Sierra College Forum with Police Chiefs
Sierra College hosted a community forum on May 24 featuring two local police chiefs, Dan Foss, Chief of Nevada City PD, and Alex Gammelgard, Chief of Grass Valley PD. Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon was invited to participate but was unavailable on this date.
Judy East, Chair of the Sierra College Foundation, Nevada County Campus, read aloud a Land Acknowledgement prior to introducing the two Police Chiefs and Terry McAteer was the moderator.
Chief Foss came to Nevada City after 20 years of experience in law enforcement, primarily in Madera and Stanislaus Counties. Chief Gammelgard is a Nevada County native, who began his career in law enforcement in Spokane, Washington before returning to his hometown.
Both police chiefs agreed that a change that has had one of the greatest impacts upon law enforcement in recent years has been the use of body cameras. This technology has changed how law enforcement actions are documented and has been viewed as a positive change overall. Chief Gammelgard also explained that there has been much legislation and a number of drug policy changes recently which affect law enforcement capabilities and procedures. He also sees communities utilizing police more for what he would consider to be social issues.
McAteer asked both speakers if recruitment and retention have been a problem for them in the past few years. Chief Gammelgard explained that the job itself appeals only to a small subset of the population, as it is a difficult job with a high degree of risk, and public sentiment toward law enforcement recently has been negative. However, he emphasized that our local law enforcement officers are extremely dedicated public servants with whom he is proud to work. Chief Foss reiterated Gammelgard’s comments, also pointing out that the Nevada City Police Department is currently fully staffed, and that this community is generally very supportive of law enforcement. He made a comparison to an area such as Oakland, where the public is critical, recruiting is very difficult, and the police department is understaffed.
There was a great deal of discussion about the homeless population in Nevada County, and whether police officers are being asked to fill the role of social worker. Both speakers spoke about the concept that homelessness is a symptom, but not the disease. Mental illness and substance addiction are major factors connected with homelessness. It is very difficult to make an impact on the problem of homelessness without addressing the issues of mental illness and addiction. Due in part to changes in laws, it is becoming more and more difficult to “pause” the addiction problem. The opportunity to send offenders to “Drug Court”, which has proved to be very effective in helping with sobriety, became less available after the passage of CA Proposition 47.
Chief Gammelgard said that in his experience most people do not want to be homeless, but they don’t know how to navigate the system or manage their own behavior in order to escape it. He believes that we cannot have much impact on homelessness unless and until we address the issues of mental illness and addiction.
McAteer asked the speakers if the homelessness problem was improving in Grass Valley and Nevada City with the influx of dollars from state and federal programs. Chief Foss indicated that we know the homeless population is increasing, and as we spend more money, the problem is growing greater, so we are not seeing a positive return on investment. Because of mental illness and addiction issues, people who are homeless are often not thinking clearly or making good decisions. Foss believes we need to adapt and adjust our approach to the problem. “It is not a mercy to allow people to live on the street in bad conditions,” he said. “They need help.”
Chief Foss believes one of the first things that could be done to improve the situation would be to make major adjustments to Proposition 47 and create more incentives for the use of Drug Court. In his experience, offenders will often say that their arrest and 30 days in jail to “sober up” literally saved their lives.
Chief Gammelgard cited direct access to substance abuse treatment as one of the actions that could have a major impact. Currently, our county is drastically understaffed for access to these services in a timely fashion. There is a lack of staffing, a lack of capacity, and a lack of mandates for treatment in the criminal prosecution system.
Today the average daytime population housed in the Wayne Brown Correctional Center is less than in the past, so over-incarceration is not the problem. Our county does have a “revolving door” problem, as law enforcement officers are consistently dealing with a small subset of our community who are causing the largest share of problems and criminal activity.
A very high priority is the danger of fire from homeless encampments, which is a serious problem, regardless of laws and ordinances currently in place. Nevada County law enforcement officers have a zero-tolerance policy for fire in these settings.
Community efforts to create a “campground” or “tent city” for the homeless population only address the symptoms, not the causes of homelessness. Experience in other communities has shown that “free” collective or community housing has most often created crime zones where sexual assault and other violence is rampant. The concept may be better than “living in the woods” with the increase in fire danger, health issues, sexual assault, and other criminal activities, but housing does not address or solve the core issues of mental health and drug addiction. Nevada County is doing a bit better with emergency and transitional housing than many other counties, but statistics show that 86% of those who go into interim housing fall back into homelessness, while only 14% who go into permanent housing of some kind return to homelessness.
Drug issues in our county, particularly with fentanyl, were discussed. Chief Gammelgard indicated that, for those using or abusing opioids, Narcan has saved hundreds of lives in our community alone. Both speakers emphasized that fentanyl is very toxic, even in very small doses, and most overdoses are caused by “misidentification” or potency issues. A user often believes they have purchased a different drug than the one provided to them, which may be “laced” with deadly fentanyl. A huge factor in this problem is that fentanyl and methamphetamines are very inexpensive today. Fentanyl is cheaper than cigarettes, and most of it is coming to this community in the mail from China.
Chief Foss told the audience that when he first arrived in Nevada County, he was shocked by the amount of drug use in our area. Chief Gammelgard added that he sees the root of the problem in our county as a result of local intergenerational poverty involving drugs, domestic violence, and alcoholism from generation to generation. Intervention programs such as those offered through Bright Futures For Youth and other local non-profits with a focus on prevention and education were commended as being enormously helpful in tackling this intergenerational problem.
Chief Foss emphasized again that all of these problems were interconnected – drugs, abuse, and homelessness. The best method is to stop the cycle at the beginning of the addiction, and law enforcement needs to be able to arrest, interdict, and/or mandate recovery programs. Early focus and interdiction are the key.
When asked about cannabis use since legalization, Chief Gammelgard said that he has not noted a large difference in local policing of cannabis use, but is concerned with easy access for youths, increased potency of cannabis today, and the psycho-reactive and significant health effects of chronic use that are being revealed.
Chief Foss briefly discussed labor and sex trafficking, a topic in which he is well-versed. He established a non-profit called OLIVE which now provides a safe house for female adult sex trafficking victims in the Madera area. In his opinion, trafficking has become the worst crime wave in the United States, with profits from human trafficking far surpassing profits from the drug trade. There are simply not enough resources to properly deal with this problem and the numbers of victims are growing by the thousands each day. In our area, the problem appears to be relatively small – but Chief Foss emphasized that anywhere there is a population – trafficking will exist. He strongly advised all to talk to their kids/grandkids about these dangers.
Both men were asked how our local schools are doing in addressing the perils of drugs with our students. While acknowledging that the number of intervention and special programs has increased, and there is a more robust system to deal with behavioral challenges, both agreed that parents and families must be the first educators on subjects such as these.
McAteer asked the speakers if they had any great concerns about violence or disruption as we approach the November election season. Chief Foss recognized that there is currently a divide within our nation, sometimes expressing itself in aggressive confrontation. “People are smart – Mobs are dumb”, he said.
Both Chiefs indicated a respect for First Amendment free speech rights, but that those exercising their rights must, at the same time, obey laws and regulations. Relationships between members of the community and various groups within the community also decrease the likelihood of violence.
Due to the summer recess, the next Sierra College Community Forum is planned to take place in August.