Police watchdogs must have more power in communities to promote transparency
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In the wake of numerous high-profile incidents of police misconduct across the United States, the call for robust police oversight has never been louder, and Syracuse is no exception.
The Syracuse Citizen Review Board (CRB) was established in 1993. Born out of community support and activism, the CRB has consistently focused on police oversight and community engagement. On March 26, the board, 11 community members from across the city, organized a march and urged the Common Council to grant the board more power. The law related to the board’s purview was last revised in 2011.
This push for expanded watchdog powers is a crucial step toward much-needed transparency and accountability in law enforcement. Revising the law can serve as a commendable standard for civic oversight that could inspire other communities across the country.
The prevalence of civilian police watchdogs – individuals or organizations dedicated to monitoring and ensuring that law enforcement agencies adhere to legal and ethical standards – has grown over the last few years. A study in 2022 showed that 25 cities launched citizen review boards between 2020 and 2021, more than the previous five years combined. According to the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), there are nearly 100 jurisdictions that currently have similar boards to supervise police activity.
During its March 26 meeting, Syracuse’s CRB cited two major revisions they would like to see passed: easier access to police camera footage and a requirement for the police chief to notify the board on what disciplinary actions are taken against reported incidents.
Because the law is not up to date with current police standards like the wearing of body cameras, the current practice relies on the goodwill of the police chief. Yet, while the chief often voluntarily shares footage with the CRB, the board reported receiving no response from the police chief in five cases where they recommended disciplinary actions.
The trust between the people of Syracuse and their law enforcement agency cannot be dependent merely on unobligated agreements. The current arrangement clearly lacks solid legal backing and could be withdrawn at any time. Police officials have, in the past, cited privacy as a reason to delay or reject requests to turn over police camera footage, but this concern should not be used as a pretext to refuse cooperation.
Oversight boards must have unimpeded access to body camera footage and other evidence to conduct thorough investigations, and police chiefs should be obligated to provide a status update to CRB board members on recommended disciplinary actions. When oversight agencies have the necessary tools and independence, they can drive real change.
Fernanda Kligerman | Design Editor
On the federal level, partisan gridlock and fear of pushback have incapacitated the government’s ability to pass meaningful reform that holds the police accountable in cases of misconduct. Despite the pleas from President Joe Biden in his 2023 State of the Union address to “finish the job of police reform,” he has not been able to form a national police oversight commission, nor has there been a government database that documents cases of police misconduct.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which aims to lower conviction standards for police violence, limits the use of qualified immunity and grants subpoena power to the Department of Justice for systemic misconduct. The legislation was passed in the House of Representatives but never heard a vote in the Senate.
As the United States Congress remains unable to reform the police system on a federal level, community-based efforts on police oversight must have more robust and clearly defined powers.
There are many current localized models that Syracuse could follow that have demonstrated the success of an empowered board. In Denver, its Office of the Independent Monitor, a citizen board working with the city government, gives its board a significant degree of autonomy and a comprehensive mandate. This enables the board to not only review individual cases of alleged police misconduct but also to influence policy changes within the department.
In recent years, the office helped develop new use-of-force policies that led to a 21% drop of arrests that included force. The oversight of law enforcement agencies by citizen review boards is an essential part of a healthy, functioning society. It is an important link that can directly and effectively reduce the militarization and lack of accountability of the police.
With every notable incident that gets widely reported on, there are many others that get swept under the rug; local legislatures should recognize the importance of citizen review boards and bolster their power to maintain a healthy and organic relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
The failure of federal police reform is yet another wake up call that systemic change does not happen with the blink of an eye. Such impasses, however, should not be a reason to stop paying attention to the issue of police accountability.
As civil rights attorney Antonio Romanucci put it in a February interview, “If we can’t fix the problem on a federal level, we’re gonna try state by state, county by county, city by city.”
Allen Huang is a second year Media Studies masters student. He can be reached at xhuang49@syr.edu.
