Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed is considering the formation of a citizen review board intended to be an additional voice in the relationship between community members and law enforcement.
According to a news release from the city, community activists and leaders in Montgomery have asked to create a review board to "enhance meaningful interaction and establish greater trust between citizens and those in law enforcement."
The announcement came after Reed met with local leaders in response to protests following the death of George Floyd.
Many cities across the country already have such boards in place, while many more are committing to forming or have fast-tracked the creation of such in response to protests and the response law enforcement has had to them.
Montgomery's protests have been largely peaceful with only police intervention at 10 p.m. when the city's curfew took effect. In Alabama's other large cities — Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville — protests at times have turned violent with damage done to buildings and officers donning riot gear. In some places, police deployed gas and rubber bullets against protesters.
Citizen review boards largely serve as an additional opportunity to file complaints against police serving as the middle-man in communicating between police and the community.
No meetings have been set up yet to discuss the creation of the board, but Kenyatte Hassell, who grew up in Montgomery and has been a leader with Young Life, said the board is needed.
"I think our police department has come a long way with our citizens of Montgomery," Hassell said. "But a board like this would give people another outlet to be heard, another opportunity to have their complaints considered."
Hassell said when he was a teenager in the 1990s, he didn't trust Montgomery's police force.
"I'd randomly get stopped and asked 'where you headed, where you going?' I never trusted the police," he said. "I think our police department perception is evolving to a better place and with this review board will help people start trusting them more."
Ideally, the board would have a mix of people from young adults to "experienced adults," Hassell said.
"I think it's important to have that younger voice," he said. "They're going through things I'm not at 41 years old. A representative from someone younger is also able to go talk to other younger people and be heard. That's not necessarily the case for me."
Currently the city has a portal online for complaints which are then directed to City Investigations. It's unclear how the review board might accept complaints, but Hassell said the process would give residents the opportunity to talk over their complaint before submitting it to police.
"They can come talk to us and we can develop some kind of case where the Chief can do a real investigation and get results for our citizens who make complaints," Hassell said.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 334-318-1798 or KFiscus@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus
"creation" - Google News
June 05, 2020 at 12:54AM
https://ift.tt/3gSeU88
Mayor Steven Reed considers creation of citizen review board for Montgomery police - Montgomery Advertiser
"creation" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39MUE4f
https://ift.tt/3bZVhYX
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Mayor Steven Reed considers creation of citizen review board for Montgomery police - Montgomery Advertiser"
Post a Comment