Group: More oversight could’ve stopped Ferrell shooting

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After Saturday’s fatal shooting of an unarmed 24-year-old man by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, groups are calling for more CMPD oversight. 

The Citizens Review Board is an independent group that oversees complaints filed against the police department.  The 11 members are appointed by the mayor, city manager, and city council.  Recently, the board has been under fire for its lack of oversight and power.  

A Charlotte Observer investigation earlier this year found the board held only four hearings in its 15 years, and never ruled against the department.

“We're hoping that this incident of Saturday can be a flashpoint,” said Matt Newtown, spokesman for Citizens Review Board Reform Now.

Groups like the ACLU and Citizens Review Board Reform Now claim changes to the board could’ve made a difference in Saturday’s outcome. 

“We feel as though a stronger Citizens Review Board could've prevented something like that from happening, could've weeded out that particular cowboy.  And that didn't happen, “ said Newton.

Officer Randall Kerrick was arrested and charged with the voluntary manslaughter of Jonathan Ferrell.

Citizens Review Board Reform Now has called for more transparency, a lower standard of review, and subpoena powers for the CRB. 

Supporters of change have met with City Council over recent months about updating city policy regarding the CRB.

“We feel like we have been working tirelessly for 8 months to see to it that an incident like that would not occur,” said Newton.

Police oversight task force holds public meeting

As the Department of Justice continues to investigate APD, the city is turning to Burquenos for input.

City leaders are looking at ways to change the way complaints against officers are handled.

On Tuesday night, KOB Eyewitness News 4 was at a public comment meeting held by the police oversight task force. 

Only about 25 or 30 folks turned up to the meeting.

Most think cops aren't being held accountable by the current Police Oversight Commission, especially if they abuse citizens or use their guns when it's unwarranted.

Kayleen Chrisman attended the Tuesday night meeting. She works with Albuquerque's homeless, and life on the streets means her clients come in contact with APD officers often.

She hears things.

"Homeless individuals being arrested by police officers and also incarcerated and having their things taken from them and not returned," she said.

Chrisman admits it's hard to know if anything will be done if she complains about the treatment of people she cares about.

"I've had people in my life that have been homeless," she said.

Chrisman didn't stand up and speak at the comment session, but many others did.

"You have a unique opportunity here to set up a police oversight process that can be a model for the rest of the country," said one man.

But even the task force chairman admits there's a credibility issue.

"The process is flawed," said Andrew Lipman. "The public doesn't trust the Police Oversight Commission."

Lipman said they're struggling to lock down specifics on what needs to change.

KOB asked Lipman if the task force has heard any one complaint about the oversight system more often than others. 

"No," said Lipman. "It's more generalized. The system's broken."

Lipman said the task force has their work cut out for them. They have to make recommendations to the city council by December.

"We're in the first phase, which is gathering information," he said. "The second phase, we'll look at what kind of recommendations we can make to improve the system."

Chrisman hopes they get what they need to make a change.

"I just hope that we can see an end to this problem," she said.

The Tuesday night meeting was the second of three public meetings to address concerns about the APD Police Oversight Commission.

Lipman said the only way anything can get done before recommendations to the city council are due is for more people to come to the final meeting.

It's on October 17, and there's more information on the task force webpage, here:

LAPD civilian oversight board elects Steve Soboroff as its new president

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department's civilian oversight board has unanimously elected real estate developer Steve Soboroff as its president.
The newly composed Los Angeles Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD and sets its policies, met Tuesday. Four of its five members were recently appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Robert Saltzman, a law professor, remains from the prior board.
New commission members include Paula Madison, a former journalist and media executive, who was elected Tuesday as its vice president; Sandra Figueroa-Villa, who heads a nonprofit community group; and Kathleen Kim, a law professor.
Soboroff said the commission intends to maintain and enhance reforms achieved by the department since federal oversight ended in May. He also pushed for the LAPD to adopt new technology such as lapel cameras within 18 months.

PRINCETON: police oversight

Mayor Liz Lempert cast the tie-breaking vote Monday to back a measure that gives the town’s municipal administrator the civilian oversight of the Princeton Police Department.

   Mayor Lempert, speaking prior to voting for the first time as mayor, expressed disappointment that the divided Princeton Council could not reach consensus on an issue that officials had been debating for a while.

   She and council members Bernard P. Miller, Lance Liverman and Heather H. Howard were against giving that oversight to the mayor and council. The ordinance they supported, one that puts that authority in the hands of the town administrator, needs to come up for a public hearing Sept. 23 and be followed by a vote to adopt it.

   The slender 4-3 margin of Monday’s decision was not a surprise, given the comments officials on both sides of the issue had been making headed into the council meeting. Some officials felt strongly that the council and the mayor should not abdicate their responsibility as the public’s representatives on a matter too critical to delegate to a municipal employee.

   Prior to casting her vote, Councilwoman Jo S. Butler said public safety is “the most important” function that municipal government provides. She expressed deep dissatisfaction with the amount of information-sharing going on about the police force, feeling access has been limited to a select few in government.

