Civilian Review Board

Mission Statement Executive Board Staff Meeting Info Agenda FAQ's Complaint Process Board Members Coordinator's Report CRB Bylaws Executive Order Mission Statement The Civilian Review Board's mission is to act in the interest of the people of the City of New Haven and the Department of Police Services, by reviewing investigations of complaints by members of the public concerning misconduct by officers. Executive Board Barbara Carroll - Chair William Bixby-Vice Chair Mary E. Blair - Secretary Staff Reginald Thomas- Coordinator The official address of the Board is: Civilian Review Board New Haven City Hall 165 Church Street, Floor 3R New Haven, CT 06510 Phone: 203-946-7904 Fax: 203-946-7911 Meeting Info 6/12/2008 New Haven Police Department, One Union Avenue, 3rd Floor Conf Room 5/8/2008 City Hall, 165 Church Street, Second Floor, Meeting Room 2 4/10/2008 NHPD, One Union Avenue, TASCA Conf Room, 4th Floor 3/13/2008 New Haven Police Training Academy, 720 Sherman Parkway Click to read. 2/14/2008 Fair Haven Police Substation, 295 Blatchley Avenue Click to read. 1/10/2008 City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor, Meeting Room 1 & 2 12/13/2007 Hall of Records, Ground Floor Hearing Rm, 200 Orange Street - CANCELLED 11/8/2007 New Haven Police Department, One Union Avenue, 3rd Fl Conf Rm 10/11/2007 New Haven Department of Police Service, One Union Avenue, 3rd Floor Click to read. 9/13/2007 New Haven Police Department, One Union Avenue, 3rd Fl Conf Rm Click to read. 8/9/2007 Hall of Records, 200 Orange Street, Ground Floor Hearing Room Click to read. 7/12/2007 New Haven Police Department, One Union Avenue, 3rd Fl Conf Rm Click to read. 6/14/2007 200 Orange Street, Hearing Room G-2 (lower level) Click to read. 5/10/2007 Fair Haven Branch Library, 295 Blatchley Avenue Click to read. 4/12/2007 Wilson Branch Library, 303 Washington Avenue Click to read. 3/8/2007 Fair Haven Police Substation, 295 Blatchley Avenue Click to read. 2/14/2007 TBA 2/8/2007 Stetson Library, 200 Dixwell Avenue Click to read. 1/11/2007 New Haven Department of Police Service, One Union Avenue, 3rd Floor Click to read. 12/14/2006 Hall of Records, Ground Floor Hearing Room - 200 Orange Street Click to read. 11/9/2006 Hill North Police Substation - 90 Hallock Street 10/12/2006 Hill South Police Substation - 410 Howard Avenue Click to read. 9/14/2006 New Haven Department of Police Service, 1 Union Ave. - 3rd Fl Conf Rm Click to read. 8/10/2006 Main Branch Library, Program Room - 133 Elm Street Click to read. 7/13/2006 City Hall, 2nd Floor, Meeting Room 1 - 165 Church Street Click to read. 6/8/2006 City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor, Meeting Room 2 Click to read. 5/11/2006 Fair Haven Branch Library - 182 Grand Avenue - CANCELLED 4/13/2006 Dwight Police Substation - 150 Edgewood Avenue Click to read. 3/8/2006 Newhallville Police Substation - 596 Winchester Avenue Click to read. 2/9/2006 East Shore Police Substation - 830 Woodward Avenue Click to read. 1/12/2006 New Haven Department of Police Service - 1 Union Ave. 3rd Floor Conference Rm Click to read. Meeting locations are subject to change with notice. CRB meetings are open to the public.  Meetings are held at varying public locations at 6:00 P.M. on the 2nd Thursday of each month.  Please call 946-7900 for verification. Members of the public may be given time to address the Board.  The basic requirement is pre-registration. Agenda To be determined FAQ's Introduction Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. through Mayor’s Executive Order No. 01-01 dated March 21, 2001 established a Civilian Review Board (“CRB”) to review and act upon citizen’s complaints about actions of police officers. Purpose The overall purpose of the CRB is to provide for the fair, impartial, independent and prompt resolution of citizen complaints in a manner that a) protects both the public and the New Haven Police Department, which are involved in such complaints, and b) enhances the relationship and mutual respect between the department and the public it serves. Who are the members? The CRB is comprised of: two (2) members appointed by the Mayor; one (1) member appointed by the President of the Board of Aldermen; one (1) member appointed by the Chair of the Board of Police Commissioners; one (1) member from each of the 12 Community Management Teams.  How Long Are Terms of Memberships? The CRB members serve three-year terms. The membership structure is designed so that no more than approximately one-third of the Member’s terms expire in one year. How Is the Civilian Review Board Staffed? A full time coordinator has been appointed to coordinate the activities and daily operations of the Board, including the conduct of complaint reviews. The staff of the Chief Administrators Office (CAO) provides administrative and clerical support to the Board. The office of Corporation Council provides legal assistance to the Board. When and Where Are Civilian Review Board Public Meetings? Normal scheduled meetings are on the 2nd Thursday of each month at varying public locations throughout the city. Special meetings may also be held. Who May File A Complaint? Any person may file a Complaint or request a review of an