Document of Interest Provided By Councilmember Hamann on Civilian Review Boards

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C ITIZEN R EVIEW OF P OLICE: APPROACHES AND I MPLEMENTATION 137 This chapter identifies resources with information about setting up and improving citizen oversight systems. The resources are based on a limited search and therefore are not comprehensive. Organizations The International Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (IACOLE) is devoted to advancing the cause of citizen oversight of law enforcement. The organ- ization sponsors an annual world conference for over- sight practitioners and researchers, publishes a quarterly newsletter (International Connection)with position papers and recent developments in the field, provides information to jurisdictions interested in creating citi- zen oversight agencies, and provides a compendium of oversight agencies and publications. Address: P.O. Box 99431, Cleveland, OH 44199–0431; phone: 513–352–6240; fax: 513–624–8042; e-mail: IACOLE1@fuse.pnet. The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) provides educational opportuni- ties and technical assistance to existing and emerging organizations that perform civilian oversight of law enforcement. The organization provides a national forum for information gathering and sharing for these organiza- tions. Established in 1993, NACOLE supports civilian review boards that are under attack by writing letters of support to the local political establishment and communi- ty. In addition, the organization will send someone when possible to testify on the behalf of civilian review boards. The association is considering developing a mentor pro- gram within NACOLE to make the informal networking that is occurring formal. Address: 9420 Annapolis Road, Suite 302, Lanham, MD 20706; phone: 317–327–3429. Selected Program Materials The appendixes to this report contain a number of materi- als from oversight bodies studied for the publication. In addition, many oversight bodies have developed detailed reports of their procedures for handling citizen com- plaints, including the following: • The Berkeley Police Review Commission’s “Regula- tions for Handling Complaints Against Members of the Police Department” provides 16 pages of detailed pro- cedures for intake, investigations, and board reviews. • Minneapolis’ “Civilian Police Review Authority Administrative Rules” provides 28 pages of guidelines for citizen review. The bound booklet addresses the collection and dissemination of data, definitions, stand- ing to file a complaint, intake, grounds for dismissal, mediation, investigations, personal bias or prejudice, rules of evidence, burden of proof, and disposition. Chapter 8: Additional Sources of Help KEY POINTS • Information for establishing and improving citizen oversight systems is available from: — Organizations. — Oversight programs. — Publications and reports. — Individuals with experience in oversight systems. • Some jurisdictions have engaged in comprehensive research on their own to determine what type of oversight system would be best for their communities.Their research strategies are instructive.