RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond’s City Council approved a plan to establish a police civilian review board despite criticism over its oversight power of the city’s police department.
The council’s vote Monday came after several speakers raised concerns that the plan didn’t give the civilian review board enough oversight of the department, including the authority to impose discipline.
Under the approved plan, the civilian review board will act as an independent advisory board. It can only make recommendations for discipline or policy changes to the police chief after reviewing investigations by the department’s internal affairs division.
“The Board will focus on serious cases of misconduct, including reviewing all officer involved shootings, allegations of abuse, serious injuries that occur while in custody, deaths in custody, and citizen appeals of RPD decisions,” the city’s civilian review board presentation from Sept. 27 reads.
Many public speakers called for more time for the community to review the plan and propose possible changes, saying they felt the ordinance could have been strengthened to give the civilian review board more oversight of the police department.
City councilmembers acknowledged people’s concerns but opted against delaying the final vote until November. “We need to move forward,” 3rd District councilmember Ann-Frances Lambert said Monday.
Eight city residents will be appointed to the civilian review board, four picked by the city council and four selected by Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration. While the plan calls for a liaison from Richmond police to provide information to the board, a police appointee won’t be on the board.
To have a motion move forward, five of the eight civilian review board members must approve the plan. A supermajority of the civilian review board, six of the eight members, must approve any subpoena requests and the hiring of an independent investigator.
Monday’s vote is just another step in the process of creating the board. The approved ordinance states that the city council will hire a civilian review board manager to guide its work within 90 days.
The manager and the city attorney’s office will craft the civilian review board’s policies and procedures, which include meeting guidelines, confidentiality requirements, its review process and more.
The policies and procedures must be approved by the city council before members can be appointed to the civilian review board.
Stay with 8News for updates to this developing story.
