Families of people killed by Vallejo police officers call for more accountability

VALLEJO – Family members mourning loved ones who have been killed by Vallejo Police Department officers implored the Vallejo City Council on Tuesday to pursue greater accountability for its law enforcement officers.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, families and advocates arrived at City Hall calling for the city to properly investigate misconduct allegations around multiple police department employees. Attorney Melissa Nold, who has represented some Vallejoans in lawsuits involving those allegations, said before the meeting in a Facebook post that speakers wanted to address “gaslighting about the badge bending.” She cited issues such as hiring of unqualified officers, the concealing of misconduct records “and the racial terror directed at Chief Williams.”

Family members who spoke during the community forum said they were not satisfied with the report from the long-awaited badge bending investigation, which looked into the practice of some Vallejo police officers bending the tips of their badges after a killing. The family members said that city leaders must take more action to prevent future misconduct.

Michelle Monterrosa —- the sister of Sean Monterrosa, who was shot in the back of the head in 2020 by then-Officer Jarrett Tonn after a call for potential looting at a Vallejo Walgreens —- said the badge bending allegations were wrongly treated as “isolated, exaggerated, or unproven.” She said the new council needs to change the culture inside the department and strengthen the Police Oversight and Accountability Commission.

“The report changes nothing,” she said. “You cannot PR your way out of this, you cannot issue a statement about transparency while families continue to wait for change. Accountability delayed is accountability denied.”

The city's report was released in late June after staff fought for five years to keep it secret. Former police Capt. John Whitney originally revealed the badge bending practice, which was investigated by former Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano. The American Civil Liberties Union sued to make the report public in November 2022, and last year a state appeals court ordered the city to release it. 

The report implicates several officers in spreading the practice within the department, and sustained allegations of misconduct against six former officers. Eight officers were found to be “exonerated,” including three officers who were found to be “victims” of badge bending. 

Those who spoke on Tuesday noted that it is unclear from the report if any disciplinary actions were taken against the officers with sustained findings of misconduct. 

“Just because something is public does not mean it is true,” said Antoinette Sadler. Sadler is the sister of Angel Ramos, who was shot and killed when Officer Zachary Jacobsen and Officer Matt Samida responded to reports of a fight at a Sacramento Street home in 2017. She claimed that Jacobsen lied in the report about how many times he bent his badge.

“Not only did they steal their lives, they stole the identities of those who could have been, had this tragedy not occurred,” she said. “This badge bending goes far beyond a sick ritual celebrating the death of our loved ones.”

Sadler added that the report has been a “media spectacle” while “the voices of impacted families have once again been silenced.” 

Angela Sullivan, the aunt of Ronell Foster, spoke about Ryan McMahon, a former Vallejo police officer who shot and killed Foster in 2018. McMahon was also one of six officers who shot and killed Willie McCoy. She said McMahon tased, beat and shot Foster seven times, four of which were from behind. She said her mother died “four months later from a broken heart.”

“I’m not going to stop fighting,” Sullivan said. “You all know what’s going on. They’ve been lynching in Vallejo since it began. You all need to stop talking and lock these people up.”

Oakland organizer Cat Brooks of the Anti-Police Terror Project said she’s spent 16 years coming to different Vallejo City Council meetings calling for reform of the police department.

“We used to say Oakland Police Department was the most murderous department … but you know who holds that title now? Y’all,” Brooks said. “They are dragging you all to hell and you are allowing them.”

Brooks noted that while some councilmembers had not been in office during the incidents detailed in the report, “You are here now. Some of us haven't been here in a while, but we [are] all back and the wound is open. You owe them your care, your concern, your compassion, but most importantly, you owe them your correction.”

Resident Bridget Doherty criticized the city’s continued employment of City Attorney Veronica Nebb.The ACLU has accused Nebb of various misconduct allegations, including having destroyed records from multiple police shootings and obstructing civilian oversight of the Police Department. The city said it hired a firm to investigate the allegations last winter, but no report has been released since then.

“Let’s fire her. Why is she even here?” Doherty said, pointing to Nebb. “You need to be disbarred. You don’t need to practice law again.”

The council did not place the badge bending report on the agenda for discussion. Following the community forum, the council heard an update from Chief Jason Ta about issues with hiring enough officers to address ongoing vacancies. Ta said he wants to speed up hiring and recruitment in the future, saying that it can take more than two years to get officers into vacancies.

Ta said there are 84 total sworn officers, and he’s hoping to hire 12 more officers. He did not address the badge bending report or any statements made during the community forum.