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Claremont residents demand accountability after Diego Rios’ death as council schedules Tri City MOU for review
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Claremont City Council to hold officers accountable and redirect funds toward mental‑health responses; the council confirmed a Tri City MOU will be presented April 14 as community members pressed for discipline of Officers Benjamin Alba and Joshua Arona.
Dozens of residents used the City Council’s public‑comment period to demand accountability after the November death of Diego Rios and to press the council to prioritize mental‑health response over additional police spending. Isabelle, who addressed the council during public comment, said, “Diego's death was preventable like George Floyd's death in 2020,” and asked when the city would discipline Officers Benjamin Alba and Joshua Arona.
Why it matters: Speakers said the city’s handling of released footage and its budget choices have eroded public trust and that the Tri City mobile crisis team could help prevent future deaths. Several commenters noted Tri City’s presence in neighboring cities and urged the council to include the mobile crisis option in dispatch protocols and in the forthcoming memorandum of understanding.
What residents said: Jason, a student at the Claremont Colleges, told the council that 911 dispatch should include a mental‑health option and said, “The city has the right to terminate its officers, and I believe it should,” pressing the council for accountability and faster internal action. Multiple residents questioned planned vehicle upfitting for the police department and asked that roughly $190,000 slated from fleet funds be redirected to mental‑health services or community programs.
City response and next step: City Manager Mr. Puri said two external investigations — by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office — remain ongoing and that the city will present an MOU with Tri City on April 14. Puri reiterated that the City “does not have jurisdiction over the two investigations” but pointed residents to a city web page hosting materials the City can legally share. Several council members directed staff to coordinate with residents and engineering on a traffic‑calming request for Briarcroft, and to continue planning the Tri City MOU presentation.
Claims and unresolved items: Speakers alleged specific misconduct (including prolonged prone restraint and an alleged choke hold) and asked why parts of body‑worn camera footage had not been released; council materials and staff acknowledged ongoing legal constraints and the separate external investigations but did not provide a timeline for discipline. The Tri City MOU presentation is set for the next council meeting on April 14.
What happens next: The council did not take formal disciplinary action at the meeting. The Tri City MOU will be presented for council review on April 14; residents said they will return until they receive answers and concrete steps.