   She joined council members Jenny Crumiller and Patrick Simon in opposing the ordinance that makes Administrator Robert W. Bruschi the “appropriate authority,” as it is called.

   On the other hand, some officials felt it important to avoid politicizing the department and thought it made sense to have one person, namely Mr. Bruschi, be the civilian oversight instead of the mayor and the council.

   Councilwoman Heather H. Howard said in consulting with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and other sources, the view was overwhelming that the administrator should be the “appropriate authority.”

   ”And universally without any equivocation, all of them said it should be the administrator,” Mayor Lempert said at a press conference earlier Monday before the meeting.

   Prior to consolidation, Mayor Lempert and the four other members of the Township Committee acted as the appropriate authority over the police. Mayor Lempert was asked what was wrong with that arrangement.

   ”As a new government, I try not to view things as ‘how did we do it in the township? Let’s do it that way,’” Mayor Lempert said. “And I would hope my colleagues from the borough aren’t saying, ‘This is the way we did it in the borough. This is how we should do it now.’”

 

PRINCETON: police oversight

Mayor Liz Lempert cast the tie-breaking vote Monday to back a measure that gives the town’s municipal administrator the civilian oversight of the Princeton Police Department.

   Mayor Lempert, speaking prior to voting for the first time as mayor, expressed disappointment that the divided Princeton Council could not reach consensus on an issue that officials had been debating for a while.

   She and council members Bernard P. Miller, Lance Liverman and Heather H. Howard were against giving that oversight to the mayor and council. The ordinance they supported, one that puts that authority in the hands of the town administrator, needs to come up for a public hearing Sept. 23 and be followed by a vote to adopt it.

   The slender 4-3 margin of Monday’s decision was not a surprise, given the comments officials on both sides of the issue had been making headed into the council meeting. Some officials felt strongly that the council and the mayor should not abdicate their responsibility as the public’s representatives on a matter too critical to delegate to a municipal employee.

   Prior to casting her vote, Councilwoman Jo S. Butler said public safety is “the most important” function that municipal government provides. She expressed deep dissatisfaction with the amount of information-sharing going on about the police force, feeling access has been limited to a select few in government.

   She joined council members Jenny Crumiller and Patrick Simon in opposing the ordinance that makes Administrator Robert W. Bruschi the “appropriate authority,” as it is called.

   On the other hand, some officials felt it important to avoid politicizing the department and thought it made sense to have one person, namely Mr. Bruschi, be the civilian oversight instead of the mayor and the council.

   Councilwoman Heather H. Howard said in consulting with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and other sources, the view was overwhelming that the administrator should be the “appropriate authority.”

   ”And universally without any equivocation, all of them said it should be the administrator,” Mayor Lempert said at a press conference earlier Monday before the meeting.

   Prior to consolidation, Mayor Lempert and the four other members of the Township Committee acted as the appropriate authority over the police. Mayor Lempert was asked what was wrong with that arrangement.

   ”As a new government, I try not to view things as ‘how did we do it in the township? Let’s do it that way,’” Mayor Lempert said. “And I would hope my colleagues from the borough aren’t saying, ‘This is the way we did it in the borough. This is how we should do it now.’”

 

NYPD Monitor Plan Prompts Police Unions To Fight Against Oversight

NEW YORK — New York City's police unions are seeking to stop a federal monitor from overseeing the NYPD.

The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association filed motions Thursday in Manhattan federal court on behalf of four police unions, and the Sergeant's Benevolent Association filed separately.
They took the first steps to appeal a federal judge's decision last month on the department's stop and frisk policy and are asking the court to intervene in the case.
Police have stopped, questioned and sometimes patted down about 5 million people over the past decade. The judge ruled that the policy violated the civil rights of hundreds of thousands of black and Hispanic men. She ordered a monitor to oversee changes to the policy including officer training, supervision, and paperwork.
If the motions are granted, they unions say they will allow them to have an active role in the appeal and any changes that come.
"Police officers, detectives, lieutenants and captains are the boots on the ground in the fight against crime and terrorism," said Patrick Lynch, president of the patrolmen's union, the largest in the country. "The establishment of a federal monitor may directly impact our members' safety, day-to-day responsibilities, and collective bargaining and other rights. So we believe that we should have standing to participate in arguing the appeal in order to protect those rights."
The police officers say in court papers that some of the changes proposed by the judge are not feasible for officers, and may lead to hastily-drafted accounts of encounters that could result in omissions and errors. Those problems could affect the officer down the road.

Task force on police oversight may grow

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Two Albuquerque city councilors want to expand a new group tasked with improving the commission that polices the police.

The Police Oversight Commission looks at citizen complaints against police officers, but some say it has no teeth.

So city councilors approved a plan and seated an 11-member task force made up of community members, retired cops and representatives of nonprofit groups to try and fix the problems.

On Friday Councilors Brad Winter and Rey Garduño said they plan on introducing legislation next month to add four more members to make the task force more diverse.