A Public Safety and Community Relations Board (hereinafter "PSCRB" or "Board") is hereby established to:
A. 
Serve as a citizen advisory committee to the Chief of Police and the City Manager, providing different perspectives on police policy and training that improve police community interactions;
B. 
Educate the community on the avenues available to civilians to make formal and informal complaints, to assist the community and the police in clarifying and improving procedures related to complaints, and to assure that access to these policies and procedures are open and transparent;
C. 
Add a resident perspective to the evaluation of civilian complaints, including the timely, fair and objective review of complaints;
D. 
Identify perceived deficiencies in police-community interactions that when addressed may result in improved interactions and shared understanding; and
E. 
Provide fair treatment to and protect the rights of civilians and police officers.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
[Amended by Ord. No. 2017-57; 2-8-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11]
A. 
The PSCRB shall consist of nine members appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council by a 2/3 vote of all Council Members currently serving.
B. 
Except as set forth in Subsection C regarding the two youth members, members shall serve for a three-year term; however, at the inception of the Board, two members shall be appointed for a one-year term, two members for a two-year term, and three members for a three-year term, so that terms are staggered.
C. 
Two of the nine members shall be youth members (between the ages of 16 and 21), who shall serve a one-year term.
D. 
The chair and a vice-chair of the Board shall be selected amongst the members of the PSCRB.
E. 
A majority of the sitting members of the PSCRB shall constitute a quorum.
F. 
Members shall serve until their successors are appointed and confirmed, unless removed from office.
A. 
No City employee may be appointed to the Board, nor shall any member be a current employee of, contracted by or have any official affiliation, whether current or former, with a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
B. 
No person with a criminal felony conviction shall be eligible to serve on the PSCRB.
C. 
All members of the PSCRB shall possess a reputation for fairness, integrity, impartiality, and a sense of public service.
D. 
In making appointments, the Mayor shall endeavor to reflect community diversity, including different neighborhoods, income levels, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation and ability status.
E. 
All members shall be required to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information and the failure to do so shall be cause for removal among any other applicable legal consequences.
F. 
Members shall recuse themselves from consideration of any complaint(s) where they have-or appear to have-a personal, professional, or financial conflict of interest. Failure to recuse when required shall be cause for removal.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
The City Legal Department and Police Department shall develop written standards for mandatory orientation and continuing education for all PSCRB members. Once developed, the written standards shall be presented and approved by the City Council.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
The PSCRB, in consultation with the Legal Department and Police Department, shall develop rules, procedures, and/or bylaws for the transaction of PSCRB business. Said rules, procedures, and/or bylaws shall be reviewed and approved by the City Council.
A. 
If a complainant is not satisfied with a determination of the Police Chief at the conclusion of an internal investigation, the complainant may make a request for review by the PSCRB within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notice of the Police Department's findings. The PSCRB shall have access to any documents either provided voluntarily by the complainant or that are otherwise subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act for its review. The Police Chief is further authorized to discuss the case in a confidential setting with the PSCRB or its chair. Nothing herein shall entitle the PSCRB to compel any testimony or conduct a formal re-investigation. Rather, the PSCRB shall review the complaint and help ensure the Police Chief and/or Police Department followed proper protocols. The PSCRB may recommend certain policy changes based on the review to either the Police Chief or City Manager.
B. 
The PSCRB's review is limited to whether proper protocols were followed in the investigation, and the PSCRB may have limited information on specific cases and the PSCRB may only recommend policy changes to the Police Chief and City Manager. Accordingly, no action of the PSCRB shall constitute or be considered as evidence of either wrongdoing or vindication in any action, including in any other criminal or civil court proceeding, or in any arbitration proceeding. Nothing herein, however, shall constitute a bar to disciplinary action against a police officer, by the Police Chief, based on the police department's own investigation of an officer's conduct.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
A. 
The PSCRB shall be subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act and shall set a regular meeting schedule. In addition to any other meetings that may be set by the PSCRB, it shall conduct quarterly meetings that provide the general public with an opportunity to voice concerns and to provide recommendations for improving interactions between the Police Department and the community.
B. 
All PSCRB meetings shall be open to the public except when closed as provided in the Open Meetings Act and all other applicable federal, state and local laws.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
A. 
The PSCRB shall work with the Police Department, Legal Department, and Human Relations Commission to build community outreach in order to anticipate and prevent problems, including analyzing data and making recommendations to the Police Department about issues requiring special attention.
B. 
The PSCRB shall develop a brochure explaining PSCRB procedures and the resources available to complainants. The brochures shall be approved by the City Council and then distributed to the public according to a plan developed by the PSCRB and approved by the City Manager. This information on the PSCRB and its procedures shall also be posted on the City's website and available through the Police Department, the Legal Department, and the Bloomington Public Library.
C. 
The PSCRB shall develop a poster highlighting the resources available to complainants to be displayed prominently within the Police Department. The poster shall be approved by the City Council and shall provide information on (1) the ability of civilians to make complaints, and (2) the ability of civilians to have the complaint process reviewed by the PSCRB.
D. 
The PSCRB shall develop and distribute complaint forms in languages and formats accessible to civilians, and educate the community on the complaint process and the importance of reporting complaints. Complaints may be filed either directly with the Police Department, the PSCRB, or the City's Legal Department.
E. 
All materials distributed to the public under Subsections C and D of this section shall contain, in a prominent typeface, the following statement: "Harassment, retaliation, or retribution for filing a complaint or testifying on behalf of a complainant will not be tolerated. If you believe that you are the subject of harassment, retaliation, or retribution as a result of the complaint process, please contact the Public Safety and Community Relations Board, the Department of Professional Standards within the Police Department or the City's Legal Department for appropriate investigation and follow-up."
F. 
The PSCRB may hold quarterly meetings with neighborhood groups, civic organizations, and/or community leaders to build community relationships and discuss community concerns relating to public safety and police procedures.
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
[Ord. No. 2017-57]
The City Manager shall assign staff, including but not limited to personnel from the Legal Department and Police Department, to assist the PSCRB with its functions and to serve as a conduit to the City Manager.