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Civilian oversight board
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
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A civilian oversight board is a board or council of civilians intended to give voice to community members and enhance transparency and accountability through an autonomous review, investigation, or audit of police misconduct. Civilian oversight boards aim to increase law enforcement transparency with the public regarding officer misconduct and provide civilians with an avenue to voice concerns or feedback to local law enforcement.[1][2]
Background
Civilian oversight boards existed in 160 jurisdictions across the United States as of April 2021, according to a report from the Council on Criminal Justice.[1]
A 2016 study by the Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center identified three general types of civilian oversight boards: investigation-focused, review-focused, and auditor/monitor-focused. Investigation-focused boards conduct independent investigations on police misconduct and account for around 35% of oversight boards. Review-focused boards analyze the quality of police internal misconduct investigations and can make recommendations to police executives according to their findings; they account for around 40% of oversight boards. Auditor/monitor-focused boards look at broad patterns of complaint investigation and advocate for organizational change, accounting for 25% of oversight boards.[1]
The Council on Criminal Justice argued that a successful civilian oversight board should incorporate the following features:[1]
- Independence: Must be independent of other entities in order to be considered unbiased
- Funding: In order to function and fulfill its duties, the board needs to have enough financial resources
- Access: Each member should be able to garner full access to materials relating to a misconduct investigation in order to make a considerate decision
A civilian oversight board is a relevant term to a Ballotpedia analysis analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
See also
- Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city
- States and cities with police union agreements
Footnotes
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