On Monday, May 23, the Tampa City Council will decide if the citizens of Tampa get to vote on two important changes to the city charter. These two changes will bring more accountability and transparency to police oversight by giving the Citizen Review Board (CRB) the power to do its job more effectively.
- The CRB should appoint and maintain its own independent attorney. Currently, the CRB shares an attorney with the City of Tampa Attorney’s office, which creates an inherent conflict of interest.
- The CRB should be able to obtain other relevant evidence on its own. Currently, the CRB lacks the ability to obtain crucial evidence like doorbell camera or dashcam footage, like CRBs in other cities can. This would not apply to police officers, but the CRB needs to be able to obtain evidence from civilians.
Community members can watch the City Council meeting live by going to https://livestream.com/cityoftampa/cttv during the meeting. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, livestream.com.
You can make your voice heard on these proposals in a few different ways.
- Send written comments by internet or web at https://www.tampa.gov/PublicComment (for Meeting Type, make sure to check "City Council Public Meeting Agenda Item", 05/23/22 for meeting date and "CRB" for Subject)
- Send written comments by email to TampaCityCouncil@tampagov.net
- Send written comments by US Mail to City of Tampa City Clerk, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd., 3rd Floor, Tampa, FL 33602.
- Speak remotely during public comment with the use of CMT: Complete the form at https://www.tampa.gov/PublicComment AND state on the form under “Request Type” that you wish to speak live during the public comment period. You will then be contacted with additional instructions on how to participate live through the use of CMT.
- Speak or attend in person by arriving at City Council Chambers by 8:40am and by signing up to speak. City Council meeting will be held at Old City Hall 315 E. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa FL 33602.
