I agree that civilian review boards in and of themselves are not going to resolve all the problems in police departments. They are far from perfect. But, I've got to think that they're a much better option for accountability than an opaque system that never sees the light of day where police officers scrutinize other police officers when the "Blue Wall of Silence" rules the day. Until police departments can actually prove that they're capable of always weeding out the "bad cops" I believe that some sort of impartial review board that is not joined at the hip with the police department must be implemented. Policing can often be a challenging and dangerous job and every responsible member of the community wants them to be safe while they fully and fairly carry out their duty "to protect and serve." Support for an independent, impartial system of police accountability will be a litmus test for my evaluation of political candidates.
I agree that civilian review boards in and of themselves are not going to resolve all the problems in police departments. They are far from perfect. But, I've got to think that they're a much better option for accountability than an opaque system that never sees the light of day where police officers scrutinize other police officers when the "Blue Wall of Silence" rules the day. Until police departments can actually prove that they're capable of always weeding out the "bad cops" I believe that some sort of impartial review board that is not joined at the hip with the police department must be implemented. Policing can often be a challenging and dangerous job and every responsible member of the community wants them to be safe while they fully and fairly carry out their duty "to protect and serve." Support for an independent, impartial system of police accountability will be a litmus test for my evaluation of political candidates.