[CUCPJ Announce] [CPRB] When to meet to discuss CPRB?

[Esther Patt]

I think it would be a mistake for us to oppose the Citizen Police Review Ordinance.  Criticizing the way it will be watered down is certainly legitimate.  But saying it isn't worth it to even bother if the Board can't hire an Independent Investigator is unwise.   Let's take a step back and remember why we want a CPRB.

Without some type of CPRB, every citizen complaint against the police would be kept secret, as they are now. There would be zero oversight of complaints and if the PD refused to accept complaints or otherwise discouraged complainants from following through with a formal complaint, there would be no monitoring of that happening. 

That's the basic problem that we started out to address: no one is monitoring the way police handle citizen complaints other than the police themselves.

Even watered down, what we'd get from having a CPRB which we don't have now are:

- CPRB would be informed of every complaint filed against the police

- Complainants could file their complaints with the Human Rights Officer instead of the PD which will protect against people with legitimate complaints being talked out of filing

- There will be brochures and other promotional material inviting people to file complaints -- all materials developed and approved by the CPRB, not the police -- and these will be distributed widely in the community.

- Police would have to report to CPRB the results of their internal investigation of each complaint and what action, if any were taken against an officer or officers for misconduct.  The Board would not have the authority to overturn the Police Chief's decision but would have the authority to appeal that decision to the Mayor.

- CPRB would be able to track patterns of complaints against the same officer or on the same beat or demographics of people filing complaints.   

- CPRB would be a standing body whose purpose would include studying police department policies (independent of formal complaints or in response to them) and making recommendations for changes.

Let's not dismiss all of this as insignificant.  A judge has more authority than a watchdog, but a watchdog is a valuable role -- and we have no watchdog for the police now.  That's essentially what CPRB would be.

Also, an important strategy issue is: if we trash Urbana for watering down its CPRB, that will undermine our efforts to get Champaign to do create one.

Let's talk more when we meet.   Are people free January 8 at 7:00 p.m. to meet at IDF?
Esther Patt