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C HAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION <br />2 <br />This chapter explains the purposes of Citizen Review of <br />Police: Approaches and Implementation and reports the <br />benefits and limitations that participants attribute to citizen <br />oversight of the police. The report has seven other chapters: <br />• Chapter 2: nine case studies of citizen oversight. <br />• Chapter 3: three additional responsibilities oversight <br />systems often undertake: policy and training recom- <br />mendations, mediation, and early warning systems. <br />• Chapter 4: recruiting, screening, and training oversight <br />staff. <br />• Chapter 5: special issues related to citizen oversight, <br />including outreach, structure, openness, and politics. <br />• Chapter 6: resolving potential conflicts between over- <br />sight bodies and police. <br />• Chapter 7: monitoring, evaluating, and funding over- <br />sight systems. <br />• Chapter 8: organizations, materials, and individuals <br />that can provide assistance with establishing, improv- <br />ing, or evaluating oversight systems. <br />Following a glossary, appendixes provide sample materi- <br />als from the jurisdictions studied. In addition to the table <br />of contents, readers may locate specific topics of interest <br />from the key points that precede each chapter and from <br />the index. <br />What the Publication Is <br />Intended to Do <br />Audiences and purposes for Citizen Review <br />of Police <br />This report has been written primarily for: <br />• Local government executives, including mayors and <br />city managers. <br />• Local legislators, including city council members and <br />county commissioners. <br />This report will also be of interest to: <br />• Law enforcement administrators, including chiefs, <br />sheriffs, and their management staff. <br />KEY POINTS (CONTINUED) <br />— Improve the quality of the department’s internal investigations. <br />— Reassure a skeptical public that the department already investigates citizen complaints thoroughly and fairly. <br />— Help subject officers feel vindicated. <br />— Help discourage misconduct. <br />— Improve the department’s policies and procedures. <br />• Elected and appointed officials have indicated that oversight: <br />— Demonstrates their concern for police conduct to constituents. <br />— Can reduce the number, success rates, and award amounts of civil suits against the city or county. <br />• Members of the community at large have suggested that oversight has helped to: <br />— Reassure the community that appropriate discipline is being handed out for misconduct. <br />— Discourage police misconduct. <br />— Increase their understanding of police behavior. <br />• There are serious limitations to what citizen review can accomplish.To be most effective, citizen oversight must <br />complement other internal and external mechanisms for police accountability.