Civilian Police Review Board Meeting

APPROVED MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING _____________________________________________________________________________________ URBANA CIVILIAN POLICE REVIEW BOARD DATE: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 TIME: 5:30 p.m. PLACE: Virtually via Zoom Urbana City Building 400 South Vine Street Urbana, Illinois 61801 _____________________________________________________________________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Tony Allegretti, Ricardo Díaz, Scott Dossett, Katrina Kindle, Darrell Price MEMBERS NOT PRESENT: 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM a. Chair Diaz called this meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board to order at 5:30 p.m. Roll was taken. A quorum was present. 2. APROVAL OF AGENDA a. Chair Diaz asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Darrell Price moved and Tony Allegretti seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Special Meeting, July 29, 2020 b. Regular Meeting, August 26, 2020 c. Special Meeting, September 3, 2020 Scott Dossett made a motion to approve the three sets of minutes listed on today’s agenda. Tony Allegretti seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION • Tracy Chong asked about additional video footage that was referenced in the January 22, 2020 meeting and if anyone had followed up on it. • Christopher Hansen mentioned the video referenced in the January 22, 2020 meeting and said that the Board should be concerned about the video not being produced. Mr. Hansen also asked that video from the closed portion of the appeals hearing that took place on January 29, 2020 be released. Mr. Hansen shared his opinions on the first-hand account language that will be discussed later in this meeting. Scott Dossett reviewed his report on Taser reviews that was presented to City Council at their last meeting and the discussion that took place at that meeting. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Status of Complaints and Appeals – Chair Diaz gave an update on the status of the pending appeals hearing. He said that details for the procedures and rules for the hearing are in the process of being finalized and possible dates have been discussed. Scott Dossett gave an update on the number of complaints and appeals that have been submitted so far this year according to the information in the online portal. b. Set dates for Appeals Hearings – Ricardo presented the following two days as possible dates for the upcoming appeals hearing. Board Members discussed the dates and indicated their availability for each. • Thursday, October 15, 6:00 – 9:00 pm (tentative) • Friday, October 23, 6:00 – 9:00 pm (tentative) c. Status of 2019 Annual Report – Chair Diaz updated Board members on the status of the 2019 report. He emphasized the importance of accuracy in this report and encouraged Board members to send in their comments and to have input. d. Recommendation to Council regarding interpretation of “first-hand account” language Board members discussed their interpretation of “first-hand” account language in the City ordinance in relation to citizens submitting complaints and how they should handle things in the future. Scott Dossett made a motion that the Civilian Police Review Board forward to the City Council a request for consideration to the CPRB ordinance section 19-28.d that it should read “Complaints shall be based upon a first-hand account or video record of incident either by the person involved in the incident or a witness to the incident.” Darrell Price seconded the motion. Discussion ensued. Tony Allegretti recommended clarifying that a video could be viewed and the complainant not be physically present. This would provide three ways a complaint could be submitted, physically present, video viewing not physically present and the clarification of submitting on behalf of a minor. Mr. Allegretti amended that it should read “Complaints shall be based upon a first-hand account either by the person involved in the incident, witness to the incident, or video recording of the incident, except that a minor shall be represented by a parent or guardian in all matters pertaining to the complaint.” The motion passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Board members discussed how to propose this matter to City council. Scott Dossett expressed his ongoing desire to have a City council representative because there is a lack of formal relay mechanism. Katrina Kindle volunteered to represent the CPRB by reading a statement at the City council meeting Monday, September 28. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Criteria for categorizing changes recommended in “A Residents’ Petition for Reforming the City of Urbana Civilian Police Review Board” – Chair Diaz gave a brief overview of the petition and how it originated. He shared his desire for the Board to take the petition that has been put before them and move forward with a campaign to get more public feedback on it. Chair Diaz asked board members to read it and start forming comments as to what categories of tasks are generated by this proposal. He will gather individual comments from Board members and compile them into one document that will 2  be reviewed at the next meeting. Board members also discussed a possible study session or special meeting for further discussion of this topic. 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS a. Introduction of new Community Engagement Coordinator – Carol Mitten introduced Lemond Peppers as the new Community Engagement Coordinator for the City of Urbana. b. Two CPRB Vacancies – There are currently two vacant positions on the Board. The application has been posted on urbanaillinois.us under the notice for this meeting with the agenda. It can also be found on other pages of the City’s website. c. Recruitment of new Human Rights and Equity Officer (HREO) – Carol Mitten gave an update on recruitment efforts for a new Human Rights and Equity Officer. She also shared details on what the new reporting structure will be for the new positions. 8. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Christopher Hansen shared a history of the petition and his involvement with it. He also stated that the Board’s recommendation to City council that was voted on tonight is confusing and not clear. b. Tracy Chong clarified what case she spoke about in the first public participation session of this meeting. Ms. Chong also shared her support of the Board’s opinions during the discussion of first-hand account language earlier in this meeting. c. Emily Klose shared her disappointment with a comment that was made describing the relationship between the police department and the CPRB as a good one. Ms. Klose encouraged board members to create a better relationship with the ordinance. d. Evan Hensley asked for more information on the two new positions discussed during announcements. 9. ADJOURNMENT a. With no further business to come before the Board, Chair Diaz called for a motion to adjourn. Darrell Price made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. Tony Allegretti seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a roll call vote, Ricardo Diaz declared the meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Tamra Jane Corbin Recording Secretary 3