Item A: Police Oversight System - Roles and Expectations

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Police Complaint System and Civilian Oversight Recommendations protected in any new system that is implemented. In the commission’s proposed model, there are several elements that will require negotiation with the union to enable the contractual changes necessary to implement the system. 11.How will members of the review board be selected to ensure broad community representation? The police commission believes that the reviewboard’s success lies in its ability to be impartial. To achieve this, the review board membership should reflect the community, but not be appointed to represent any particular constituency or organization. The commission has suggested a selection process that involves a Mayor-appointed community panel that will screen applications using a set of standard criteria, and forward a pool of candidates for City Council consideration. If the charter amendment passes, the City Council will ultimately make the review board member selection decisions. 12.How will we know if the oversightsystem is effective? Experience in other communities indicates that civilian oversight systems are continually evolving as direct experience grows and national best practices are established. A robust database will be developed as part of the system to enable tracking and analysis of complaints as they move through the system. The commission plans to evaluate the complaint system six months and a year after implementation to determine where improvements are needed. This may include both a review of the data collected and satisfaction surveys of people involved in the system (review board members, police employees, complainants, etc.). VII. Outstanding Issues and Next Steps Jurisdiction of Oversight Model One of the overarching, but unresolved, issues surrounding the oversight proposal is a determination of which police department employees would be subject to the new procedures. There are several key issues to consider when making a decision regarding the scope of authority for the oversight system. The unique role and broad authority police officers have, which in turn has the most potential for abuse of power and community impact, is the primary impetus for additional civilian oversight. It is this role that distinguishes police officers from other city employees. Therefore, an oversight system that applies to sworn officers only would be a reasonable and practical delineation, and not inconsistent with the direction taken in other communities. However, another underlying principle is the desire to facilitate systemic change in the police organization. Limiting the scope of authority for both the auditor and the board to reviews of sworn employees may counteract this objective. Other key considerations include: Providing a consistent process across employees who work in the same units or have o the same job functions within the city; Applying oversight resources where they will be most effective; o 25