Why a civilian review board is a good idea, both for police and the people they serve
Civilian review of the Modesto Police Department is an idea worthy of careful consideration.
If done right, civilian review would add a layer of transparency to law enforcement, helping to boost all-important trust between police and the people they’re sworn to protect.
The basic idea involves regular people guided by an expert to recommend improvements. This proposal is being floated by several nonprofit groups and will be the topic of a virtual town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday. Register at tinyurl.com/CRB-Modesto or email CRB.Modesto@gmail.com, and look for it across various Facebook sites, including Valley Improvement Projects, the NAACP Modesto/Stanislaus and The Modesto Bee.
Civilian review is gaining traction across the country. Turlock and Merced embraced it just last year, Sacramento and Fresno years before.
Police reform often comes after a calamitous incident of police brutality. That’s not the case here, although we have not escaped ugly policing.
Only seven weeks ago, for instance, Modesto police Officer Joseph Lamantia shot and killed unarmed Trevor Seever, prompting this editorial board to recommend that the officer be fired and face criminal charges. The unnecessary homicide is an example of the sort of thing that civilian review could examine, although it was not the impetus for the current proposal, which was raised on this opinion page in August.
“Policing is paid by taxpayer dollars. The community has a right to know what’s going on,” said Wendy Byrd, president of the local NAACP. “If you don’t have anything to hide, you should welcome others looking at what you’re doing.”
Think of civilian review as an extension of officers’ body cameras. Initially skeptical, law enforcement largely accepted this intrusive eye partly because body cams justify police actions far more than condemning them. That’s because trained professionals who see their roles primarily as public servants usually make good decisions.
The trouble comes when officers assume an authoritarian warrior mentality, demanding nothing less than complete obedience with little compassion, patience with mental illness or allowance for cultural differences.
That description evokes the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which touched off protests against people of color dying disproportionately at the hands of officers. Protests often demanded police reform in various shapes and sizes. They include the unfortunately phrased “defund police,” which should not mean getting rid of law enforcement and usually involves having mental health experts help officers deal with people in low-risk situations.
Modesto civilian review proposal
The Modesto proposal suggests a “community police review commission” made up of seven City Council-appointed volunteers with no link to law enforcement, to ensure the panel’s independence. And commissioners would be guided by an independent police auditor with expertise in law enforcement.
“I don’t see why anybody would object to having a second eye looking at what you’re doing, but it has to be a qualified eye,” Byrd said. “They have to know how to interpret what they’re looking at. That’s why we feel the auditor piece is very important — someone who is trained, skilled and understands police work, constitutional law, and employment laws like the average layman doesn’t.”
Although proposed months ago, now is a good time to vet civilian review. Mayor-elect Sue Zwahlen, who will begin leading Modesto very soon, was among few candidates in several November campaigns with courage to keep an open mind; most others, hoping to appear tough on crime, frowned on the idea.
More important is transition at the top of the Modesto Police Department, with the recent departure of former Chief Galen Carroll. Introducing change as significant as civilian review to coincide with an incoming chief could be seamless. It’s important to note that civilian review would provide recommendations to the chief, who would retain full control over personnel matters.
Policing works best in an environment of mutual trust. The additional layer of transparency brought by civilian review would only enhance trust in our police.
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.