KBIA Local
(2007-07-31)
COLUMBIA, MO
(KBIA) -
The City of Columbia's Human Rights Commission hosted a public information session last night so that interested citizens could learn more about a proposed Citizens Review Board. Several community groups - including the NAACP, Concerned Citizens of Boone County Coalition, and the Men's Minority Network have been calling for the creation of a citizens review board to help improve the relationship between the community and the Columbia Police Department. Advocates, attorneys, and politicians joined residents at the Columbia public library last night for the forum, which was meant as an information session only but it provided a chance for people who are interested in police and community relations to get together and learn about the process of putting together a review board.
William Whitcomb, a mediator for the U.S. Justice Department's Community Relations Service, gave a talk about the role of review boards and how they're created. Whitcomb says one of the most important factors for a community to going forward with the process is consensus.
"It takes consensus building, it takes collaboration, it takes partnership."
Three city council members - Karl Skala, Jerry Wade and Almeda Crayton - attended the forum. At a city council meeting last month, Mayor Darwin Hindman announced that the city would create a committee to look into the creation of a review board. The city clerk is currently accepting applications from citizens interested in serving on that committee.
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