Home » About » Newsletters » October 2001
"Civil Rights Groups Launch Campaign to Create Civilian Oversight of Miami Police"
By Sophie Brion
Intake Coordinator
When do the police need policing? When their internal policing system fails to adequately discipline or make officers accountable to the community for their misconduct.
This is certainly the case in the City of Miami. The police department's incapacity for self-policing became apparent to all when a federal investigation resulted in the indictment of 13 Miami police officers involved in recent shootings. The officers were charged with covering up unjustified shootings by planting " throw down" weapons at crime scenes or lying about the presence of weapons in order to justify shootings. While this may seem damning for the officers involved, it is equally damning for the police department's Internal Affairs, which failed to find any of the officers guilty of any wrongdoing.
In addition, in the past eleven years, over 100 inquest proceedings into police shootings found all police officers involved innocent of any wrongdoing.
In light of growing tension between the police and the community, a coalition of community organizations including the ACLU, People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality (PULSE), NAACP Miami-Dade Chapter and Brothers of the Same Mind began drafting a proposal for a Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP) to investigate allegations of police misconduct. After a long and laborious process of redrafting, debating and discussing, the proposal was presented to City Commissioners and community members. After two intense public meetings, the Miami City Commission voted unanimously to place a proposed Charter amendment on the ballot for the November 6 general election in Miami.
The CIP was designed to accomplish three main goals: provide for civilian oversight of City of Miami Police through the creation of an independent, unbiased and broadly representative panel that can investigate complaints of police misconduct, review police policies and practices, and make recommendations to the Chief of Police; create an unbiased forum for citizens to file complaints alleging police misconduct and for police officers to report misconduct by fellow officers; and, re-establish and strengthen the community's trust in the men and women sworn to protect them. The concept of civilian review is not novel, in fact it has long been used in many communities across the country when faced with similar problems. Eighty percent of the largest cities in America, serving more than one third of the population, have independent civilian review boards that oversee law enforcement agencies.
The City of Miami CIP will have more teeth than the average civilian oversight agency. The panel, composed of nominees from the public and one member appointed by the Miami Police Chief, will be fully funded to hire well-trained staff members and expert witnesses. It will be equipped with its own independent legal counsel. Unlike many other civilian oversight mechanisms, the CIP will have subpoena power to require testimony from individuals. Subpoena power lends authority to the CIP process and will help to circumvent political and emotional barriers witnesses may have to volunteering information. The panel can also make recommendations directly to the Miami Police Chief, who must respond to these recommendations in a timely manner.
At the November 6th elections in Miami, residents will be asked to vote to approve the Charter Amendment. The ACLU is in the process of mounting a campaign to garner public support for the Civilian Investigative Panel.
In a diverse city like Miami, the community's trust in the police is a necessity. While the Civilian Investigative Panel will not be a panacea for all the city's ills, it will help bridge the ever-widening gap between citizens and those sworn to protect and serve them.
