calls, interviewing victims/witnesses and documenting statements.

Fremont Police's Mobile Evaluation Team (MET) was created in 2017 in partnership with health professionals to provide a more comprehensive and compassionate response to calls for service involving the homeless and/or community members experiencing a mental health crisis.  MET links community members to mental health and/or homeless service providers and provide resources and guidance to family members and loved ones of those dealing with mental illness.  The MET team currently consists of four individuals: one Police Sergeant, one Police Officer, a full time Crisis Nurse/Crisis Care Coordinator and a half time Crisis Intervention Specialist.

According to CA penal code Chapter 4.5. Peace Officers [830 - 832.19] and Chapter 4 Article 1. Administration and Enforcement [2800 - 2818], only sworn peace officers can enforce most moving violations as defined by the California Vehicle Code. This means only a police officer has the legal authority to detain a person for a traffic stop.  Safety is always a top priority during any type of police action or enforcement - this includes both public safety and safety of our staff.As routine as a traffic stop may seem, the situation is a detention and can lead to other aspects, including a possible arrest (e.g. DUI). A traffic stop can turn into a serious situation when any signs of criminal activity is being discovered. Every year, a number of law enforcement officers are injured or killed during traffic stops. Please refer to the FBI statistics on the number of officers killed while on duty. Due to the possible danger and potentially deadly consequences of a traffic stop, it's important that only trained officers are performing such action.

Some of the most frequently received traffic complaints are related to speeding, not stopping at stop signs, and reckless driving. While the City does have a red light camera program to enforce and deter red light violations, other technologies, such as radar speed enforcement or stop sign enforcement via cameras, are not permitted in California. There are currently no viable alternatives that can legally substitute traffic enforcement of police officers in the City. Police officers are obliged to enforce traffic laws and investigate traffic collisions, helping to keep our roads safe for the community.

Our calls of services are not categorized by service needs. Homelessness and mental health issues can be included in all possible call types so it's difficult to define and pin point a call type for this purpose. There is currently no precise calculation for Fremont incidents involving our homeless population. The best option available to us is to analyze incident data that have the keywords of “homeless” or “transient” listed in the details.  A six-month sample of January – June 2019 calls for service data showed that FPD officers responded to 14 calls per day, or approximately 10% of calls, involving homeless issues*.

*Calls for Service from January – June 2019 were analyzed.  Of 56,906 total calls for service 2,539 referenced “homeless” or “transient” in the detail.  Based on this initially calculation approximately 4.5% of all calls for service referenced transient or homeless. However, recognizing that a vast number of these calls were not calls for service which required a response from an officer, we excluded some of these call types. Once the designated call types were excluded, data indicates 25,219 calls for service of which 2,508 calls referenced “homeless” or “transient” in the details.  These 2,508 calls include 415H (disturbance calls involving homeless) as well as any calls with the specified keywords.  This amounts to 14 calls per day related to homeless/transient, which is approximately 10% of calls. In January – June 2020 we experienced significant variation in crime reports due to COVID.  During this period, we received 48,697 calls for service of which 1,989 of these had “homeless” or “transient” in the call detail for 4.1% of all calls for service.   Applying the exclusion list there were 23,139 calls for service of which 1,964 of these had “homeless” or “transient” in the call detail for 8.5%.

• In Jan-Jun 2019, there were 410 battery and assault related reports, and 63 of these involved homeless/transient keywords in the details.
• In Jan-Jun 2020, there were 389 battery and assault related reports, and 51 of these involved homeless/transient keywords in the details.
• In Jan-Jun of 2019, there were 33 Estes robberies, 11 of the suspects or arrestees were listed as transient.
• In Jan-Jun of 2020, there were 17 Estes robberies, six of the suspects or arrestees were listed as transient.

The graph below indicates the number of calls received from January 2019 – June 2020 related to 5150s – individual with mental health issues posting a danger to self or others, and 415Hs - disturbance involving homeless. Please keep in mind that these are only two of the call types that explicitly includes mental health/homeless in the call category.

