HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Local activists continue to push for the Tampa Citizens Review Board to have an independent attorney, which means someone who is not a city employee.
The Citizens Review Board was created in 2015 to enhance trust and transparency between police and the community.
It's a panel of citizens who review disciplinary cases from Tampa Police and give recommendations.
“I really think this is just a simple issue that other municipalities, other cities, around Florida have had, and it’s not caused any kind of problems for the cops," said Joseph Nova with Tampa Bay Community Action Committee.
Local activists want to see the board have more power, and they have been protesting for an independent attorney for months.
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But TPD sent us a statement that said in part, “we believe the organization has what it needs to be productive, create meaningful change if the need arises, and be an asset to our community without burdening taxpayers with costs that will arise from more added changes.”
Mayor Jane Castor told us Monday that giving the board an independent attorney would be redundant.
“We would be hiring, in essence, a third attorney, which the CRB does not want and did not request. So we’ve answered the independent attorney issue," said Castor.
Yvette Lewis is the head of the Hillsborough County branch of the NAACP.
She said the Citizens Review Board is reviewing cases but doesn’t really have any power to pass judgment or help alleged victims.
Lewis said she wants to see more accountability and transparency.
And an independent council would help make that possible.
“I would love for it to go all the way to subpoena power. And maybe that’s where we can get some understanding. Hopefully, that will resolve some of the issues because if you know, someone is watching your behavior. And you know that there’s accountability with your behavior, then maybe you won’t act that way," said Lewis.
The Tampa Bay Community Action Committee held a public forum Monday night and asked people to come to city hall to share experiences they’ve had with Tampa Police.
Meanwhile, according to the city council's agenda, they will consider drafting an ordinance to allow the Citizens Review Board to use legal representation outside of city employees.
Both sides said they want the same thing: police accountability. It's just a matter of figuring out the best way to achieve it.
"We do have an outstanding relationship between the community and Tampa Police Department, but it's a relationship we have that has to be worked on every single day," said Castor.
“It’s a board every day people can come to and file a complaint if they have any kind of issue with the cops," said Nohava.
According to the city council's agenda, leaders will discuss it again this week. City Counselors will consider drafting an ordinance that would allow the Citizens Review Board to select legal representation outside of a city employee.
The Tampa Bay Community Action Committee wants to hear from you. They're asking people to come to city hall tonight and share experiences they’ve had with Tampa Police.
The Tampa Police Department responded with the statement below.
“Since its establishment in 2015, the Tampa Police Department has worked hand-in-hand with the Citizens Review Board (CRB), providing its members with case information needed to foster a relationship of transparency and enhancing its authority by allowing CRB members to participate in our hiring process at the interview phase, providing a monthly complaint filing and tracking system, permitting and welcoming the board to participate in use of force policy changes, and participating in joint meetings and workshops between the police department, PBA, ACLU and other community activist organizations to further discuss areas for growth in policing. With these factors, and the recent addition of a CRB independent attorney, we believe the organization has what it needs to be productive, create meaningful change if the need arises, and be an asset to our community without burdening taxpayers with costs that will arise from more added changes.”
