VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Following recommendations presented in 2021, Virginia Beach City Council is in the process of creating a new Independent Citizen's Review Panel (CRP), with the purpose of reviewing internal affairs investigations over possible law enforcement misconduct of abuses of authority.
Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten, representing District 1, believes that the city may be moving forward without having first settled key issues first.
“My concern is the process," Wooten told 13News Now Tuesday.
This new panel would replace the current Investigation Review Panel (IRP).
Last year, a task force published a set of recommendations over what the new board should look like. The CRP would consist of an 11 member voting board, as well as two non-voting positions set aside for citizens with law enforcement experience to serve in an advisory role.
The task force also recommended a basic framework to the panel's membership, such as disqualifiers, length of terms, a general overview of training and more. However, many specific details were purposefully left up to the discretion of City Council members, such as exact budget details, training logistics, as well as who would be the panel's leader and how they'd be picked.
To Wooten's belief, some of these more basic key issues have not yet been addressed.
“What I'm seeing is the application [process] move forward to request members of the body. But we haven’t developed the body. We haven’t put in the necessary infrastructure for the board like a budget. Who will the entity report to? Because that’s big. And the training, that’s a matter that needs to be considered before we move forward before soliciting members," Wooten said.
Gary McCollum, president of the organization Due the Right Things and a proponent of the panel who's previously spoken at City Council meetings, said he agrees with some of the concerns raised by Wooten moving forward in the creation process.
"This is an independent citizen's review board. But yet, we seem to be taking out the emphasis on 'independence' being taken out of the process," said McCollum, referencing whether the board's coordinator would be one hired by the City.
"Having this position report to the City Manager, that's like a fox watching the hen house," McCollum said. "It can't be part-time, it has to be full-time so citizens trust there is true oversight over their police department."