the five reforms Pam Watts in collaboration with Mano Amiga compiled ve reforms that they have called for to be included in the new meet and confer agreement. They are named after former San Marcos police Sgt. Ryan Hartman. End the 180-day rule. Outlined in the agreement under investi- gations and disciplinary suspen- sions, a police o cer cannot be reprimanded or disciplined for an incident 180 days after it occurs. End the delay of interviews for misconduct. Under the protected rights of o cers, police o cers involved in an investigation have 48 hours to review any and all evidence before providing an o cial statement. Personnel les as it relates to doc- umented misconduct of a police o cer should be made available to the community for transparency. End third-party arbitration that keeps disputes out of the court system. End vacation forfeiture as a substitute to suspension. Hartman was able to surrender 40 hours of vacation to avoid a one-week suspension.
Arbitration proceedings take place with hearing examiner Bill Detwiler, who determines if the decision to suspend/ terminate Hartman was valid. APRIL 2022:
Detwiler determines the decision to suspend Hartman was valid; Hartman’s suspension/ ring is upheld. JUNE 2022:
SEPT. 6, 2022:
FEB. 7, 2023:
San Marcos City Council votes to repeal the meet and confer agreement. The city and police union have 120 days to renegotiate a new agreement.
San Marcos City Council adopts a new meet and confer agreement. The 60 days to gather signatures to repeal the contract begins.
2022
2023
The city and the police association begin negotiations for the new meet and confer agreement. MAY 2022:
On the second anniversary of Miller’s death, Watts and local activist group Mano Amiga demand the Hartman Reforms be added to the new meet and confer agreement. JUNE 10, 2022:
The San Marcos Police O cers’ Association rati es a new agreement without the Hartman Reforms. AUG. 31, 2022:
San Marcos City Council receives certi cation from city clerk’s o ce to repeal the agreement with 1,294 signatures gathered by Mano Amiga. JAN. 3, 2023:
SOURCES: CITY OF SAN MARCOS, MANO AMIGA, SAN MARCOS POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
for the petition,” Benavides said. According to the city of San Marcos, an initial charge of criminally negli- gent homicide was brought before a grand jury in Bastrop County, which declined to pursue charges. Hartman was charged with a Class C misdemeanor tra c violation, according to the statement. The ve reforms The Hartman Reforms, named after the sergeant who changed Watt’s life forever, aim to increase police oversight and improve transparency within the police department. “I am actually very pro-law enforce- ment. It is a needed entity within our society. But when one has done wrong, they need to address that wrongdoing,” Watts said. The rst reform calls for the end of the 180-day rule which falls under investigations and disciplinary sus- pensions of the agreement. A police o cer cannot be reprimanded or dis- ciplined for an incident 180 days after it occurs. Watts alleges that Chief Standridge told her the department would not investigate the accident as the 180- day rule is in e ect and the statute of limitations has passed. However, it had only been 141 days at that point.
That is yet to be determined during the renegotiation process which could pose a problem. Police unions have been steering clear of additional police monitoring being included in meet and confer agreements, Golden said. “The general bargaining positions of most police unions is that they do not want these provisions to be in meet and confer agreements. [They] would rather not sign an agreement where [the city] promises to subject them to scrutiny and review,” Golden said. If the two parties were to adopt a new agreement that does not include those reforms, community members could circulate yet another petition to repeal it and the cycle would continue. “The di culty is hearing some of what we heard today about ‘We’re going to draw a line in the sand and say that all ve Hartman Reforms have to be negotiated or we’re going to come back,’” Interim City Manager Stephanie Reyes said. “That doesn’t give us any room to negotiate because that’s what it is, it has to be agreed to by the other side. If they don’t agree to it, then we go back to civil service. If reverted back to civil service, hir- ing, promotions, suspensions, pro- tected rights of o cers, investigations and disciplinary suspensions, work
The second reform calls for the end of delayed interviews for misconduct which falls under protected rights of o cers. Police o cers involved in an investigation have 48 hours to review any and all evidence including pho- tos, videos and recordings before giv- ing an o cial statement. The third reform calls for transpar- ency regarding police o cer person- nel les as it relates to documented misconduct. The fourth reform calls for the end of third-party arbitration. The fth and nal reform calls for the end of vacation forfeiture as a sub- stitute for suspension. “The public, with this petition, has made it clear that they do not want an agreement without all ve of these The clock has started following council action Feb. 7 to renegoti- ate the meet and confer agreement. The city and SMPOA have 120 days to renegotiate terms and come to an agreement by June 7. However, the council only approved a resolution to repeal the agreement; the vote does not guaran- tee that the ve Hartman Reforms will be included in the new agreement. items,” Golden said. Back to square one
SOURCES: CITY OF SAN MARCOS, MANO AMIGA COMMUNITY IMPACT
schedules and more would be a ected, according to agenda documents. If the new agreement does not include all ve Hartman Reforms, Mano Amiga will continue to engage with and educate the community about how the agreement does and does not address transparency, Bena- vides said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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