Athens, GA – On September 23, 2021, the Athens-Clarke County Government Operations Committee (GOC) completed their review of the Police Advisory Task Force recommendations for a Civilian Police Oversight board. After several months of deliberation, the GOC recommended that the Mayor and Commission adopt an ordinance creating a Public Safety Civilian Oversight Board (PSCOB).
We urge community members and organizations to reach out to the Mayor, Commission, and the GOC to show support for the most recent recommendations. This includes establishing a PSCOB and the position of an auditor-monitor. Supporters should express that the auditor-monitor must have the explicit ability to audit, monitor, investigate, and review a wide range of law enforcement policies, practices, and procedures. Additionally, supporters should express that the composition of the PSCOB “closely mirrors the diversity and demographics of the community.”
Please contact your local representative by Friday, Oct. 29th to show your support. Community members like Dr. Robert Foster and organizations such as the United Campus Workers of Georgia have already expressed full support. Be sure also to join us on November 2nd 6pm at the next Mayor and Commission meeting to show your support.
The GOC recommends that “[t]he Public Safety Civilian Oversight Board’s (PSCOB) initial duty will be to prepare and submit a recommendation to the Government Operations Committee for review and approval detailing (i) recommended staffing levels that the Board deems necessary to complete its work; (ii) the duties, qualifications, and responsibilities of the Public Safety Civilian Oversight Auditor/Monitor who shall support the Board; and (iii) policies and procedures that shall apply to the operations of the Board.”
While the AADM would have prefered that the current proposed ordinance immediately determine the roles and responsibilities of the auditor-monitor, we believe the current proposal is an acceptable compromise in order to establish the PSCOB. The first task of the PSCOB will be to define these roles and responsibilities. However, we remain concerned that this task will slow down the process of establishing a working entity, and the PSCOB will repeat work already performed by the Police Advisory Task Force appointed by Mayor Girtz. So, while the AADM will support the GOC’s recommendation, we also expect that the PSCOB will (1) work diligently and expeditiously to present their recommendations regarding the duty and responsibilities of the auditor-monitor and (2) implement the initial recommendations made by the Police Advisory Task Force and the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE). NACOLE is a national organization that provides guidance and resources to local governments and communities on the creation of oversight bodies and police accountability.
In order for the GOC recommendations to be effective, the duties, qualifications, and responsibilities of the Public Safety Civilian Oversight auditor-monitor should comply with NACOLE’s expert guidance and professional standards for an auditor-focused model for police agency oversight. These standards include (but are not limited to) authorizing the auditor-monitor to audit, monitor, investigate, and review a wide range of law enforcement policies, practices, and procedures. In general, the auditor-monitor promotes broad organizational change by addressing systemic issues, analyzing patterns and trends, and addressing deficiencies in policies and procedures that need improvement to secure community safety.
As stated in the original Task Force recommendations, the AADM hopes that the composition of the PSCOB “will closely mirror the diversity and demographics of the community” in addition to incorporating relevant local organizations and community groups in the auditor-monitor appointment process so as to leverage their expertise, outreach, and representation of cross-sections of the community.
The GOC recommendations will be presented at the November 2, 2021 Mayor and Commission meeting. If the Mayor and Commission adopts the recommendations, we as a community can begin to work on establishing a police oversight model that is beneficial to all Athens-Clarke County residents.
Despite our concerns with the process, the AADM believes that the community can build on these recommendations. For more information, contact jasminejohnsonedu@gmail.com or the admin@aadmovement.org