Citizens Review Board to keep CPD in check
The board will provide a voice for citizens.
Published Aug. 25, 2009
City Council unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance on July 20 establishing a Citizens Police Review Board.
This vote follows more than two years of evaluating "repeated calls from segments of the community" regarding the Columbia Police Department's complaint review process, stated a memo to City Council included in the ordinance.
Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade said in the past no alternative existed for complaints besides the Columbia Police Department's own internal investigation.
"There has been the perception that the police department has tended to support its own and that it has not been a just, fair process," Wade said. "That needs to change."
The purpose of the Citizens Police Review Board will be to provide a fair and objective process to review actual or perceived police misconduct and in doing so, increasing police accountability to the community and community trust in the police, the ordinance stated.
The ordinance also states the Citizens Police Review Board, which officially starts Jan. 1, 2010, will be made up of eight members chosen by City Council through an open application process and one member from the Columbia Human Rights Commission.
During its monthly meetings, the board will review appeals regarding police misconduct. Following an internal investigation, the citizen who filed the complaint or the police officer involved has the right to make an appeal.
The new board's jurisdiction only covers CPD and not the MU Police Department or any other police organization, as stated in the ordinance.
Although the Citizens Police Review Board will be made up of only nine citizens, Third Ward councilman Karl Skala said he sees it as a move in the right direction towards democratic governance.
"You tend to empower people by getting them involved in some of the decisions that go on," Skala said. "You don't just leave this to your representatives to make decisions in a vacuum."
According to a news release from the Columbia City Clerk's Office, interested applicants must be residents of Columbia and hold no serious criminal record.
Skala also said the City Council is looking for those willing to work hard but also be fair, objective, willing to listen and have the capacity to change their minds based on the facts provided.
"This is going to be a top-tier commission and it will take a sizeable commitment on behalf of the volunteers to carry out the duties of the commission, should they be selected," Skala said.
There will be a specific training process for board members once they are selected. This includes training on the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Code of Ethics and training recommendations. The adoption of NACOLE training standards was a major change in the last draft of the ordinance and was supported overwhelmingly by CPD, CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
Although CPD supports the adoption of NACOLE training standards, they initially didn't feel the Citizens Police Review Board was necessary.
"We feel as a department that if the city wants to have it and if the council wants to have it, then we should have it," Haden said.
