RICHMOND, Va. -- As the future of a civilian review board in Richmond hangs in the balance, citizens are getting a closer look at how the Richmond Police Department (RPD) currently handles internal affairs and investigations.
The goal is to avoid any overlap or conflict with the processes RPD already has place.
In a presentation on Monday night, RPD leadership explained to the city council how they conduct internal investigations and the process of their disciplinary actions.
City council members' understanding of processes that are already in place is important as they look to assign duties to a potential review board in the city.
Deputy Police Director Victoria Pearson said that it's hard to say at this point what impact a civilian review board would have on their existing functions as a solid plan continues to be hammered out.
One concern she raised centered around when CRB findings are posted for the public view because these investigations are personnel matters, and there are protections for personnel issues.
Another concern included the potential impact of a CRB investigation on cases that are still underway.
"It is hard without knowing where we're going or what we plan to do. There could be complications with what are we doing from a discipline standpoint, have officers been put on notice of what powers this board will have," Pearson said.
Pearson also mentioned that there are one or two citizens who serve on RPD's accident review board, which also looks at police chases and their use of force.
Monday night's meeting was just a discussion and nothing was voted on.
