Arlington County Government: Arlington County Board Seeks Applications From Residents For Community Oversight Board

Arlington VA

05 October, 2021

1:27 PM

Description

Press release from the Arlington County Government: 2021-10-04 Community Oversight Board (COB)  View the complete ordinance in the Arlington County Code. "The Community Oversight Board is a critical step forward for Arlington. We heard from hundreds of residents who asked for the additional transparency and oversight that this board envisions," said Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti. "Today we are calling for applications to serve on the Oversight Board in order to build and strengthen trust with our entire community. Our County Manager, Police Chief, and officers support this work, and we look forward to reviewing the applications and getting the board started over the coming months." The Oversight Board will consist of seven voting members who are residents of the County and reflect the demographic diversity of the County as well as two non-voting members with prior experience in law enforcement, all of whom will be appointed by the County Board. This COB and an Independent Auditor/Monitor will be charged with conducting concurrent investigations where warranted, reviewing citizen complaints, performing policy reviews, and recommending/reviewing police disciplinary actions where appropriate, among other duties. Those interested in serving on the COB may complete an application form online. Applications will be received through November 12. County Board members will then review applications before appointing the inaugural COB members with the goal of the COB beginning its work in Spring 2022. Once appointed, the COB will assist the County Manager in the recruitment and selection of the Independent Policing Auditor. Arlington County has also joined NACOLE – the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement – which provided training for the County Board and staff and recommendations on effective practices for soliciting and selecting members of the COB. This press release was produced by the Arlington County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.