The City and our Mobile Evaluation Team (MET) are aware of the homeless community members in various parts of the City.MET regularly visits known areas to offer and provide services to those community members as part of its mission.MET has also made numerous referrals to homeless services providers asking for assistance in addressing this population.Finally, MET coordinates with other City of Fremont departments to conduct regular clean ups and abatement. City leadership is constantly evaluating locations throughout the City where homeless activities are having a negative impact on surrounding community members and/or businesses. In 2020 the City filled the Homeless Coordinator position to serve as a liaison between the homeless population. City services, and other available resources. The City has also championed the Housing Navigation Center which opens August 2020. City of Fremont balances the needs of both homeless and other community members in enforcing local regulations and conducting clean ups and abatement. Enforcing local regulations with equity and compassion and understanding is a model Fremont Police strives to achieve. Because some locations are private property, it is the responsibility of the property owner to clean up any homeless camps on his/her property. MET frequently works with private property owners throughout the City to address homeless issues on their property.

The Mobile Evaluation Team (MET) was officially created in January of 2017. Fremont MET borrowed many concepts and ideas from Oakland PD’s MET, which is a partnership between Oakland PD and ACBH. The MET currently has a team of five individuals: one Police Sergeant, two Police Officers, one Community Service Officer, and a City of Fremont Human Services Crisis Intervention Specialist.

It has been a challenge for MET to address such a wide breadth of responsibilities, however, there have been numerous success stories, and the team has made great inroads in building new partnerships with local service providers while strengthening existing collaborative efforts.After years of increases our 5150 calls (individual with mental health issues posting a danger to self or others) have decreased each year after the MET program has launched.

There are other teams in our community which address homeless and/or mental health, but none of them are a collaboration between law enforcement and mental health or homeless services providers.MET continues to provide compassionate services to our homeless population and also started minor unofficial case management services to address members of the Fremont community who were high utilizers of emergency services (Fire, Police, EMS).The goal is to redirect those individuals to appropriate service providers for long term case management services and care whenever possible.It is important to be aware that sometimes individuals are averse to accepting any services.

Our department closely supervises our sworn personnel and any policy violation would be investigated thoroughly. Our officers are continuously trained in cultural diversity, implicit bias, and anti-discrimination to ensure fair police practices. We take allegations seriously and conduct immediate and thorough investigation on such allegations. We maintain and exceed training standards set forth by POST in this area. POST Guidelines-Requires Racial/Cultural Diversity Training every five years.Since 2018, FPD completes the training every two years. Additional training information can be found in the Training Section of our Accountability page. Our department has policies outlining Guidelines for Conduct, preventing Discriminatory Harassment, and Biased Based Policing (training and lesson plan.)

The City has had a records retention policy for decades and went through an update that began in early 2017. During our update, the police departments retention policy and practice was aligned with the law. The schedule update did not include an update to internal affairs records, as that already existed, nor did the retention policy update the City’s ability to produce records under SB1421. All releasable records that have been requested, have been made available and additional information on this topic can be located on the police department's transparency portal .  A single box of old records dating back to the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, had been misfiled and was located during the project.  This box of files was out of compliance with our existing records retention policy and should have been purged in accordance years ago.  None of the records in the box would have been subject to disclosure under SB1421. 

Chief Kimberly Petersen’s letter to the Fremont community in response to the KQED article on records retention policy.

California Government Code Section 1031 requires peace officers to have a high school diploma or equivalent, possess a Class C California driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record, and be 20.5 years of age at the time of applying and 21 years of age at the time of appointment, and be citizens of the United State. These are the minimum qualifications established by law. Diversity is something we value, and the department takes a holistic approach to hiring. We often look for additional traits and qualifications beyond those that are minimally required by law. Our recruitment strategies include reaching out to a broad candidate pool and our goal has been to hire quality candidates who successfully make it through our rigorous and competitive hiring process. We believe Fremont residents deserve the best and our candidates greatly exceed those minimum qualifications. We are fortunate that we can set high standards in our hiring process, as we are generally only hiring a few candidates at any given time. Officer starting salary is dependent upon qualifications. The minimum education requirement is a high school diploma, GED, or CHSPE. Above all else, Fremont PD values the life experiences that our Police Officers bring with them every day to their job, including emotional intelligence, maturity, common sense and the ability to communicate. They will be speaking with members of the public from all walks of life and put in many new situations each shift. Education, prior job experience, and military service all equip them with skillsets that can help them navigate as a Police Officer. Salary for our officers are:

1. Academy salary: $8,074 monthly
2. Officer salary: $8,881 - $10,798 monthly depending on qualifications

Additional information about our recruitment process and compensation can be found on the Police Department Jobs Website.

