Emeryville Police Announces Public Debate Regarding Department Issued Assault Rifles

Captain Oliver Collins of the Emeryville Police Department announced at a community engagement event at the Center of Community Life tonight there will be a future public forum on Department issued AR-15 assault rifles EPD officers have been carrying on their rounds here for several years.  The EPD issuance of the controversial weapons, banned for civilians by the State of California, has been a point of some contention since an Emeryville officer used one of the rifles to kill Oakland resident Yuvette Henderson in a 2015 shooting following a shoplifting event after a pistol was brandished by the woman.  Prior to that shooting, most Emeryville residents were unaware Emeryville police had been issued these consequential guns at some point in the recent past and calls for a public forum on the issue began to be expressed by members of the public.

Captain Collins made the announcement of the future AR-15 forum at the 1st Annual Emeryville 'Barbershop Forum', a series of police department sponsored public forums to build community trust after the tragic BART police shooting of Oscar Grant in 2009.  Top brass of police departments from around the Bay Area attended the Emeryville event tonight including the Chiefs of San Francisco, Oakland and Hayward.  Emeryville's Chief of Police, Jennifer Tejada was notably absent however.

Making the announcement to the crowd of 50 or so members of the public tonight, Officer Collins didn't commit to a date or location for the proposed AR-15 forum but presumably it will take place at Emeryville City Hall Council chambers as part of a 'Special Meeting'. Such community forums commonly occur before regularly scheduled Council meetings.  The Tattler will announce the date and pertinent information as soon as it is made public.