The City Council approved the recommendations of the Public Safety Committee Report seeking to revise the procedures of the all-civilian Board of Rights panel.
The panel serves as an alternative model for police accountability, where board members hear evidence related to each charge of misconduct, determine guilt, and decide whether to approve, reduce, or increase the recommended punishment from the Chief of Police. The original motion was referred to the Personnel, Audits, and Hiring Committee, as well as the Public Safety Committee on Feb. 17, 2023.
Under the report, the committee makes requests including the authorization of the Chief of Police to terminate officers immediately as determined by the severity of misconduct, prohibiting individuals who are current or former employees of local law enforcement agencies from serving as civilian hearing examiners, and a training requirement from community-based experts on police discipline.
To read the report, please click here.