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C ITIZEN R EVIEW OF P OLICE: APPROACHES AND I MPLEMENTATION <br />93 <br />Chapter 5: Addressing Important Issues in <br />Citizen Oversight <br />KEY POINTS <br />• Jurisdictions establishing citizen oversight procedures or seeking to improve existing procedures need to <br />consider four issues not discussed in detail elsewhere in this report: <br />— Outreach. <br />— Oversight structural considerations. <br />— The openness of the procedures to the public. <br />— The role of “politics.” <br />• Effective outreach is essential to a successful oversight system; otherwise, allegations of misconduct will go <br />unreported and the system will not be used. <br />• Despite its importance, most oversight bodies have lacked the resources to market their services effectively. <br />• Jurisdictions that engage in outreach: <br />— Publish and distribute program brochures. <br />— Place information about the system in the telephone book, police stations, and the mayor’s office and on the <br />Internet. <br />— Promote coverage in the local press beyond attention to high-profile cases. <br />— Give talks to neighborhood groups and other agencies. <br />— Arrange for citizens to pick up complaint forms at multiple locations. <br />• Some citizens are reluctant to file complaints because they fear retaliation from the police. <br />• Jurisdictions need to address several organizational issues related to the structure of their oversight process, <br />such as: <br />— Developing the oversight system’s legal basis (typically by municipal ordinance). <br />— Determining which complaints will be investigated, reviewed, or audited. <br />— Providing the system with subpoena power. <br />— Minimizing delays in case processing.