[CPRB] revising propaganda

[Morton K. Brussel]

Looks pretty good from here, but somewhat ignores the justification  
for CPRB (The justifications cited are mostly in the abstract.). One  
could cite various instances, notably when the police act as agents  
of local, state and federal government (or corporations) against  
constitutionally legal and peaceful protests. (In NYC, San Francisco,  
LA, etc.). The ACLU has been involved in several of such instances.  
Perhaps you wish to stay clear of all that, but then you become  
vulnerable to those who say that things are fine as they are.

--mkb

On Jul 31, 2006, at 3:13 PM, Ricky Baldwin wrote:

> Maybe this is a good time to justtake a look at our
> Coalition pamphlet explaining what a CPRB is, etc.  I
> updated it very minimally (see below) for the public
> hearing last week, mainly to reflect some changes in
> the Mayor's Taskforce proposal since the 2002 draft
> proposal, and to fit it into the format I was
> printing.
>
> But have a look.  Anything we need to change?
> Language?  Tone?  Info?  See what you all think!
> Ricky
>
>
> What is the proposed Citizen Police Review Board?
>
> A citizen police review or oversight board is an
> impartial body, independent of the police department
> itself, that is empowered to receive and investigate
> citizen complaints against police officers, and to
> perform other oversight functions.
>
> In the case of specific complaints, the proposed board
> will investigate the complaints, make findings, and
> recommend disciplinary action to the Chief of Police
> and to other appropriate government officials. The
> board will also evaluate patterns of complaints, as
> well as police policies and procedures, and recommend
> policy changes as deemed necessary or desirable. And
> the board will issue periodic reports to the community
> documenting the police department's responsiveness, as
> well as statistical breakdowns with regard to types of
> complaints, findings, location by district, and the
> number of officers with a history of multiple
> complaints.
>
> Why is a Citizen Police Review Board needed?
>
> The police department of a community is arguably the
> most important of the municipal services. The police
> are certainly the most visible of any of the
> government agencies, interacting with citizens more
> directly and more intensively than any other branch of
> government. Given the extent of the powers delegated
> to police officers by law, and the pressures under
> which they are frequently required to function, any
> abuse of those powers necessarily results in more
> serious consequences for the individual citizen and
> for the community as a whole. It is vital that the
> police department be a trustworthy and respected
> organization.
>
> Historically, complaints against police officers have
> been investigated and evaluated by the police
> department itself. This process is inherently flawed
> both in theory and in practice. It tends to discourage
> citizen input and to promote secrecy, both of which
> run counter to accepted notions of democracy. As a
> consequence, many citizens lack confidence that the
> police can serve as an effective check on their own
> behavior.
>
> The latter part of the twentieth century gave rise to
> a groundswell of grassroots community initiatives to
> create independent citizen police review or oversight
> boards, whose purpose was to review complaints
> regarding police behavior and policies, and to make
> disciplinary and policy recommendations on the basis
> of citizen input.
>
> We share the belief that, under current law, the most
> effective means of ensuring police accountability to
> the public, and fostering a positive police-community
> relationship, is an impartial oversight board composed
> of citizens from all neighborhoods and walks of life.
>
> We further believe that such a board is totally
> consistent with and supportive of the Urbana Police
> Department's own mission statement, which includes the
> following:
>
> “We pledge to help create a safer environment in which
> to live, work, and recreate through problem solving
> and collaboration with our citizens.”
>
> “The public should have input into policy development
> which directly impacts quality of life.”
>
> Are such Citizen Police Review Boards effective?
>
> A number of studies have examined the effectiveness of
> various models of citizen police review boards. In
> general, the success of an oversight board has been
> found to be contingent on the degree of its true
> independence from the police department, the measure
> of genuine commitment to its success on the part of
> all interested parties in the community, and the depth
> of public trust in its effectiveness.
>
> The board must also have a mandate to make policy
> recommendations, so that it is involved in structural
> reform and not merely in the discipline of individual
> officers. Our proposed model addresses and
> incorporates all of these factors.
>
> What are some of the features of the proposed Citizen
> Police Review Board?
>
> 1	Seven unpaid Board members representing diverse
> constituencies in the city.
>
> 2	An advisor on police procedure appointed from the
> Urbana Police Department.
>
> 3	Training for Board members in police department
> policies and procedures.
>
> 4	A place to file complaints outside of the police
> department itself
>
> 5	Funding adequate for proper investigation of
> complaints, including the hiring of an independent
> investigator on an ad hoc basis as the Board deems
> necessary.
>
> 6	Subpoena power to compel witness testimony, to be
> used as the Board deems necessary.
>
> 7	A mediation option available for use in lieu of a
> full Board investigation of a citizen complaint.
>
> How will members of the Board be selected?
>
> The current proposal calls for a Board consisting of
> seven unpaid citizen members, chosen by the Mayor with
> the advice and consent of the City Council. The
> nomination process would be an open one, with
> structures in place to ensure that any citizen can
> apply. Candidates for nomination would not be city
> employees or law enforcement personnel.
>
> The members of the Board would choose their own
> chairperson, and promulgate their own rules of
> procedure in accordance with their legislative
> mandate.
> How will the Board be funded?
>
> The Board would be funded with tax revenue from the
> general operating budget of the city. We anticipate,
> and it has been demonstrated in other cities, that the
> expense of the proposed Board would be offset at least
> in part by fiscal savings elsewhere in the budget.
> We would also expect a reduction in the cost to the
> city of civil litigation against the police, as
> increased accountability to the public should result
> in less misconduct by police and fewer lawsuits filed
> by citizens. Moreover, cities that show due diligence
> in working to increase police accountability are less
> likely to be found negligent when faced with a civil
> suit.
>
> To whom will the Board be accountable?
>
> The Board would be created by municipal ordinance as a
> separate office within the city government. It would
> be accountable to the City Council, to whom is
> delegated the power of legislative and budgetary
> authority. Ultimately, the Board would be accountable
> to the citizens of Urbana, who elect the members of
> the City Council.
>
> For more: www.prairienet.org/cprb
>
>
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