Fort Worth (WBAP/KLIF) – The Fort Worth city manager plans to implement all 22 recommendations made by the Fort Worth Task Force on Race and Culture after the city council approved them Tuesday.
The task force was created in 2017 after the controversial police arrest of a mother who called police for assistance after alleging that a man assaulted her son. The arrest of Jacqueline Craig went viral. The arresting officer was ultimately suspended without pay for 10 days; and, the suspension was upheld on appeal.
Meantime, one of the most contentious recommendations from the task force is the creation of a citizen review board for the police department. The Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association is against the move.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Manny Ramirez, president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, questioned the effectiveness of a review board, calling it “cookie cutter.” He criticized tying community engagement with a review board.
“If you want community engagement, we’ve got to make sure we have officers out on the streets, interacting with citizens,” he said, adding the city council and mayor already acted like a civilian oversight. “Adding one more piece to the system might cause more problems.”
However assistant City Manager Roberto Costa said the oversight committee and a police monitor will ensure even greater transparency in police investigations and will increase the publics trust in the police department. “That trust had been damaged through some incidents over the year’s and now we are working to restore that trust,” Costa said.
Costa said the Citizen’s Review Board will consist of 9 people, approved by the City Manager and one police monitor with a strong law enforcement background to review policies within the police department.
This could take affect early 2020.
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