Nutter names 24 to Police Community Oversight Board
Mayor Nutter named a panel of 24 to oversee the implementation of recommendations from a U.S. Justice Department report that found that Philadelphia police too often use lethal force.
Mayor Nutter named a panel of 24 to oversee the implementation of recommendations from a U.S. Justice Department report that found that Philadelphia police too often use lethal force.
The federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) issued 48 findings and 91 recommendations last month for the Philadelphia department to consider in "reforming its deadly force practices."
Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey pledged to move quickly in implementing the recommendations. The day following the report's release, Mayor Nutter named JoAnne Epps, dean of Temple University Law School, as chair of the implementation task force.
On Friday, Nutter named that panel she will oversee and work with.
"I'm proud to appoint these committed Philadelphians, who represent a wide variety of professions and communities, to serve on the Police Community Oversight Board," Nutter said. "Their work will advance our efforts to create a more responsive, more ethical, more service-oriented Police Department, a department whose members respect all Philadelphians and earn the public's respect by virtue of their professionalism."
The group is expected to continue working through the next administration. It will also work on implementing the broader recommendations made in President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing report.
After police shootings soared in 2012, Ramsey asked the Justice Department to conduct the study under its "Collaborative Reform" model to improve relations with the public.
Some of the recommendations included: establish a specialized unit to investigate all deadly force incidents; all police officers should be trained in the use of Tasers and be required to carry them on duty; the department should integrate the two boards that review officer involved shootings into one and include at least one voting citizen member.
The members of the Police Community Oversight Board are:
Nina Ahmad, Executive VP, JNA Capital and chair of the Mayors Commission on Asian American Affairs
Kelvyn Anderson, Executive Director, Police Advisory Commission
Kenneth Naroen Chhin, 1 Love Movement
Richard Costello, Political Coordinator, FOP Lodge #5
Edwin Desamour, Executive Director, MIMIC Inc. (Men in Motion in the Community)
Liz Dow, CEO, Leadership Philadelphia, Inc.
Joe Garcia, Captain for Communications, Training & Development, Temple University Police
Charles Gibbs, Attorney, The Green Firm
Councilman Bobby Henon, 6th Councilmanic District
Abby Stamelman Hocky, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia
John Hollway, Executive Director, Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at Penn Law
Carlton Johnson, Attorney, Archer & Greiner
Dorothy Johnson-Speight, Executive Director, Mothers In Charge
Damone Jones, Senior Pastor, Bibleway Baptist Church
Councilman Curtis Jones, 4th Councilmanic District
Rue Landau, Executive Director, Human Relations Commission
Mohammad Rizwan Mallick, local business owner
Rodney Muhammad, President, Philadelphia Chapter of the NAACP
Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, 7th Councilmanic District
Pedro Ramos, Attorney, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Ellen Somekawa, Exec. Director, FACTS Charter School
Joy Soto, Executive Director, Philadelphia Youth Commission
Alan Yatvin, Attorney, Popper & Yatvin
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