City : Checks and balances: One year after disbanding, the Citizen Review Board was reinstated
After about a year of inactivity, the Syracuse Citizen Review Board was reinstated under recently passed legislation.
The review board is an independent organization that was created to provide a system of checks and balances for the Syracuse Police Department, said Crystal Collette, chair of the Citizen Review Board.
The board is made of 11 members. Eight are elected by each of the district councilors and three are elected by Mayor Stephanie Miner, said Common Councilor-at-Large Lance Denno.
Though city officials elect the review board members, one of the most important aspects of the board is its independence from other city departments, Denno said.
Collette said the board’s purpose is to provide Syracuse residents with an impartial body of peers that can help them deal with complaints and concerns they may have regarding the police department and its officers.
‘We can’t demand specific sanctions on police officers, but we can use public influence to keep police in public accountability,’ Collette said.
The complaints against police that residents bring to the attention of the board can result in anything from a conversation with the police department to a hearing with the officers about the issue, Collette said.
The Citizen Review Board is currently undergoing changes after disbanding in February 2011, Collette said. The board became disengaged when Miner made the executive decision to fire Citizen Review Board administrator Felicia Davis.
‘The board became inactive and ineffective because it just wasn’t adequately serving the interest of the public,’ Collette said. ‘But now, with revised legislation, we’re able to get a fresh start.’
Collette said board members are working on improvements to the newly reinstated organization. Specifically, the board is working on creating new complaint reporting standards, increased outreach to the public and an improved relationship with the police department.
Though the new board is still in its initial stages, it plans to have a board administrator in the future who can properly investigate an issue with the complainants, witnesses and officers involved, Collette said.
The board is conducting a nationwide search for a new administrator, a position that pays up to $64,000 per year, Collette said
Collette said the board is especially excited about developing a relationship with the community. Starting in late spring, board members plan to hold public forums in each of the five Syracuse districts to make citizens aware of the review board’s services. The board has also recently established a website for the first time to make information about the review board easily accessible to the community.
The review board also plans to create closer ties to SPD by working closely with police officials, Collette said.
‘Police officials have been at the table the whole time throughout our re-establishment,’ Collette said.
In addition to their plans of improvement, Collette said the new review board will be very diverse, active and engaged with citizen issues.
Collette said the review board has already been thrown into action, as it has received several citizen complaints to investigate since its re-establishment.
‘It’s a lot,’ Collette said. ‘We have set very clear goals for ourselves, and we’re working together to figure out how to best implement them.’
Published on February 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Contact Alexandra: adhitzle@syr.edu | @LexieHitzler
