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Resident alleges two incidents of threatening police conduct, asks council for accountability
Summary
A longtime Montclair resident told the council two recent stops left him feeling racially profiled and threatened; he said supervisors did not return calls. City officials reiterated how to file complaints and the police chief said he would follow up.
Jorge Sanchez, a Montclair resident of about 15 years, told the City Council he experienced two traffic stops he called racially motivated and threatening and said he did not receive promised supervisory follow‑up. "The gangster in Montclair are trained, heavily armed, and sworn in with a badge," Sanchez said, recounting a July 2024 stop where an officer he said spoke in Spanish approached him in a manner he found threatening and later a separate episode in which he said an officer followed him home and approached him with a hand on a gun.
Sanchez said he requested a supervisor both times and did not receive the callback he was promised. "These two experiences have shown me that there is no accountability with the Montclair Police Department," he said, and asked the council to ensure his concerns are heard and that changes are made in patrol behavior.
Mayor Dutre and City Manager Ed Star explained how residents can file complaints: through the city clerk’s office, which forwards them for processing, and directly with the police department. City Manager Ed Star said, "They would file a complaint through the city clerk's office, and then it would be handled and processed by the city attorney." Chief Jason Reed acknowledged Sanchez's remarks and indicated staff would follow up; the council encouraged Sanchez to file a formal complaint so the city could investigate.
The council did not take immediate formal action at the meeting; members directed staff to provide complaint‑filing information and asked the police chief to follow up with the resident. The mayor reiterated options for filing a complaint with either the police department or the city clerk's office.
