‘Community Circle’: Residents praise Tiburon police but seek more communication, visibility

From left, Tiburon Diversity Inclusion Task Force member Noah Griffin, Tiburon police Officer Isaac Madfes, Sgt. Jerry Jones, Officer Daniel Anderson and Karen Beale, owner of Trinity House gallery on Ark Row, participate in an Aug. 10 community forum at Tiburon Town Hall to discuss policing in town and individual concerns. (Elliot Karlan / For The Ark)

Local business owners and others who attended the first in a series of community forums hosted by the Tiburon Police Department expressed a desire for more direct communication and visibility from the police while also praising officers’ commitment to the job — though several at the forum, which brought in just 18 people, said they’d like to see more residents involved in future events.

The so-called “community circle,” held Aug. 10 at Tiburon Town Hall, was the first in a series of four public “Living & Growing Together” workshops hosted by the Police Department through the end of September. Last week’s was targeted to owners of local businesses and nonprofits, while upcoming forums on Aug. 24, Sept. 14 and Sept. 28 are targeted to faith-based groups, the general public and under-represented communities, respectively.

The two-hour sessions, which are co-hosted by the San Rafael-based nonprofit Transformative Justice Institute, were initiated by Police Chief Ryan Monahan in what he called an effort to “recalibrate” the department and help Tiburon heal after a series of incidents last summer involving race and allegations of profiling

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