City Council Will Begin The First “Forward Together Listening Session”
Tomorrow at 10AM, the City Council will begin the first “Forward Together Listening Session”. Per the Council, the purpose of this Listening Session is to hear from the community regarding their opinion and views of the Modesto Police Department, our training, policies and procedures. I will be in attendance tomorrow to represent the MPOA.
This is open to every member of our community. It is not limited to just citizens of Modesto. I want to invite you to participate. You can do this via Zoom or in person, however in-person access will be limited due to current COVID-19 restrictions.
Although I anticipate some in attendance will attempt to point out what they believe are the shortcomings of our Department or personnel, community members who have positive things to say can also weight in. I would encourage you to share this information with those who you come in contact with that might be willing to take a few minutes out of their day to ensure tomorrow’s listening session is not just one sided. All public commenters will have a five minute time limit, rather if in person or via Zoom. Community members can also send an email with their comments if they’d prefer, however it should be noted that these emails will only be shared with council members and will not be read aloud during the listening session.
I understand that some might have fear or concerns about making positive comments about law enforcement in today’s society. I wish this was not the case, but it is and I understand it. The Zoom and email options may offer some relief to in person discomforts and heckling from others in attendance. In addition to this, the spouse, parent, sibling, family member of a LEO may be discounted by some in attendance due to the relationship. The amount of personal information shared by each commenter is a personal choice.
I want you to know that the MPOA has been involved in this process from the beginning and will fight to achieve the best possible out come that we can get.
Please text, call or email if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
Daniel Starr, President
Modesto Police Officers’ Association
1016 13th Street, Modesto, CA 95354
Cell: (209) 216-8138
SUBMITTING COMMENTS BY E-MAIL
Written comments may be submitted via email to: forwardtogether@modestogov.com . All comments will be shared with the Councilmembers and placed in the record, but will not be read aloud during the meeting.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION BY ZOOM VIDEO
CONFERENCING AND TELEPHONE
Joining the City Council meeting via Zoom
The City of Modesto is now offering the ability to view and participate in Council meetings via telephonic conferencing via “Zoom” video conferencing computer technology. The meeting may be accessed through the use of Zoom using the following options:
Enter the following link into an Internet Browser https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86945970570,
Enter the following link into an Internet Browser https://zoom.us/and" class="redactor-autoparser-object">https://zoom.us/and using the Webinar ID 869 4597 0570
Passcode 84326
To use Zoom, please visit: https://zoom.us/ and either sign-up for a free Zoom account or continue as a guest. Once you have downloaded the app onto your mobile device, joined from your web browser, or downloaded the Zoom software on your computer you will be ready for the upcoming Council meeting.
Joining the City Council meeting via Telephone
If you don’t have a smart phone or computer to access the meeting via Zoom, you can participate by phone, by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and enter the Webinar ID 869 4597 0570 Passcode 84326
Providing Public Comment on Zoom and by Telephone
The Mayor or meeting facilitator will request public comment during the Public Comment periods on the meeting agendas. Once the public comment period is open, please do one of the following.
USING A COMPUTER OR SMART PHONE APP:
Clickon the “Raise Hand” feature in the webinar controls. This will notify City staff that you have raised your hand.
City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment.
A prompt will appear to confirm you would like to be unmuted and then you will have five minutes to provide publiccomment.
Once your public comment has ended, you will be mutedagain.
USING A REGULAR PHONE (not using a computer or smart phone APP):
Dial *9 (star 9), this will notify City staff that you have “raised your hand”for public comment.
City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment.
You will hear “you are unmuted” and then you will have three minutes to provide publiccomment.
Once your public comment has ended, you will be mutedagain.
If your phone is unmuted, and you are unable to be heard, the host may ask that you Dial *6 to toggle mute on/off in Zoom.
Additional Zoom resources/support
Please visit Zoom’s website support page on helpful tips to prepare for the meeting: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-...
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
Please refer to special public comment instructions above.
Maximum 5 minutes per speaker – which may be reduced to permit more members of the community to speak, or increased as appropriate and time warrants.
Only interested persons in the audience may present these matters. Under State law, Councilmembers may respond to matters being presented under this item only as follows:
a. Briefly respond to statements made or questions raised.
b. Ask a question for clarification.
c. Provide a reference to staff or other resources for factual information.
d. Request staff to report back at a subsequent meeting.
e. Finally, a Councilmember or the Council itself may take action to direct staff to place a matter of business on a future agenda.
Any and all of the following agenda items are subject to action by the Modesto City Council.
This Agenda is on file at the Modesto-Stanislaus Library Reference Room, 1500 I Street, Modesto, in the City Clerk’s Office, Sixth Floor, 10th Street Place, and is available on the City’s Web site at www.modestogov.com.
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) of 1990, the Fair Employment & Housing Act (“FEHA”), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended), Government Code section 11135 and other applicable codes, the City of Modesto (“City”) will not discriminate against individuals on the basis of disability in the City’s services, programs, or activities. For more information, please visit the City of Modesto website at https://www.modestogov.com/865...
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk (209) 577-5396. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.
**Originally Posted FRIDAY, 21 MAY 2021