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How Charlotte's Citizens Review Board works:
• Citizens who believe they’ve been mistreated by police must first file complaints with CMPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau.
• Citizens can appeal the outcomes of the Internal Affairs panel’s investigations to the Citizens Review Board if their complaints involve use of excessive force; unbecoming conduct; unlawful arrest, search or seizure; or a shooting.
• The CRB meets behind closed doors – first with the citizen, then with the police – before deciding whether to hold a formal hearing or dismiss the complaint.
The board holds hearings if it concludes that “the preponderance of the evidence” shows that police made serious mistakes or abused their discretion in their investigations and decisions on whether to discipline the officers.
• The review board has the power to instruct CMPD to conduct further investigations into complaints or ask for more information.
• The CRB cannot take disciplinary actions against police officers or award damages to citizens. The board members can only advise the police chief and city manager if they believe the disciplinary decisions by CMPD were serious mistakes.
• The CRB’s decisions to dismiss the complaints will not be reviewed by CMPD or the city government.
Who's on the board:
• The 11-member Citizens Review Board is appointed by the City Council, mayor and city manager.
• Retired police officers, business owners, ministers, lawyers and community activists are among those who have served three-year terms on the panel. The current board is composed of mostly business owners and managers and finance workers. One sitting board member is a retired police officer.