There is no maximum limit for overtime hours, however, each officer generally should not work more than 15 consecutive hours per day (our regular shift is 11 hours) absent exigent circumstances. All overtime must be pre-approved by a supervisor and we do not staff above our shift minimums. We do not track average number of overtime hours as this varies widely between units and individual officers.Some other variables impacting overtime hours include the number of overall vacancies, time off per shift, special events, special investigations, and high priority/profile cases, etc.

We take a holistic approach to hiring and ensure our candidates are well-rounded and well-suited for the job. We look for the following factors and characteristics in our candidates: integrity, service-oriented, background, communication skills, community involvement/awareness, experience, interest motivation, interpersonal skills, and problem solving. We also have three in-person oral board interviews (entry level, Lt. panel, and executive panel) to engage with a candidate, which is more than most agencies.Our candidates also need to complete an evaluation with a third party post-certified psychologist prior to being hired. Once hired, they will go through rigorous (ongoing) training to ensure they are performing to their best abilities.Please refer to the training section on our Accountability Page and POST for information regarding the training received by our officers.

The City of Fremont and FUSD have had a partnership since 1998 for the SRO program.The two agencies have a formal MOU and agreement to share the costs for the program.The total budget for fiscal year 2020/21 is $2.5 million. The unit comprises of six officers and a sergeant.The Unit is fully dedicated to the schools and handles all calls for service on Fremont school campus and surrounding areas if the call involves students.SRO’s also provide security at dances, graduations and sporting events as part of the MOU. For the 2020/21 budget year, FUSD is estimated to be billed for three of the seven positions, costing approximately $838,000.As a result of COVID-19, the City of Fremont has agreed that FUSD will not be required to pay for SRO services during distance learning and physical school closures when SROs are not physically on campus.

Our School Resource Officers (SROs) attend the annual NASRO conference, which covers a variety of topics including school safety, active shooter, drugs, implicit bias. The training is the industry standard and best practices for school-based law enforcement. FUSD representatives sit on the formal oral board interviews for the SRO appointments. FUSD provides feedback on each SRO to our department on a continual basis and ongoing open communications take place between FUSD and Fremont Police regarding the program. SROs are Fremont Police employees and are governed by Fremont Police Department policies. Complaints against an SRO are handled the same as any other officer.

Principals at the high schools, as well as those we work with at the district, are in favor of our School Resource Officers (SRO) program. However, there were some public comments recently made at the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) School Board Meetings that some felt SROs contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline and have called for the removal of the SRO unit from FUSD.

During the July 29, 2020, FUSD Board Meeting, information was shared regarding a general high school survey with 6,190 students respondents and a specialized survey sent to 30 African American students attending Fremont Schools. When asked, "Do you think SROs belong on FUSD Campuses?" 65.5% of the general public survey respondents are supportive of the SRO program and believes SROs should remain on campus, while 19.9% believe they should not be on campus, and 14.5% preferred not to answer. Respondents to the specialized survey received slightly different questions and gave their experiences with SROs on campus an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, with 5 being the most positive, whereas their overall ratings for their experiences attending Fremont schools and experiences with school staff were lower at 3.1 and 3.4 respectively. Though these studies may not necessarily represent the entire FUSD population, we are excited that the preliminary findings suggest a very positive relationship between our students and the SROs. Overall, the majority of responders have positive feelings for our SROs and believe they should be on campus. At the same meeting, the Board voted (on item 15.8 Fremont Police Department/School Resource Office Partnership) to evaluate the SRO program relationship with the City of Fremont and direct staff to renegotiate the contract to allow FUSD not pay while under distance learning (The City of Fremont agreed that FUSD will not be required to pay for SRO services during distance learning for COVID-19). We look forward to holding further discussions with the district to improve our SRO program.

The FUSD School Board meeting videos and materials are open and available to the public on their website. We are not currently aware if the school district has published the survey information.

