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History
Like
many other cities throughout the country, the City and
County
of
Las Vegas
acted in response to the public outcry for independent civilian review.
However, the concept of legislation mandating a review board was
offensive to many organizations engaged in or affiliated with police
work. Some felt that the
Review Board simply created an additional layer of review.
Others felt that a group of citizens untrained in law enforcement
did not have the proper perspective to judge the actions of any police
officer. However, amidst
opposition and criticism, in July of 1997, a bill was passed authorizing
the city and
county
of
Las Vegas
to create a Citizen Review Board. On
April 6 and May 29, 1999, respectively, the county and city adopted
mutual ordinances to create a Citizen Review Board. The members of the
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Citizen Review Board were sworn
in October of 2000, more than three years after the approval of such a
board by state legislation. The City of
Las Vegas
and
Clark
County
jointly fund this organization, which has 25 volunteer board members and
two paid employees with an annual budget of $270,000.
The Citizen Review Board was established for the purpose of providing
civilian review of the investigations of alleged police misconduct of
peace officers employed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The Board reviews complaints of misconduct filed by citizens, and
makes recommendations to the sheriff for discipline, as well as,
advising on departmental policies and practices.
The goal of the Board is to ensure the integrity of
investigations of police misconduct and to enhance community confidence
in METRO. The logical
question is how effective has the LVMPD Citizen Review Board been in
accomplishing its goals?
Since its inception, the Review Board has been instrumental in
effectuating changes in the police department. The Board, through its
independent review process, found incidents of police misconduct where
investigators with the police department had failed to disclose all of
the facts in a case. Two officers were suspended in cases that were
reopened and reviewed by the police department as a result of the
findings of the Citizen Review Board. The Department at the instance of
the Review Board made policy changes and engaged in retraining officers
in arrest procedures that were questioned by the Review Board. The
Internal Affairs Bureau tripled in size to be able to more thoroughly
investigate citizen complaints and to better investigate policies and
issues raised by the Citizen Review Board.
The success or failure of Citizen Review Boards is dependent upon
cooperation and understanding between the Citizen Review Board and the
police department. Members of the Board need to be trained and
understand police practices and procedures.
A willingness by the police department to accept criticism and to
change policies and procedures to meet a changing community structure is
essential. For the police and community to adequately understand each
other’s perspective, it is imperative that they communicate. That
communication can best occur through a diversified board of civilians
representing the interests of the community at large.
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