Henrico citizens urge supervisors to reconsider implementation of civilian review board

“Philando Castillo. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Unfortunately, I could continue this list for my full five minutes and far, far beyond, but I'll simply add one more: Marcus-David Peters.”

Paul Fleisher, a retired public school teacher and member of the Richmond area chapter of Virginia Organizing, listed the names of Black people killed by police officers as he stood before the Henrico County Board of Supervisors on July 27 before urging supervisors to establish a strong, independent community police review board.

“With a difference of less than five miles distance, that killing [of Peters, who was fatally shot by Richmond Police in May 2018 as he charged them, naked, near oncoming traffic at the on-ramp from Chamberlayne Avenue to I-95 north] could have happened in Henrico County,” Fleisher said. “Our county is not immune to the incidents of police misconduct and violence.”

Fleisher was joined by other Henrico citizens during the public comment portion of the board meeting to speak about the effect of police brutality on the Richmond and Henrico communities’ relationships with local police and community government.

“Like any workforce, the police are not perfect, and must be subject to independent oversight that will protect officers procedural rights but also address the legitimate concerns of our community,” Fleisher said. “The time to put that oversight in place is now, before a critical incident occurs. I believe the voters of Henrico County support such an action, and will consider it a priority in upcoming elections.”

Supervisors weighed the idea of a civilian review board for nearly a year, after Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson, a Democrat, proposed it last June. Ultimately, though, Nelson couldn’t find the necessary support for a strong board – one with subpoena power, for example – among his fellow board members (three of whom are Republicans), so he withdrew it from consideration this summer.

The creation of an effective civilian review board with authentic people power is “a fundamental aspect of democracy,” Chlo’e Edwards, president of Black Lives Matter 804, told supervisors.

“The best oversight model is one that meets the needs of the community, and requires the formal powers to implement the civilian review board’s day to day work,” Edwards said.

Edwards asked the board to adopt the following priorities:
• the power to monitor and audit police;
• the power to independently investigate incidents and complaints;
• the power to discipline officers in serious cases;
• transparency in findings and in operations.

Fleisher said that a civilian review board would be critical to county residents’ ability to feel confident in the integrity of the police force.

“For our police to be effective, community members must believe the county's officers will protect and serve us fairly and honestly,” he said. “Personally, I've had nothing but positive professional interactions with Henrico Police. But I know not all Henrico residents have had that same experience.”

Eighty complaints were filed against Henrico Police in 2019 by residents and 64 complaints were filed in 2020, according to a Henrico County Police Division Office of Internal Affairs report cited by Fleisher.

Jessica Clary, an administrator for Black Lives Matter 804, noted that 61 of the complaints from 2020 were found as sustained.

“What we have yet to see is the follow up on the accountability for their actions,” Clary said. “Internal affairs are a biased form of review, when there is a known wall of silence, and a narrative of ‘backing the blue,’ which is one of many reasons why a civilian review board is needed for true justice and accountability.”

Henrico resident Karen Bosley joined other speakers in calling for the implementation of a civilian review board now rather than later, urging supervisors to reconsider a board because of the benefit it could provide to citizens.

“I am grateful for the dedication and the service of our Henrico officers,” she said. “As grateful as I am for all of the good that police officers do, I am also grieved at the tragic history in our country of over-policing and police violence against Black citizens.

“Let us prevent future harm to our residents and neighbors. Don't wait to see how CRBs go for other localities. Be brave, and do the right thing now.”

Instituting a civilian review board would make Henrico the example, Regina Taggart, another Henrico resident, said to supervisors.

Additionally, a review board could bolster trust between police and citizens, which another Henrico woman said needed to go both ways in order for law enforcement to be effective.

“This civilian review board will create goodwill and partnership between police and citizens, and it will also free police to eliminate the few bad actors without personal conflicting loyalties and fear of retaliation,” she told the board.

Some residents have come out with overwhelming support for a review board, resident Terrell Pollard noted. It is up to the county to find a way to implement that in a way that benefits everybody, residents and police officers alike, he said.

“It's important that everyone feels valued,” he said. “I think that we have a community that speaks out so strongly in this way that it should be valued.”

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Editor’s note: Terrell Pollard serves as a member of the Henrico Citizen Advisory Board.