'Policing the police:' City votes down public safety community advisory board

Apr. 28—The Richmond City Commission unanimously voted against an ordinance which would amend and create a Citizens Board for Public Safety Community Relations.

Commissioners Krystin Arnold, Mike Brewer and Ed McDaniel all took issue with the board's proposed establishment, and voted against the measure, which is a revamped version of Ordinance 07-06 which passed in March 2007 and was deemed an "oversight board" of the Richmond Police Department.

The new version, Ordinance 22-15, would reconstitute the former board — which has been inactive since late 2007 — and would have encompassed broader public safety community relations, such as the fire department, codes enforcement, and other city public safety boards and/or departments.

City Manager Rob Minerich stated, "I think it is important to point out that this stems from the interest of reactivating the existing board. ... That board concentrated on the police department and that was it. So as this interest started to surface to reactivate that board, we felt like we needed to make this a community advisory board that understood all the departments. So the public safety side of it doesn't just give oversight to the police department, but it engages citizens with all departments across the city."

The proposed Citizens Advisory Board would study, review and consult the commission on public safety and community relations efforts, and develop and make recommendations directed toward improving community relations with city departments on the issues of public safety.

"You all know I don't like this board," McDaniel began. "I don't see a need for it, but, really it is out of my hands."

All of the commissioners agreed the board was "policing the police," and felt it was unnecessary for the police officers, fire and other departments to have more oversight, as the city commission is already the primary oversight board of their departments.

"I like that it incorporates everything, but I feel it is an unnecessary board," Arnold said. "I feel like the commission does that job, and our citizens have access to come and be part of these public meetings. I feel like it opens the door — there are a few things in this that I don't particularly like. I think the police environment in our city in 2007 was much different than it is now. I think we have come a long way, and I think the board of commissioners holds all of our departments accountable."

Commissioner Mike Brewer said he did not want someone to come in and take the responsibility away from the commission.

"We are held accountable through the public and I think we have done an excellent job with our departments especially in the last three years, two years, things have changed considerably. Even the morale is much better than it was," Brewer said.

Arnold stated accepting this ordinance felt like stepping into "policing the police" from the citizens' perspective.

"As far as accountability goes, I think that comes to this board with any department — be it police, fire codes — that comes to this board," she said. "I think it keeps it clean, it keeps the bar high, and keeps it very clear."

This new, revamped ordinance was brought back to the table in the past few years after it was requested by the Madison County Chapter of the NAACP to be reviewed.

"The conversation began several, several months ago, by request of a community group — the local branch of the Richmond Madison County NAACP," Blythe shared. "Now, it came because...the gist of the letter (sent to Blythe's office) was that with all that is taking place around us, because the question is should we not be poised so that we don't react, but we are already proactive in making our community what it ought to be in respect of relations, and of course, that was a police matter.

"But then, the wisdom of those that sat down to talk about that matter was, 'Well let's not just focus on the police because' — in a conversation I had about two months ago, there was an employee with public works and Richmond Utilities who said to me, 'But mayor, we are also first responders.' If you think about some of the things that happen in our community, we have to get our hands on utilities if something happens to pop loose, pipe burst, whatever — first responders. The wisdom of that group said 'Let's not just focus on emergencies like that that the first responders — police and fire — would respond to, but just our public safety in general,'" the mayor added.

After the commissioners expressed their distaste for the ordinance in its entirety, the city commissioners called upon Chief of Police Rodney Richardson, and Chief of Richmond Fire Sam Kirby, to hear their thoughts.

Both shared no issues with the board's resurrection.

"Really, the way I look at it, it would be more of a way for the citizens' to have access to public safety officials who may not think they have as much access as they need," Chief Richardson said. ... "We can tell them what we are doing as far as public safety, what events we have planned for community relations stuff that we have going on currently, and to really see if the community has any ideas for public safety to increase presence or build better partnership."

Richardson said the only issue he could perhaps see being a concern, was that he did not want his officers to interpret it as if they were doing anything wrong.

"I just want to make sure the officers knew that this wasn't anything, or an oversight board on police activities, but a community relations board and that they had not done anything wrong, that they are still doing a great job but that it is just a way for us to increase relationships," Richardson said.

Chief of the Richmond Fire Department Sam Kirby said the way it was explained to him, he had no issues with the board.

"The old board was an oversight of (the police department) and I felt like this would be another way for us to connect with the community and you know, if they had community relations ideas for us and the police department," Kirby said.

The second reading of the ordinance failed in a vote of three-to-one. Commissioners Arnold, Brewer and McDaniel voted against the measure. Mayor Blythe voted in favor of its passage.

Now that the proposed new ordinance has been voted down, the city now plans to attempt to repeal the former ordinance in its entirety in the upcoming meeting in May.