Second public forum on civilian police oversight set for May 15
BART Police Review Committee’s Informational Meeting on Civilian Oversight
On Saturday, May 2, the BART Police Department Review Committee held the first of a series of public forums. Nearly 150 residents came to hear a panel comprised of five civilian police oversight experts and an attorney from ACLU of Northern California. During the first two hours of the session, the panel presented the mechanics of various civilian oversight models and addressed questions from the audience. The BART Police Department Review Committee dedicated the remaining time of the meeting to receiving input from the public on the objectives and outcomes they would like to see BART achieve by establishing civilian oversight. To view full coverage of the May 2 meeting, check the BARTtv News story at www.bart.gov/news/barttv
BART Police Department Review Committee Advances Process to Establish Civilian Oversight
At its meeting on May 4, the BART Police Department Review Committee took the next step towards establishing civilian police oversight at BART by forming an ad hoc subcommittee. The subcommittee has been tasked with narrowing down the list of oversight models that were discussed on May 2 and to outline a draft model(s) that would work best for BART and the communities it serves.
The subcommittee met on May 6 to begin their work to outline a draft model(s), which will be presented to the public for more in-depth discussion. The goal is for the subcommittee to have a draft model(s) ready for discussion at the next public forum on civilian oversight. The ad hoc subcommittee includes members of the public at large, as well as representatives of the BART Board, BART administration and the two BART police unions. The sub-committee is scheduled to meet on May 11 and May 13 to continue their work. NOTE: The public forum has been re-scheduled to Friday, May 15, 2009 at 5:00 p.m., in the Joseph P. Bort Metro Center Auditorium, 101- 8th Street in Oakland (across from Lake Merritt BART Station).