On May 27, Mayor Greg Fischer and Metro Council President David James announced the names of 33 Louisvillians who have agreed to serve on a work group to research, debate and recommend the best structure for a Civilian Review Board that would add a new layer of independent review to Louisville Metro Police Department disciplinary matters.
The group’s members include faith leaders, law enforcement representatives, community advocates and elected officials from across the Louisville community.
“Creating this new layer of review is a critical step in strengthening the relationship of trust and legitimacy between public safety officers and the people they serve and protect,” the Mayor said.
Council President James said: “I am glad to see the creation of a civilian review board. This creates additional layers of oversight for LMPD, which is desperately needed to restore community trust and to ensure the police are not simply investigating themselves. I’m looking forward to the work of the work group as they examine different models of Civilian Oversight including but not limited to Civilian Review Boards and an Office of Inspector General.”
The work group is co-chaired by Metro Councilwoman Paula McCraney and Deputy Mayor Ellen Hesen.
Learn more
Civilian Review Board Work Group summary
Cover letter & draft ordinance
Meetings & Agenda
May 29, 2020: Watch the meeting | Meeting summary
June 12,2020: Watch the meeting (Part 1) (Part 2) | Meeting summary
July 10, 2020: Watch the meeting | Meeting summary
July 24, 2020: Watch the meeting | Meeting summary
July 31, 2020: Watch the meeting | Meeting summary
August 14, 2020: Watch the meeting
Work Group materials
Philadelphia Office of Inspector General presentation
Civilian Review Board Work Group Summary
Overview of PIU/PSU investigations
Discipline and review process in place
LMPD standard operating procedure for personnel complaints
LMPD standard operating procedure for the Special Investigations Division
Kentucky state law regarding disciplining officers
Citizen complaint process brochure
Background on Louisville Metro Citizens Commission on Police Accountablity
Police Merit Board and Merit Board system
Collective bargaining agreement disiciplinary procedure
LMPD Merit Board Rules and regulations
Timeline
Members of the group met on June 12, and split into subgroups to study some of the known models nationally for civilian review boards, and as a full group, participated in discussing and debating which of the models – or a hybrid model – would be best for Louisville.
After that discussion, the CJC gathered each subgroup’s presentation and information and the draft summary and report of that meeting is now available for public review and input and has been posted online as of July 2. This summary was provided to the Council, the Mayor and the County Attorney, who will continue to work together on next steps, including the drafting of potential legislation to establish the new board. An initial draft of this Ordinance will be discussed and debated during the next meeting of this group on July 10.
The goal is to have a legislative proposal ready to file with Metro Council in late July, seek additional public comment and input, and there is a tentative goal to seek final adoption of this Ordinance by the end of August, first half of September. There will also be a plan developed to move forward with any state legislative agenda.
Tentative timeline
July 10
The Civilian Review Board workgroup members meet to review a first draft of the ordinance for a proposed Civilian Review Board. This meeting will be broadcast live on MetroTV and Facebook.
July 17-24
Meeting planned for July 24.
The updated draft of the ordinance will be posted on this website. Public input will be gathered for further update.
July 31
Meeting planned for July 31.
August 14 (TENTATIVE)
Meeting planned for August 14.
August 28 (TENTATIVE)
Meeting planned for August 28.
August 31 (TENTATIVE)
The draft ordinance will be presented to Metro Council President David James for committee assignment.
September TBD (TENTATIVE)
Potential date of first reading during new business of the Metro Council.
News
May 27, 2020 — Mayor and Metro Council announce work group to research and recommend new Civilian Review structure