Document of Interest Provided By Councilmember Hamann on Civilian Review Boards

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In addition, because there are so many advisory boards in Orange County, there is a board whose only task is to look for people to serve on other county boards. Some jurisdictions experience difficulty recruiting board members because of the time commitment involved to be trained and to serve. Todd Samolis, coordinator of the Rochester board, had to court candidates because of the requirement to attend 48 hours of police academy training in the middle of August. A board member in Berkeley reported she spends about 50 hours a month reading materials and attending hearings. Board members in Orange County devote an average of 10–16 hours a month, and in Minneapolis the average is 10 hours a month. Most board members elsewhere spend a minimum of 4 hours a month. Training Training requirements for board mem- bers differ. City ordinances in Tucson and St. Paul specify that board members must attend mandatory comprehensive training before they may review any cases. The Tucson ordinance identifies nine areas of required training, from police department operations to confidentiality. The police department and independent auditor provide the 40-hour training. Some of the more common training methods follow. Lectures Barbara Attard, Berkeley’s Police Review Commission (PRC) officer, runs a 4-hour session on PRC procedures that includes presentations by the chief on the discipline process and by the city attorney on open meeting regula- tions. Melvin Sears, the Orange County Sheriff’s admin- istrative coordinator, trains new members by reviewing the department manual and board manual, paying special attention to use-of-force issues. Materials review Board members typically are provided with written mate- rials that include department general orders and other policies and procedures. Melvin Sears gives all new board members in Orange County a large notebook that details their responsibilities and includes many of the department’s general orders. Citizens’ academy Candidates for Rochester’s board must attend a 2-week condensed version of a police academy. Run by the police department, the 48-hour course involves 3 hours per evening for 2 weeks and two all-day Saturday ses- sions. The training includes using sidearms with a “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” simulator, practicing handcuffing, and learning about department policies and procedures, such as the use-of-force continuum. According to one board member, “I had never fired a gun before. At first it was a strange sensation. But it helped me understand how inaccurate handguns are and the officers’ need for split-second decisionmaking.” By ordinance, new board members in St. Paul may not be sworn in until they have completed the 11-week, 33-hour citizens’ academy that includes getting sprayed with a minor dose of pepper spray, using a baton, handcuffing each other, and firing handguns using a “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” simulator. The Albuquerque city ordinance requires commission members to attend the citizens’ police academy. Most Orange County board members have attended a 36-hour citizens’ academy on their own. Using a citizens’ academy as a training tool is not with- out controversy. The Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority was originally reluctant to have its board mem- bers attend the citizens’ academy because of concerns that they might be “coopted” as a result of the process. By contrast, the police union wanted attendance to be a requirement for board membership. As of 1998, six of the seven board members had voluntarily attended the 12-week course. When Paul McQuilken, chairperson of the Orange County board, recommended that the county commission select board members only from among individuals who had already attended the academy, some community groups objected because they felt members would become too sympathetic to the police. A board member in another jurisdiction downplayed this risk: “We don’t get brainwashed to believe blue.” The real issue, according to Mark Gissiner, president of the International Association for Civilian Oversight of C ITIZEN R EVIEW OF P OLICE: APPROACHES AND I MPLEMENTATION 87 Candidates for Rochester’s board must attend a 2-week condensed version of a police academy.