Committee Report - C of APM - 4-6-22 — File 213466

Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Page 1 of 5 Printed 4/12/2022 April 6, 2022 REPORT OF THE CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENTS AND PERSONNEL MATTERS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Judy PinedaNeufeld Chair Present Kristen Strezo Vice Chair Present Charlotte Kelly City Councilor At Large Present Jesse Clingan Ward Four City Councilor Present Jake Wilson City Councilor At Large Present Others present: Hannah Carrillo-Mayor’s Office, Jason Piques-City Solicitor’s Office, Deputy Chief of Police James Stanford, Anne Gill-Human Resources, Jessica Pavao-Human Resources, candidate Richard Lavey III, candidate Kyle Lentini, candidate Tenzing Kartso, and candidate Patrick Barton The meeting was held in person, with the exception of Councilor Kelly who was remote. The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by Chairperson Pineda Neufeld and adjourned at 7:22 p.m. Councilor Kelly asked a question for the administration if they will be giving a general overview of the process. She also stated it was noted in the solicitor’s opinion date March 21, 2018, that once the medical examination has been conducted, the committee will not be able to review the medical information for the hiring process. Councilor Kelley asked Director Gill if all candidates have passed the medical and physical abilities test. Director Gill stated that all candidates have been through a thoroughly vetted process. Additionally, Councilor Kelly asked if the positions are current vacancies. Deputy Chief Stanford stated that all nine vacancies are due to retirements and/or promotions. Deputy Chief Stanford stated there are 11 vacancies in the SPD. A list of the retirements and promotions will be provided tomorrow by the Deputy Chief of Police. Councilor Kelly stated she found it very concerning that the staffing study has not been completed before the hiring of the police officers. Approval of the March 2, 2022 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED

Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Page 2 of 5 Printed 4/12/2022 213388: Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Richard Lavey III to the position of Police Officer. Deputy Chief Stanford introduced candidate Lavey who is a Somerville housing police officer and lifelong resident of Somerville. He went to Somerville public schools growing up and both parents work as public servants. Councilor Wilson asked if he will commit to taking the de-escalation training as a Somerville police officer. Candidate Lavey stated he wanted to take the training but was not able to due to COVID-19. Councilor Wilson asked about his view if he sees misconduct with a fellow police officer or superior and the candidate responded that he would report them to the higher up in command. Councilor Wilson also asked about the high-profile use of fire arms and gang violence. He responded about quite a few shootings and talked about using video cameras in the area. He’s gone to some calls and been able to work on the investigate steps. Councilor Kelly asked if Back Lives Matters (BLM) and what does the phrase mean. He believes it does matter and an important social moment for people who have been wronged and to change the way of the future. She also asked about trauma informed care and de-escalation used to try defuse a situation. He referenced critical training and he looks forward to working with Somerville to learn about this area. She asked about staffing an event non-Somerville department using excessive force and how he would respond in the moment and afterwards. He stated it depends on the scenario, he would report to the high-ranking officer on the scene. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked why he wanted to be an officer. The candidate responded that he wanted to help people and gave an example of when he was a lifeguard. The chair also asked to describe a stressful situation. The candidate talked about being calm as a life guard and during pool checks. During that time a child wondered into the pool and could not swim. He and another lifeguard jumped in to save the child. The chair asked the candidate what excites him and worries him about the role as a police officer. The candidate responded that he wants to build a relationship with the community. He worries when people call police on their worst day and they are stressed out. Also worries about not being able to help the individual on their worst day. Councilor Clingan asked if he is a patient person and asked about his customer service background. The candidate stated he worked in a gym and responsible for selling materials. Clingan asked if he would ask for help if he felt going off track in his role as police officer. The candidate stated this is what he wants to do and would reach out if he needed help. Councilor Strezo asked the candidate to describe his challenges working in Somerville Housing Authority. The candidate described working with Somerville Police officers to do emergencies calls. He also talked about being an investigator in SHA in the case of an overdose. RESULT: APPROVED. [4 TO 1] AYES: PinedaNeufeld, Strezo, Clingan, Wilson NAYS: Kelly 213389: Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Kyle Lentini to the position of Police Officer.

Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Page 3 of 5 Printed 4/12/2022 Deputy Chief Stanford introduced the reserve candidate. He graduated from Somerville High School. The candidate grew up in Somerville and worked for Somerville Parks & Recreation. Councilor Strezo asked about being a member of Best Buddies program with special needs children. The candidate stated they went on field trips, talked to children inside and outside of school. He helped with fundraisers. Councilor Strezo asked him to talk about the changes in Somerville and how he would serve the community. He responded the city changed a lot with buildings and this was not the best neighborhood to live in when he was younger and could not go to the park alone. Now, it’s a much safer place to walk and bike. Councilor Clingan asked if he is a patient person and asked about customer service background. Candidate Lentini stated he and family are very close and depends on his family. Councilor Wilson asked about de-escalation and taking classes. He stated that working at Boston University, he had training on de-escalation. Councilor Wilson also asked about policemen misconduct and would he report it if he witnessed this of officers and superiors. He asked the candidate how his experience working with youths would carry over to his performance as a police officer. The candidate stated he enjoys working with youth and being someone, they can talk to. He talked about seeing kids on the street that he worked with in the past. Councilor Kelly asked if BLM and what does the phrase mean. The candidate stated that it’s a systemic issue and need to hear the rights of people. He also noted that he sees the change in the police department. Councilor Kelly also asked about trauma informed care and de-escalation when they are trying defuse everything. Additionally, she asked his philosophy on pepper spray and the use of force. He responded to use their voices first and, in some situation can change very quickly from stage 1 to 5. The candidate that growing in Somerville, he did not know what he wanted to do in his career. He met some great officers in SPD and they were high level and that’s what he wanted to be. He enjoys helping people. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked him to describe a stressful situation and he talked about an insane day when a child broke their arm. There were over 125 kids and only a few instructors. Kids were running around and he was the one to calm the kids down. He is excited to work with new people everyday and talk to people, being in the community. He is concerned that in someone’s time of need that he may not be what they need. Deputy Chief Stanford stated there are 11 vacancies in the SPD. RESULT: APPROVED. [4 TO 1] AYES: PinedaNeufeld, Strezo, Clingan, Wilson NAYS: Kelly 213390: Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Tenzing Kartso to the position of Police Officer. Deputy Chief Stanford stated the candidate is a Marine Corps veteran. He has been in Somerville since he was 8 years old moving here with his family from India. He also was lifeguard in Somerville.

Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Page 4 of 5 Printed 4/12/2022 Councilor Clingan asked how his military experience will affect the job in SPD. The candidate stated he thinks his military training will be a plus. Councilor Clingan asked if he ever felt that when serving the public, he was not in the right frame of mind, would he be able to remove himself or seek help. Councilor Wilson asked about crisis intervention training and the candidate responded he would take the training. He also asked the candidate how he would handle if he sees misconduct by fellow officers. The candidate responded he would report them to the higher up in command. The candidate has already been trained on de-escalation, riots and natural disaster. Councilor Strezo asked how he would handle being with people who do not speak English very well and the candidate stated he would ask for a translator. Councilor Kelly asked what BLM means to him. The candidate that he knows this is a controversial topic and BLM does matter. Councilor Kelly asked the candidate his philosophy on the use of force. The candidate responded that he would use de-escalation and calm person down. Councilor Kelly also asked about mutual aid request non-SPD using excessive force. The candidate stated he would remind the officer to act accordingly and report to their supervisor. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked why SPD. He always with public service and this country has given him enough. He wants to give back to the community. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked about a stressful situation where he was calm. The candidate described a situation with a bomb threat in Guatemala. They were in the observation point for about 8 hours and getting everyone into safe rooms. He had to calm them down and give the individuals food and water. She also asked what excited him about this position. He states it’s a new experience and he wants to give back to the community. He is has no concerns with the role. RESULT: APPROVED. [4 TO 1] AYES: PinedaNeufeld, Strezo, Clingan, Wilson NAYS: Kelly 213391: Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Patrick Barton to the position of Police Officer. Deputy Chief Stanford introduced the candidate. The candidate is attending Fitchburg State and graduated from Somerville HS. He has lived in Somerville his entire life attending all Somerville schools. Councilor Strezo asked about his service to the community of Somerville. The candidate stated he attends Somerville programs and parks with friends. He also stated that now, Somerville is more of the whole family environment out in the parks and active in the community. He looks forward to continuing to make connection with the people of the community. Councilor Clingan asked if he found himself not serving the community with patience and care, would he seek help. The candidate he would seek help and believes that members in this position need to be in their highest level to serve the community. Councilor Wilson asked about crisis intervention program as SPD and the candidate stated he would take the training and any training to help to provide excellent service. Councilor Wilson

Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Page 5 of 5 Printed 4/12/2022 also asked his view to report if SPD is acting inappropriately. The candidate stated he would report the individual to upper management. Councilor Kelly asked if he believes BLM and what does it mean. The candidate responded that it’s a powerful movement, outreach and wakeup call. She also asked about his philosophy of use of force and the candidate stated he believes that voices should be used first. He also stated that there are cases when the use of force is necessary but not all cases. Councilor Kelley asked about supporting a neighboring community and what he would do if he saw someone using excessive force. The candidate stated he would tell his immediate superior after trying to stop the situation. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked why he wanted to be a police officer and the candidate stated police officer gives back to the community. The candidate also described a stressful situation as a supervisor when one child was injured and how he destressed the situation. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked the candidate what excites and worries him about the police officer position. The candidate stated he looks forward to giving back to the community. RESULT: APPROVED. [4 TO 1] AYES: PinedaNeufeld, Strezo, Clingan, Wilson NAYS: Kelly