House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

Posted:	December 9, 2020 04:36 PM
From:	Representative Austin A. Davis
To:	All House members
Subject:	Citizen Police Review Boards

In light of recent events, it has become abundantly clear that we, as a state, must do our part to include more citizen participation in law enforcement. We can no longer ignore the calls for more police oversight and transparency in policing. My legislation, a companion to Senator Wayne Fontana’s Senate Bill, aims to solve this by creating a County Independent Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board in second through eighth class counties. Comprised of at least nine members who reflect the geographic and cultural diversity of the county, the board would be authorized to investigate selected local police misconduct complaints and establish mediation programs or conduct public hearings, subpoena witnesses, etc. Citizen participation in policy making produces numerous benefits and increases trust between the community and its leaders. Similar to the role a jury plays in a trial, an independent review board would allow the people to decide when unjustifiable actions have been committed by the police, instead of an internal investigation. Please join me in supporting this legislation to increase transparency in our policing.
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Introduced as HB533