Tensions run high as Richmond police union calls for more staffing

RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON) — Tensions flared at the Richmond City Council meeting Tuesday night as the Richmond Police Officers Association demanded better staffing and support.

Union members questioned why two officers involved in a shooting that killed former Marine Angel Montano last month have not been allowed to return to duty. The department is currently operating with just over 100 officers, while 147 are needed to be fully staffed.

“Richmond cannot afford to punish officers who do their jobs lawfully and commendably,” said a member of the Richmond Police Officers Association.

“It’s not a justified killing, I’ve seen the video plenty of times over and over,” said Adrian Maciel, cousin of Montano.

The Richmond City Council chambers were filled with members of the police officers association, who rallied for the return of the two officers and called for increased staffing to address what they describe as a crisis.

Union President Ben Therriault criticized some city council members as being anti-police and failing to address the staffing issues. “I’m seeing people just trying to fan the flames of basically hating law enforcement when you need to be doubling down on getting our police department staffed so that we can protect the residents of the city,” he said.

Community members also spoke during the public comment period, expressing concerns about public safety and the need for more officers on the streets. “We need more officers because you barely see officers patrolling,” one community member stated.

The city council is considering a proposal to designate the city manager as the person responsible for communicating with the public after an officer-involved shooting and releasing body cam footage, a move opposed by the officers’ union.

The union’s contract expired on July 1, and they are hoping for better compensation to retain current officers and recruit new ones.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.