Newark Mayor Announces Civilian Review Board for Police

Mayor Ras Baraka announced the formation of a nine-member civilian review board that will hear complaints regarding alleged misconduct against the Newark Police Department, which was the subject of a federal Department of Justice review last year.

The board, which will include no current or former police department employees except for an inspector general appointed by the mayor, will have the power to investigate complaints from civilians or fellow officers on a host of issues, ranging from excessive use of force to unlawful arrest and alleged use of racial or ethnic slurs.

“We have heard the hue and cry from our residents for greater levels of transparency and accountability in our police department, as well as from the report from the U.S. Department of Justice,” Baraka said in a statement.

He later referred to the controversial deaths last summer of two unarmed black males, adding that “We will not see the tragedies of Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island repeated in our streets.”

Three board members will be appointed by the municipal council and five members by local community organizations, including the state branches of the NAACP and ACLU. Findings will be reported to Police Director Eugene Venable.