Pleasant Hill PD working to expand police transparency -

PLEASANT HILL, CA (Oct. 15, 2021) — On behalf of the dedicated men and women of the Pleasant Hill Police Department, I am grateful for this opportunity to address the Central County readers of the Pioneer.

Our agency is committed to collaborating with the communities we serve. I welcome and appreciate opportunities such as these where I am able to speak directly to people within these communities and share insight, offer information and, I hope, spark meaningful dialogue.

The past 18 months have been challenging and difficult for many of us – including those of us serving in law enforcement. From the ongoing worldwide pandemic to the protests and calls for justice, the Pleasant Hill Police Department took notice and took action.

We believe the relationships with those we serve have a direct impact on the well-being of the residents of Pleasant Hill, and we are committed to partnering with the community to make Pleasant Hill a great place to live and visit.

As an agency, we recognize that establishing this bond involves proactive engagement, providing community access to public safety information and, when appropriate, involving the community in decisions that affect them, in addition to being transparent to help build and maintain public trust.

Community Conversations

To better understand our community’s expectations and concerns, in 2020 we engaged in a series of “Community Conversations” hosted by the city’s Civic Action Commission. With our residents, we worked to share timely and relevant information regarding our processes, policies, training and other practices. We continue to participate in those regular dialogues and have taken these conversations further in 2021 with the creation of a Chief’s Advisory Panel.

The new panel is intended to provide a forum for discussions regarding community/police concerns and allow for greater transparency and communication with the community. The panel’s objective will be to act as a resource for the chief in working with the community to form strategies, develop community policing concepts, increase public awareness, bolster engagement, improve transparency and identify best practices.

The process for accepting applications for panel participation concluded on Oct. 12. For more information, visit pleasanthillca.org/1468/Chiefs-Advisory-Panel.

As chief of police, I am extremely proud of the professionalism, respect and courage displayed by our personnel on a daily basis. Likewise, I am honored by the appreciation often expressed by our community for our personnel who serve them. We will continue to serve in a manner worthy of your trust and faith.

Contact Chief Hill at BHill@PleasantHillPD.org