Police vs. Civilians: What will it take to establish an effective Police Civilian Review Board?

"Without true civilian oversight, all that remains is self-policing. And with self-policing, because of police culture, there is still too much room for police misconduct."

Police reform is complicated and fraught with tension, as Charlottesville's most recent attempt to form a Police Civilian Review Board as shown. For three years now that attempt has been characterized by disagreements and disputes between activists, the police chief, local police unions, the press, and City Council. As the Virginia General Assembly gets closer to passing bills that will give localities new guidance when its comes to police reform, and CRBs in particular, The DTM steps back and takes a look at where we've been, where we're going, and how we might get there. - David McNair

In 2008, when then Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo provided his recommendations for a proposed Police Civilian Review Panel to City Council, he used an argument that those pushing for a strong CRB in Charlottesville, given the current climate, would have likely found laughable.

"Charlottesville is fortunate to have a professional, well trained police department that does not have the inherent p…