Cop forum updates public on surveillance, homeless and pot

Chula Vista resident Alfredo Alvarez said in the past he usually has had bad interactions with Chula Vista police officers.

Often times, he said, officers dealt with him in a harsh manner or treated him unfairly, leaving him with a negative view of the city’s law enforcement.

But on Tuesday night the 31-year-old Hispanic man said his perception of the Chula Vista police department changed when he attended the Chula Vista Police Department’s Community Forum inside council chambers.

“I feel like police, especially with everything that’s going on [across the nation] with race and the police, I think this forum demonstrates that officers are trying to have some sort of community outreach,” he said. “And I think that’s important because it makes someone like me who’s had these negative impacts [with police] feel more included.”

Alvarez had addressed a panel of officers seeking clarification and questions regarding medical marijuana cultivation in the city for those who are medically ill and need medical marijuana.

Alvarez could not get all of his questions answered in the allotted time allowed but he said officers continued to have a conversation with him afterward, making him feel like they were genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“I feel like all of the presenters went above and beyond and had a conversation with me outside when the forum ended and really answered my questions,” he said. “The way they behaved made me feel like they are not trying to get me, and that they are actually cool.”

Chula Vista police officers addressed issues regarding police video technologies, homelessness and illegal marijuana dispensaries.

The police department in recent years has been at the forefront in adopting and embracing new and innovative technology to keep neighborhoods safe.

The department six years ago became the first in the county to field test body-worn cameras and two years ago became one of the first in the county to fully implement the recording devices for all of their patrol officers.

Police Capt. Vern Sallee said the department is exploring the use of drones for specific missions in critical incidents. He said drones potentially could be used when looking for at risk or missing persons, to look through canyons and terrains in different searches and looking closer at bombs or suspicious packages without putting officers at risk.

Sallee said he understands the fears of implementing drones and more police technology.

“There are some negative impacts,” he said. “We don’t want the perception the police department is a surveillance state or watching the public for no good reason.”

Capt. Roxanna Kennedy said the police department now has the resources to try and get homeless individuals and families off the streets.

“Our goal is to first and foremost get people off the streets, if we can,” she said. “It’s challenging to do that at times when you are delving with chronic homeless. It has to be their choice to accept the help.”