Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2023, $300,000)
This proposal seeks funding to assist the City of San Leandro as it establishes its recently formed Community Police Review Board. Incidents of police misconduct locally, regionally and nationally have impacted public trust in law enforcement, and there is a growing need for oversight and accountability to ensure that police officers uphold the law and protect the rights of all members of the community they serve. Funding from the US Department of Justice will assist San Leandro in addressing these issues through the formation of an independent Community Police Review Board that can review police policies and refer complaints of police misconduct for further investigation by an Independent Police Auditor who reports directly to the City Manager. The body consists of nine members, with one member from each of the seven City Council districts, along with two student representatives.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this new comprehensive program is to establish and sustain a Community Police Review Board and Independent Police Auditor function, which together can provide independent oversight and accountability of the Police Department and its employees. Related steps include:
Establishing a board of community members with diverse backgrounds and experiences that may receive complaints of police misconduct and refer them for further review.
Establishing an independent police auditor that serves as an independent monitor of the Police Department.
Enabling the Board to monitor, review, and provide input on police policies, and receive reports on policies that indicate a need for review based on trends and data, or that are of compelling community-wide concern.
Promote transparency and accountability in the police by ensuring that the board's findings are made public.
The total cost of establishing the Community Police Review Board is estimated at $300,000.
Annual cost of Independent Auditor $192,500
Equipment/supplies $7,500
Staff salaries to support program $72,000 (0.5 FTE – Administrative Specialist III)
Contingency $25,000
(includes other programmatic expenses, e.g. consultants to support the program, community outreach efforts, translation of materials or live translations of meetings)
Conclusion: Coupled together, the establishment of a Community Police Review Board and Independent Police Auditor is an essential step towards promoting accountability and trust between law enforcement and the community.