Internal Values and Ethics investigation, without regard to the person’s age, citizenship, residence, criminal record, incarceration, or any other characteristic. Lodging and Filing of Complaints All Complaints shall be received through the New Haven Police Department, in accordance with the Department’s procedures. Where Do I File a Complaint? Complaints may be filed directly with the Internal Values and Ethics unit located on the first floor of Police Headquarters. You may contact the Internal Values and Ethics Unit in person, by phone or by mail. The office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The address is: New Haven Department of Police Services Internal Values and Ethics Unit One Union Avenue New Haven, Connecticut 06519 (203) 946-6249 Complaint Process   Civilian & Police Contact No Complaint Made(1)   Civilian Complaint Mediation(2)   Internal Values & Ethics Investigation Non-Pursued (3) Non-Complaint(4)   Civilian Review Board     Chief of Police     Board of Police Commissioner     Chief of Police     Letter to Complainant from C.O.P     Complainant Dissatisfaction     Appeal to Civilian Review Board     Complainant Seeks Other Remedies     The contact does not result in a civilian complaint. Mediation is done by the NHDPS to provide resolution short of a full investigation. The NHDPS report that the Complainant had a change of mind or refused to cooperate with the investigation. Actions of officers are deemed not a violation by the NHDPS. How Long Do I Have To File A Complaint? Complaints shall be considered by the Board if filed no later than one (1) year after the date of the incident giving rise to complaint. What Happens After A Complaint Is Filed? Once you file a written and signed complaint with the Internal Values and Ethics Unit: You should receive a letter from the Internal Values and Ethics Unit acknowledging receipt of your complaint. Your complaint will be assigned to an Internal Values and Ethics Unit investigator. An investigator will contact you to arrange for a personal interview. Your complaint will receive an identifying complaint file case number. This number must be used for all future correspondence. Download the Civilian Complaint Form (PDF format) In order to view the above PDF file you must have installed a copy of Adobe Acrobat® Reader Reviews of Investigations Requested by Complainants A Complainant may request the Civilian Review Board to review completed IVE investigation.  Such a request must be submitted in writing within ninety (90) days of the completion of that investigation.  The use of a particular form is not required as long as the request includes the name, address and telephone number of the Complainant, and the reason for the Complainant’s dissatisfaction with the IVE investigation. Notwithstanding such a request, the Board may, in its discretion, determine whether or not to grant such a request for review.  If the Board determines to deny a request for review, it shall notify the Complainant making the request of that decision. Reasons for such determination may include, but are not limited to: The Board does not have jurisdiction over the subject matter of the Complaint. The Board does not have jurisdiction because the Complaint was not timely filed. The Complaint is so clearly without merit that no reasonable person could sustain a finding based on the facts. Board Members   Representative Board of Police Commissioners Evelise Ribeiro     Mayoral Appointments Mary E. Blair  (Secretary)   Shirley Wayne-Washington     Board of Aldermen VACANT     Community Management Teams   Beaver Hill Robin D. Hobson Hill North Juanita Wright Dwight William Bixby (Vice-Chair) East Rock Ann Tramontana Downtown Robert Spirito Westville /West Hills Catherine Gootkin Fair Haven VACANT Hill South Sarah McIver Quinnipiac East Maureen O’Sullivan Dixwell Kathleen Smith-Bogan Newhallville Reverend Walter Johnson, Jr. East Shore Barbara Carroll (Chair) Coordinator's Report The information below has been prepared based on data received from the New Haven Department of Police Services Internal Values and Ethics Unit. 2008: Case numbers assigned are 47 with:  39 “C” (civilian) cases and 8 “I” (internal) cases. OPEN CASES CLOSED CASES NON PURSUED NON COMPLAINT         42 5 2 INCLUDED IN CLOSED 0 INCLUDED IN CLOSED 2007: Case numbers assigned were 170 with:   148 “C” (civilian) cases and  22 “I” (internal) cases. The dispositions of the complaint numbers reported are as follows: OPEN CASES CLOSED CASES NON PURSUED NON COMPLAINT         46 1242 43 INCLUDED IN CLOSED 46 INCLUDED IN CLOSED ANNUAL NUMBERS YEAR 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000   Number of Complaints    170    117   102    147   143   139   146    154 NOTE: The eight calendar-year average of cases is 140. Total number of cases amended by IVE 4-4-08   Case numbers 019-07-C & 097-07-C appear twice indicating two complainants; one half of each case is open, the other closed. ***THESE NUMBERS ARE SUBJECT TO AUDIT *** Please return to the CRB web site for additional information that may be available on a monthly basis. CRB Bylaws Click here to see the CRB Bylaws (pdf file). Executive Order Click here to see the Executive Order (pdf file).