The shooting of a 64-yearold Orange Mound resident by Memphis police in 1994 caused residences to demand civilian review boards of police actions.
Even though city council approved the boards more than 20 years ago, many argue they have no investigative power.
Now, community members will attempt to change that.
Civilian review in necessary to ensure trust within the community in the face of possible police misconduct, explained Memphis United, a coalition of grassroots organizers
They will host an event Tuesday, from 7 to 8:30 pm at Christian Brothers University’s Rose Theater, which they hope will encourage Memphians to push for greater citizen review of police.
The coalition points to recent incidents of police misconduct as examples of the need for greater oversight.
In early March, Memphis Police Officer David Meskenas, who had more than two decades in the department, was relieved of duty pending an internal investigation after he flashed his badge and pointed his gun for apparently no reason. Meskenas has been suspended a few times, the first time was in 1996.
Another officer, Derrick Abdul-Wakil, was accused of sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl whom he gave a ride to in his police car.
“We have known a lot of people who have experienced times where they have filed complaints with the police,” Paul Garner, organizing coordinator at Mid-South Peace and Justice Center said. “This provides us oversight and accountability. We need to ensure accountability in those we trust.”
Memphis Police Department’s Internal Affairs has the first look into an investigation. Once they have reviewed it, then the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board can look at it.
“We’ve seen a lot of cases nationally that have dealt with this,” Garner said. “ There have been multiple complaints filed, but not much disciplinary action. We need an extra layer of oversight. We think having an extra set of eyes around will keep unfavorable complaints down. We want to be fair.”
Memphis United is calling out to Memphians to “fix the barrel with their bad apples.” Bad apples, a term referred to a person or a group influencing bad behavior, is widely used within law enforcement officials. Memphis United’s goal is to get rid of these “bad apples” in order to enhance the barrel.
“We can talk about bad apples all day, but that’s not fixing the problem,” Garner said. “How can we keep everyone safe including the police? They do have a hard job.”
For the past two years, Memphis United has been working on this campaign. This particular model for Memphis Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board was based off of those of Knoxville and Atlanta.
“The Civilian Law Board is not easy to understand,” Garner said. “We wanted the public to have the chance to come and ask questions.”
At the event, the Memphis Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board will educate community member what needs to petition Memphis City Council for increased Civilian Review Board power. The increased authority would give the Civilian Review Board access to records and documents, as well as access to the Memphis Police Department’s complaint process.
“We are really working to tackle issues within the criminal justice system,” Garner said. “If people have any questions they can contact us directly.”
