An Aurora City Council committee this week recommended a resolution to establish a Civilian Police Review Board.
Aldermen on the Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee voted 5-0 to recommend a resolution establishing the board as a regular commission of the city.
“A (Civilian Review Board) can be an important bridge builder between the community and the police,” said Kim Bright, a retired attorney and Aurora resident who helped craft the review board initiative. “We need more of those bridges these days.”
The resolution recommended this week lays out the framework of the review board, but does not fill in the details of how it will work. That will come later, officials said, in the form of an actual proposed ordinance. The idea is to send the resolution through the City Council process first, get that approved, and then bring forward the ordinance proposal separately.
The Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee held a special meeting this week to consider the resolution. The council’s Committee of the Whole should see it next week at its Oct. 6 meeting, with approval by the full City Council at the Oct. 13 meeting.
The ordinance would come through the same process, except for also being seen by the Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee, in November. Final approval and establishment of a Civilian Review Board would be at the Nov. 24 full City Council meeting.
“This is our first go at it as a council,” said Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, this week. “It’s an important thing to be said – we are establishing the fact that we want this legislation.”
Alex Alexandrou, the city’s chief management officer, said formation of the review board was “centered around information and transparency.” He said that making a full commission codified in city code would raise “the level and stature” of the Civilian Review Board.
John Murphey, an attorney who does police work for the city, said the structure would give a citizen a place to go with a complaint about a police officer or officers. The framework allows for a person with a complaint to have a vehicle “apart from the police department.”
“We would be tasking this new (review board) to develop a web page with easy access to how to file a complaint,” Murphey said.
But he said it also would be more than just a complaint-driven board. It also would have a role in analyzing police statistics, and looking at “all kinds of police issues,” such as how the city recruits new officers, department training procedures, diversity efforts and other policies.
The board would be limited in that it would not have the authority to impose discipline. That would remain with the police chief and the city’s Human Relations Department, Murphey said. That’s because those kinds of things are set up through collective bargaining.
“I don’t see this as intruding in collective bargaining,” Murphey said. “An officer would have the same grievance and appeal rights.”
Ald. Sherman Jenkins, at large, who was on the committee that put together the resolution, said the Civilian Review Board complaint process would have “equal weight with the employee review.”
“We’ve got a little ways to go, but this a good step,” he said.
Several aldermen suggested the two police unions be involved in the board, possibly even having one of the nine members. But city officials said that could be considered a conflict.
“This does not violate the collective bargaining disciplinary process,” Alexandrou said. “There is no specific role for the police unions to play in the function of this.”
Aldermen also discussed if having nine members was enough, but staff said that seems to be the best number when it comes to always being able to get a quorum and conduct business. Details of how membership will be chosen has not been finalized, although at the moment, it would have the mayor appointing the nine members with advice and approval by the City Council.
“This is going to be a public process going forward,” Alexandrou said. “There will be plenty of chance for many people to weigh in.”
slord@tribpub.com
