[Ord. No. 2014-033 §1, 8-27-2014]
The Pine Lawn, Missouri Municipal Code is hereby amended by
adding the Civilian Review Board which shall be empowered to investigate
complaints from citizens of Police misconduct and provide findings
and recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen regarding said
complaints.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §2, 8-27-2014]
Appointments to the Board shall be made by the Mayor, with the
approval of the Board of Aldermen and shall be citizens and/or employees
of the City of Pine Lawn, Missouri.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §3, 8-27-2014]
The Civilian Review Board shall consist of five (5) members,
who each shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor and the Board of
Aldermen. The term of office shall be two (2) years.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §4, 8-27-2014]
There is hereby established a Civilian Review Board of not to
exceed five (5) members, whose goal shall be to increase the transparency
of, and public confidence in, the Police complaint process. In general,
the Civilian Review Board shall evaluate the work of the Police Department,
and may review completed complaint investigations involving sworn
Police employees to provide comment, from a civilian perspective,
about whether the complaint was handled fairly and with due diligence.
It is intended that this Board will provide a system of independent
oversight of the Police complaint process. The Civilian Review Board
shall serve as an advisory body to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §5, 8-27-2014]
A. Members of the Civilian Review Board shall be volunteers appointed
by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Aldermen, who immediately
prior to appointment shall be:
2.
Of the age of eighteen (18) years or older; and
3.
Able to pass a background investigation consistent with investigations
conducted for other City volunteers who have similar access to Police
records and/or facilities.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §6, 8-27-2014]
A. The following characteristics shall be considered by the Mayor and
Board of Aldermen when appointing members to the Civilian Review Board:
1.
A demonstrated ability to be fair, impartial and unbiased;
2.
An absence of any real or perceived bias, prejudice or conflict
of interest;
3.
A record of community involvement;
4.
An ability to build working relationships and communicate effectively
with diverse groups.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §7, 8-27-2014]
Members of the Civilian Review Board shall agree in writing
to a statement of principles and code of conduct, to be developed
by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen and reviewed and maintained in
collaboration with the Civilian Review Board.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §8, 8-27-2014]
A. The Civilian Review Board shall be empowered to investigate complaints
from citizens of Police misconduct and provide findings and recommendations
to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen regarding said complaints; and
B. May review the completed investigation and adjudication of complaints
filed against sworn Police Officers; and
C. May develop criteria to decide whether to accept a case for review;
and
D. May review all materials concerning the completed investigations
of cases the Civilian Review Board has selected to review shall be
made available to members for their confidential review; and
E. Shall, at one of its meetings, report on such case(s), which may
include comments on the handling of the complaint, the fairness and
thoroughness of the investigation, and the reasonableness of the adjudication;
and
F. Shall review trends and statistics of complaints against sworn Police
Officers and civilian Police employees and may develop recommendations
to improve the complaint intake and handling process.
[Ord. No. 2014-033 §9, 8-27-2014]
The Civilian Review Board shall annually elect from among its
membership a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson who shall serve in
that position for no more than three (3) consecutive one-year terms.