In virtual Brookland meeting, majority of citizens express support for civilian review board

Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt heard verbally from 28 county residents and in written form from about a dozen others during an 80-minute online constituent meeting Thursday night about the potential creation of a civilian review board for the Henrico Division of Police.

The county’s Board of Supervisors will meet Monday night at 5:15 to discuss the matter in detail for the first time and hear more input from citizens. Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson proposed creation of a CRB in June, in light of the national push for equity in light of the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

But the idea also came in response to a number of complaints Nelson has heard from constituents concerned about negative experiences they’ve had with Henrico Police, he said.

Among those who spoke during Schmitt’s meeting, 18 expressed support for the creation of a CRB, five said they didn’t think such a board would be necessary and five others didn’t take an obvious stance either way but called to provide advice about how such a board should look if it is created.

The county received about 700 comments by email about the proposal during a five-week period from late June through July, and individual supervisors also have received feedback in a variety of forms.

Schmitt’s Thursday meeting was designed as another way for Brookland residents, and county residents in general, to ensure their voices were heard, he said.

“I want to leave no stone unturned, no option left unconsidered and no tool left unused,” he said. “My goal for this process or the past several weeks has been to listen, to learn, to ask, to understand then evaluate.”

A number of those who expressed support for a CRB during the meeting said that although their experiences with police have been good, they understood that others may have had negative experiences.

“A whole section of the public doesn’t feel that it can call the police now,” one caller said, suggesting that a CRB could help restore trust in the force for those who don’t trust it now. (Schmitt identified participants only by their first names and first initials of their last names.)

Henrico NAACP President Rai Beasley, who identified himself during his call, told Schmitt that if the board opts not to create a CRB, it would send a difficult message to the Black community.

“I feel it’s critical that I convey to you that I represent a near unanimous voice from this diverse county that there is a desperate requirement or request that we have this process,” Beasley said. "[T]he Black community almost in its entirety would like to have this process.”

Beasley moved to Henrico in part because of its strong division of police, he said, adding that there are officers in the department he loves and thinks are amazing.

“I hope people understand that a citizen review board is not an attack against the department, but it is an opportunity for the community to work with government to make sure that what’s being done is being done properly,” he said. “Let’s be at the forefront of making sure that all of our citizens feel justly protected.”

'We do not need it'
A number of meeting participants said that if a board is created, its members should be required to attend the Henrico Police Citizens’ Academy, or a shortened version of it, to gain a complete understanding of the challenges officers face in their daily work. Many also said that board members should be sufficiently vetted to ensure that their harbor no biases against police.

Several who spoke said they viewed the potential board as a chance for police to improve its communication with citizens – including those who may view officers in a negative light.

“Although my own experiences have been overwhelmingly positive with the HCPD over the years. . . if it is created, this could be turned into a positive opportunity for HCPD and the community,” one said.

Another said that if the board finds little to discuss, that would be a positive too – indicating that the nationally accredited division already is handling any personnel matters that arise appropriately itself. (The division’s Internal Affairs unit currently handles any claims of misconduct, investigating them and determining the next steps.)

Those who said they opposed a board cited their own positive experiences with officers and the division’s stellar local and national reputation as evidence that one isn’t necessary.

“We do not need it in Henrico County,” one man said. “Henrico County runs great.”

A woman said she was confident the division’s internal reviews would address any officer whose actions were unjust.

Another woman said that police body cameras already provide a strong layer of transparency in most cases and that a board would not be necessary.

“With all professions, you’ll find a bad apple here and there,” she said. “Henrico Police is a great, fantastic police department. A friend of mine lost her dog, police pulled up, ‘How can I help ya? The police helped her find her dog.’”

One woman said that if citizens had experienced negative interactions with police, they would have gone to the media to tell their stories.

“I have never seen or heard anything on the news that people were abused by the police or they were stopped 20 times or anything like that,” she said. “I just don’t understand where this is coming from, certainly not in the neighborhoods in the Brookland District that I’ve ever lived in.”

But several other callers told Schmitt that if nothing else, the existence of a board would give confidence to all citizens that the county was prepared to act in the event an officer did act inappropriately.

“You can respect law enforcement and still understand that in a human organization, sometimes there will be situations where people do not do the right thing,” one woman said. “Having an independent board to investigate allegations shows all parts of the community that Henrico County is not afraid to learn the truth if officers are accused of misconduct.”