Document of Interest Provided By Councilmember Hamann on Civilian Review Boards

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Staffing and budget Each of the seven members of the Orange County Commission nominates a single board member subject to confirmation by the rest of the commissioners. The sher- iff selects two members of the board—always choosing civilians. Board members serve for 2 years and may be reappointed for a total of 4 years. The members elect a chairperson for a year, who chairs every hearing. The county commission requires the sheriff to assign a captain and a secretary unaffiliated with internal affairs to devote about 20 percent of their time to providing administrative support to CRB. Melvin Sears schedules CRB meetings and training sessions, informs com- plainants about the meetings, lines up the meeting hall, sends the IA case investigation materials to members, and prepares the annual CRB report. Sears keeps track of the board members’ attendance on a spread sheet so he can report excessive absences to the county commis- sioners. The secretary records each hearing and provides the minutes. Sears’and his secretary’s CRB work amount to a $20,000 contribution by the sheriff’s office (20 percent of their combined salaries). The sheriff also pays for all the direct costs associated with the board’s work, such as postage and duplication. The sheriff pays for publishing CRB’s brochure and letterhead stationary. CRB’s attorney sub- mits a bill to Sears—typically $200–$250 per month— who approves it and forwards it to the county for payment. Distinctive features An unusual feature of the Orange County oversight sys- tem is that a sheriff’s deputy has the responsibility for administering the Citizen Review Board’s activities. However, the board comes to its own conclusions in reviewing internal affairs findings. Because of this arrangement, the oversight procedure costs the taxpayer little. • By keeping track of board members’ attendance and reporting problems to the county commission, the administrative coordinator exercises some quality control over the proceedings. • Locating the CRB office in the sheriff’s office saves money otherwise needed to rent space and spares the administrative coordinator from having to shuttle back and forth between the agency and an outside CRB location. However, some complainants may be discour- aged from filing because they are uncomfortable going to the sheriff’s office. • By reviewing all cases involving discharge of a firearm, regardless of whether a citizen filed a com- plaint, CRB can help identify problems among individ- ual officers or general failures of training and policy. • Not handling allegations of deputy discourtesy reduces the burden on board volunteers to hear many more cases. At the same time, this restriction results in a lack of citizen oversight of these types of incidents. • Having an attorney present at all hearings provides for instant legal advice, without which there might be additional continuances of cases. CRB’s Web address is www.qualitywebs.net/crb. For further information, contact: Paul McQuilkin, Ph.D. Chairperson Orange County Citizen Review Board 55 West Pineloch Avenue Orlando, FL 32806 407–823–2821 Capt. Melvin Sears Administrative Coordinator Orange County Citizen Review Board 55 West Pineloch Avenue Orlando, FL 32806 407–858–4797 C HAPTER 2: CASE S TUDIES OF N INE O VERSIGHT P ROCEDURES 40