Tallahassee city commissioners appear to be at a loss after last month’s changes to the Citizens’ Police Review Board (CPRB). The policy changes may have led to a rise in concerns from the community regarding their safety and rights.
The policy changes were highlighted in red in the 10-page report that was voted on 5-0, by the city commissioners, including the mayor. Despite the unanimous vote, the CPRB has yet to meet to witness the changes in effect and discuss the future of its policies.
City Commissioner Jacqueline “Jack” Porter said she believes there is widespread distrust regarding the city’s police department. Porter said the CPRB has its own designated roles. However, she said, removing community engagement can hinder the progress the city is trying to achieve.
“While there’s been some dissent about what the role of that body really is and the proposed changes were an attempt to provide clarification on some of what the board can and can’t do,” Porter said. “The board already doesn’t do what I wish it can do… and I think keeping them from engaging effectively and meaningfully with the community definitely hampers their ability to do that.”
This was the first meeting in eight months that the city commission held since the removal of one of the CPRB members, Taylor Biro, due to owning an item with anti-police paraphernalia on it. She was removed in December.
Despite the board voting to keep Biro, she was removed by the commissioners in a 3-2 vote.
The removal invoked immediate backlash from the community and Biro herself as she proceeded to file a lawsuit against the city, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Biro’s attorney made claims that her removal can be argued as a violation of her First Amendment rights to free speech.
Amaya Johnson, a fourth-year social work student at FAMU, said that the city has found another measure in which to maintain control over its citizens. Johnson said she doesn’t feel any sense of urgency to repair the reputation of the city’s police department.
“The first thought that came to my mind is that it’s another measure to silence citizens and keep control,” Johnson said. “To limit (public) opinions is absurd and shows that the city does not care to hear from the people and apply those critiques but (rather) continue to operate the way that they choose to.”
Both the CPRB and the city commission have posted member applications but no updates or responses have been given yet. The board has no scheduled meetings and the next commission meeting will take place Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m.