No, the Fremont Police Department does not participate, nor are we in possession of any equipment through the Military’s 1033 Surplus Program.

The Fremont Police Department does not have an armored tank.The department has an armored rescue vehicle, known as a Bear CAT and is 50% owner of an armored medical vehicle, known as a Med CAT in partnership with San Leandro Police Department. The two vehicles are NOT a tank, but rather an armored rescue/medical vehicle on a Ford F550 chassis built specially for municipal law enforcement use.The Bear CAT vehicle is used to transport officers (e.g. SWAT) to and from incidents, some which could be dangerous and to assist with the recovery and protection of civilians and officers during such situations. For example, the vehicle may be used as a protective shield during negations in a hostage situation, armed confrontation, or when a suspect is barricading at a specific location.It’s critical that we have the ability to approach these situations with protection. Please keep in mind that Bear Cats are not tanks — they are vehicles of refuge which serve to protect police and civilians alike. The Bear Cat vehicle in itself is not a militarized weapon and is not capable of attacks. The Med-CAT armored vehicle is fully equipped as a medical transport vehicle and delivers medical aid in emergency situations where field trauma care is needed. This vehicle is operated by the Department’s Trauma Emergency Medical Team, comprising of officers and Fremont firefighters trained and certified as paramedics. These vehicles are only used in situations requiring a higher level of protection and usage is governed by our policy on Armored Rescue Vehicle (Arv) – Lenco Bearcat Medevac.

Fremont Police officers have been wearing outer vests for about 15 years. The vest transfers weight of equipment traditionally worn around the waist from hips to the upper body and helps reduce potential catastrophic back injuries.A 2017/18 study by the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire found that officers who carry most of their equipment — which often weighs close to 30 pounds — on vests rather than duty belts experience significantly less hip and lower-back pain. The vests help to distribute weight more evenly so there is less strain on the hips and lower back. The study also determined that outer vests do not limit the officers’ range of motion or create other issues that would be problematic for the officers from a safety standpoint.

Study Reference:

• https://www.wisconsin.edu/all-in-wisconsin/story/uw-eau-claire-research-aims-to-improve-police-officers-health-quality-of-life/ 

Several years ago, we began sending officers and dispatchers to Crisis Intervention Training (C.I.T.).  This training course provides officers with an enhanced understanding of who to handle calls involving persons suffering from mental illness.  To date (June 2020) we have sent approximately 75 officers/dispatchers to the training.  Class size has been limited to only allowing 2-3 employees at a time.

Yes, all of our use of force training has a de-escalation component.All recent training curriculum can be located here. Some of the training include:

1. Racial Profiling/Cultural Diversity:
   • May 2018-2 hours POST Update training
   • June 2020-2 hours POST Update training
2. Use of force/De-Escalation:
   • September 2018-Defensive Tactics Training
   • February 2019-Defensive Tactics Training
   • May 2020- Foot pursuit, pursuit policy update training
   • June 2020- Use of force and De-Escalation training

Please refer to the training section on our Accountability Page for a list of additional training received by our officers.

Yes, our officers have a duty to intercede as governed by our use of force policy. We require officers to intervene and report when unreasonable force is observed. FPD Policy 300.2.1 – DUTY TO INTERCEDE states the following: “Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable force. An officer who observes another employee use force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law should promptly report these observations to a supervisor.” This information is highlighted in our response to #8CANTWAIT.

Yes, Fremont Police has conducted the review according to AB 392 and our Use of Force Policy has been updated to reflect new standards.We conducted training accordingly in December 2019, the required POST training, and an additional 3-hour training in Summer 2020 (specifically for AB 392 changes in use of force).

We maintain, and at times exceed, training standards set forth by POST. POST Guidelines require racial and cultural diversity training every five years.Since 2018, FPD completes the training every two years. Some of the relevant training includes:

• LD 03-Principled Policing in the Community: 26 hours of academy training
• LD 37-People with disabilities: 15 hours of academy training
• LD 42- Cultural Diversity/Discrimination: 16 hours of academy training
• Racial and Cultural Diversity/Racial Profiling-Every 5 years
  • May 2018-2 hours POST Update training
  • June 2020-2 hours POST Update training

Additional information on training can be found on our Accountability page.