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

[Laurel Prussing]

Hi, Ricky,

How about January 9?  (We know what you mean!)

Laurel

At 01:56 PM 12/31/2006, Ricky Baldwin wrote:
>I spoke with Esther yesterday at the post office, and
>if there are no objections, I'll reserve a room at the
>IDF for 7pm TUESDAY December 9 at 7pm - OK?
>
>Hopefully that allows supportive City Councilmembers
>like Danielle to attend - well, and the unsupportive
>ones, too, if they like...
>
>Ricky
>--- Esther Patt <epatt at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>
> > 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
> >
> >
>
>
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