27 April 2003

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Danville has rejected a citizen oversight commitee for its police department.

I think this is a mistake. Citizen oversight keeps a police force honest and avoids problems in the police department. Without citizen oversight the only people who watch the police are themselves. This leads to one of two problems. (1) The police stick together with supervisors not ever finding that an officer is negligent. (2) The supervisors do their job and go after officers who step over the line causing all sorts of disharmony.

Citizen oversight does not solve all the problems. Police will still close ranks and the people appointed to these commitees are not usually those who will hold the police to a very strict standard. Still, it is better than everything being done behind closed doors at the police building.

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