Posted by Concerned on March 29, 2001 at 16:20:42:
Birmingham Police Chief Mike Coppage said Wednesday he opposes a proposed citizen review board. The fox watches the hen house.
The Police Department already has a thorough system for internal review, he said. State Rep. Oliver Robinson said he plans to file a bill next week that would establish an 11-member board to oversee police shootings and complaints of brutality in Birmingham. The board would forward its reports to the City Council for possible action.
The bill comes in response to the death of Larry Reddick, who was shot by a patrol officer after a traffic stop in November.
Robinson said the board would improve public confidence in the department by ensuring results of investigations become public. That publicity, he said, would deter officers from using excessive force.
Reddick's death, and the ensuing investigation, have been a political hot topic in the city.
Chief Coppage said Reddick's death already has been subjected to review by the Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI and the Justice Department, and Officer George Montgomery was cleared in the shooting. Any further review, Coppage said, would be unnecessary.
The fox truly watches the henhouse.
At a public hearing, citizens took turns saying they fear the Police Department and believe the Reddick investigation was unfair.