[CPRB] Fwd: Police review board moves to front burner again

[John W.]

If there's anyone still on this list, this would seem to be a politically
expedient time to renew our call for a Citizen Police Review Board in
Champaign.  The beating of Calvin Miller, the impending retirement of Chief
Finney and John Murphy, the election of Mayor Girard, the advocacy of Will
Kyles - all are propitious.

John Wason

**********

Police review board moves to front burner again
Sun, 10/30/2011 - 8:00am | Patrick
Wade<http://www.news-gazette.com/users/pwade>
[1]

*This is an updated version of a story that appeared in print on Oct. 23.*

CHAMPAIGN — As the police department prepares to turn a corner with
high-ranking leaders approaching retirement, a city council member says he
has enough of his colleagues interested in a citizen police review board to
get a discussion going.

If history is any indication, the debate promises to be vigorous. The last
time the citizen review board came up for discussion in Champaign was in
2007, when it was narrowly rejected by a 5-4 vote.

But there have been some key changes to the council since that time: Most
notably, Mayor Don Gerard has replaced then-Mayor Jerry Schweighart, a
retired police officer and strong opponent of such a board. Three of the
five members who voted against the idea four years ago still sit on the
council today, and they all say they at least are willing to hear the
discussion.

"A citizen review board would allow the necessary dialogue to go forth and
start these difficult conversations," said council member Will Kyles, who
was not on the council during the 2007 vote. He's got enough of his
colleagues interested in the topic to trigger a council study session and,
most likely, a straw poll to see if the council wants to create a citizen
review board.

Kyles had other representatives interested in a discussion before upset
citizens confronted the
council<http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-10-25/champaign-council-hears-accusations-against-police.html>
[2] on Oct. 25. They alleged 18-year-old Calvin Miller was beaten by
police, a claim police unequivocally have denied.

But the event has inspired activists to renew their calls for a citizen
review board, and Kyles said the turmoil certainly adds urgency to the
discussion.

The review board is a mechanism for mediating citizen complaints against
police officers. Under the current system in Champaign, the police
department conducts an internal investigation into alleged wrongdoing when
it receives a complaint from a member of the public.

Ultimately, the police chief will judge whether an officer's actions were
consistent with training and department policy, and the chief will, if
necessary, hand down any discipline he deems necessary.

But a process where cops police themselves is inherently flawed, opponents
have told the city council. As the community has put a magnifying glass
over the department since the October 2009 fatal police shooting of
15-year-old Kiwane Carrington, many have called for an independent board
that sorts through citizen complaints.

Council member Karen Foster opposed a citizen review board in 2007. At the
time, she thought it was "the proverbial additional layer of government"
that did not make the complaint process any more effective.

Kyles' comments caught her a bit off-guard.

"I was surprised he brought it up," Foster said. "I hadn't even thought of
that for a very long time. I would be in favor of listening in a study
session to proposals."

But as to whether she would support it this time around, "I guess the devil
would be in the details," she said.

"With the changes going on, maybe it's just time to look," Foster said.

The "changes" she referred to were top police positions that are about to
turn over. Police Chief R.T. Finney will leave the department in January,
and a search for his replacement is already under way. One of his
second-in-command, Deputy Chief John Murphy, announced last week that he
will retire in March.

Gerard said that might make it a good time to review the process.

"I think it's certainly something worth talking about," Gerard said.
"Historically, it's my understanding that a citizen review board has been
viewed as sort of a slap in the face to police, but I don't think it has to
be viewed that way."

City officials should talk with police officers, too, to gauge their
reaction to the proposal, Gerard said.

"We need to have buy-in from the police themselves," he said. "They need to
understand that this by no means diminishes the job they do or the value we
place on them."

Tom Bruno, who voted against the board in 2007, said this is not a good
time for the discussion, specifically because officials do not know who
will be in the police chief's office early next year.

"I'm not inclined to raise this issue before we've got a new police chief
in place and allowed him or her to become familiar with our community and
the department," Bruno said.

But he will nonetheless have an open mind, he said: "There may be some
benefits to a citizen review board, but I'm not sure this is good timing."

In an ideal world, he would like to hear the opinion of the incoming police
chief. If the new chief favored such a board, that could be "enough of a
green light" for Bruno.

Deborah Frank Feinen also voted against creating a citizen review board in
2007, and she agreed with Bruno that the council should wait to hear the
recommendation of a new police chief.

The city should also work with the department if it were to consider the
proposal, she said.

"For me, it's really about making sure that there's officer buy-in and that
there's administrator buy-in," she said.

She's also aware of the complaints about the complaint process itself.

"We've implemented some changes over the past couple years, and we haven't
really given those an opportunity to work yet," Feinen said.

Last year, the city took steps to make the complaint process easier and
more accessible to the public. The changes were one of City Manager Steve
Carter's "six initiatives" in response to the Carrington shooting.

"I've heard people who are unhappy with the complaint process. I'm aware
that people can be frustrated with that process," Feinen said. But, like
some of the others, her concern is not knowing where the incoming police
chief stands on the issue.

When he publicly introduced his interest this week, Kyles acknowledged that
there are imperfections with a review board, too, and suggested the police
chief be a member of such a panel. He also suggested that, if the council
were to discuss the proposal, that it consider a sunset clause in order to
have a chance to reevaluate the effectiveness of the board.

"I believe that if we set this group up for success, then it will be
successful," Kyles said.
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