Citizen Police Review Board

[mike81]

Does anyone have them?

Process on how they work?

Opinions on them?

Thanks..

[Tucker6900]

Does anyone have them?

Im sure there is one somewhere.

Process on how they work?

A group of citizens get together and review Police.

Opinions on them?

They are great.

Thanks..

Your welcome!








Sorry for the sarcastic statements, but I couldnt help myself.

I actually dont know what you are referring to. Are you thinking of "Board of Citizens" to review and help manage police officers and their departments? If so, I think there is already the town/city council to bring up police matters.

[Glock22/149]

Not sure what you are asking....but my Department will have a few civilians on an Oral Board (one of the final steps in our hiring practices). Our civilians are usually a Dispatcher and possibly a member of the City Council, or a past member of the C.P.A. (Citizens Police Academy).

Hope this helps!

[mike81]

thanks for your replies.. but i was talking about some thing like this

The Citizen Police Review Board (CPRB) is an independent agency set up to investigate citizen complaints about improper police conduct. The CPRB can only investigate complaints related to the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and any officer thereof. The CPRB does not handle complaints about BBI, Fire, EMS, or any other department, bureau, or division within the City of Pittsburgh.


http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cprb/

[Jane Q Public]

Are you talking about the Citizens' Review Board that's supposed to review & evaluate complaints about the police? If so, we have that here, and it's pretty much widely considered a complete joke/waste of time. The CRB has no authority to compel a police officer to show up nor to impose any penalties. I suppose it might be worthwhile if someone thinks they have a complaint about how the police did something and filing their (useless) complaint w/ the CRB satisfies their need to complain w/o filing a lawsuit or if it were some sort of screening group (file a complaint, it goes before the CRB and is either circular filed or sent on) instead of a "isn't it awful" sounding board.

I'm not really sure how it works, as I haven't bothered with them. The one time I had a complaint (and that was seventeen years ago, so overall I really do not have complaints about the way the police in my city do their job), I skipped that whole process & addressed official channels (and all I'll say about that is that the upshot was my complaint was valid, and while I don't know what happened to the detective as a consequence, his lieutenant came to personally apologize for what had happened). I really wouldn't do anything different if I thought I had a complaint in the future--they're certainly free to tell me that I'm all wet and don't understand/nothing outside of policy was done if that's the case, but in the event that someone does have a valid complaint, it's much better to just go directly to those who can do something about it, and that's not the CRB.

[Tucker6900]

and it's pretty much widely considered a complete joke/waste of time.

+1

it's much better to just go directly to those who can do something about it, and that's not the CRB.

+2

[SgtCHP]

None of the agencies I have worked for had a civilian review board. The agencies conducted all personnel investigations fairly and unbiased and their conclusions and recommendations reflected those facts. No need for outside review in agencies like that.

[PhilipCal]

I'm retired from the Alabama Dept of Public Safety. The unit within the Department which investigates allegations of Officer misconduct is the Standards and Integrity Unit. All citizen complaints are investigated, initially by a Supervisor, and if warranted, the complaint is referred to the S&I Unit. Should the complaint be found to be warranted, appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination can be taken by the Director. Should evidence of criminal wrong doing occur, the investigation is turned over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation for further investigation. The ability and willingness of a department to investigate citizen complaints, and take appropriate action when warranted, eliminates any need or justification for Civilian Review Boards.

[Tex4720]

We utilize a civilian review board. The board consists of about 4 civilians and 4 officers. After a serious complaint is investigated and sustained they will look at it and suggest discipline, suspension etc. They read the complaint packet, officers do not report to the board. The board carries no weight but what they recommend goes straight to the chief who takes it into consideration. If it is serious enough that firing the officer may be an option, that officer’s supervisors may show up at the meeting and plead the officers case for them and give information that may not be included in the investigative packet.

The officers on the board give guidance, direction, explain departmental policy etc. and have an equal vote.

Small complaints like missed court, rudeness would not go through the civilian review board.

This is just general info. may not be exactly right but it's my understanding how it works here.

[andy5746]

It's like a group of plumbers telling an electrician how to hang a ceiling fan.

[LA DEP]

It's like a group of plumbers telling an electrician how to hang a ceiling fan.

Perfect description of the OIR......

[355339]

It's like going to a jury trial. You either have good citizens with common sense, or you have the ... other ones..... my dept had fired an officer after political war off of 1 complaint that was not proven. The citizens review board voted that he should not be fired, so the city gave him his job back before he owned every city building in site.