Police departments across Virginia may be on the verge of getting new oversight.
One of the chief goals behind demonstrations against police brutality has been finding some way for ordinary citizens to have oversight over their local police departments.
That’s why Senator Ghazala Hashmi of Richmond has a bill allowing civilian review board with broad authority. “Localities should be able to give these bodies subpoena power to compel the production of documents and witnesses, allow them to gather, analyze and review information, produce public reports and make informed decisions.”
Kim Rolla at the Legal Aid Justice Center says the bill would not require any locality to create one of these boards, which makes it a much better bill than if it were to mandate it. “It allows localities to choose to give oversight bodies final disciplinary authority regarding certain complaints," Rolla said Thursday. "That this is enabling legislation and not a top-down mandate is a strength of this bill. Meaningful, effective civilian overnight must be community driven.”
Several criminal justice reform advocates spoke in favor of the bill, and no law enforcement agencies spoke against it.
The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a party-line vote.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
