Laserfiche WebLink
C ITIZEN R EVIEW OF P OLICE: APPROACHES AND I MPLEMENTATION <br />xi <br />Police and sheriff’s department administrators have <br />reported that citizen oversight: <br />• Improves their relationship and image with the <br />community. <br />• Has strengthened the quality of the department’s <br />internal investigations of alleged officer misconduct <br />and reassured the public that the process is thorough <br />and fair. <br />• Has made valuable policy and procedure <br />recommendations. <br />Local elected and appointed officials say an oversight <br />procedure: <br />• Enables them to demonstrate their concern to eliminate <br />police misconduct. <br />• Reduces in some cases the number of civil lawsuits <br />(or successful suits) against their cities or counties. <br />It is sometimes possible to overcome disagreements <br />between oversight operations and police and sheriff’s <br />departments.The report identifies many points of con- <br />flict between oversight systems and police and sheriff’s <br />departments—and with officer unions. However, as illus- <br />trated in exhibit 3, there are positions each side can take <br />and explanations it can offer that can sometimes make <br />the system acceptable to everyone involved. A critical <br />step to minimizing conflict is for the police or sheriff’s <br />department—and union leadership—to act as colleagues <br />in the planning process. <br />The talent, fairness, dedication, and flexibility of the <br />key participants—in particular, the oversight system’s <br />director, chief elected official, police chief or sheriff, <br />and union president—are more important to the pro- <br />cedure’s success than is the system’s structure.The <br />report identifies jurisdictions in which these individuals <br />have worked together cooperatively. An effective proce- <br />dure for selecting competent and objective oversight <br />investigators, board members, and administrators—and <br />for training them thoroughly—is also critical for the <br />oversight procedure to thrive. <br />Exhibit 4 is a checklist oversight system planners can <br />consult to help identify some of the decisions they will <br />have to make in designing and setting up a new or <br />revised review procedure. The exhibit indicates where <br />in this report’s text each decision is discussed.