65D - POLICE OVERSIGHT - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chapter 1. Introduction As recent incidents throughout the United States and around the world have demonstrated, cities and police departments have left themselves unprepared to face the consequences of a lack of public trust, community confidence, or sense of legitimacy, particularly within communities of color. Historically, these cities and police departments have only reacted to crises and have rarely acted in a proactive manner to implement robust internal and external accountability mechanisms necessary to build public trust and reduce the likelihood of these breakdowns occurring in the future. Citizen oversight of law enforcement is a critical facet of any well-founded effort to strengthen the relationship between police and communities and to build public trust, all while promoting effective policing. And it is one of the only mechanisms proven to ensure sustainable reforms. Civilian oversight alone is not sufficient to yield the legitimacy in which both the public and law enforcement share an interest; without outside oversight, however, no collection of efforts to secure such legitimacy can be considered complete or directly responsive to the public's demands for greater participation in, and understanding of, their local law enforcement. There is no one -size -fits -all approach to police oversight. There are more than 200 oversight entities across the United States. No two are exactly alike. There are civilian review boards, monitors, auditors, and inspectors general, among other models. The "best" approach continues to be a subject of debate. In part, this is because so many different factors influence what particular agencies and communities need and can sustain. To create a new civilian oversight mechanism, or to reorganize or strengthen an existing one, communities must first consider a series of important questions and make key decisions; each decision will guide and inform future ones. A community, which includes the public, police, police labor and management, key policy and decision makers, and grassroots or community -based organizations, among others, must clearly define its goals and what it hopes to accomplish with oversight before any model is selected or before the first words of the draft ordinance or charter amendment are written. The following outline can serve as a tool for communities to help guide their efforts to establish or strengthen oversight. The process is entirely dependent on the support, participation, and engagement of all interested stakeholders. Even with a guide such as this, however, few communities can effectively launch their own self -study of oversight methodologies. Face-to-face technical assistance and support from experienced oversight professionals and experts can complement important local dialogue and planning efforts. Each community is different and each must go through its own process to rebuild trust and strengthen the critical relationship between the public and the police, while supporting effective public safety. 9 65D-138