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Community Oversight Board and Independent Policing Auditor

Submit a Complaint or Commendation

The Arlington County Board established the Community Oversight Board (COB) and the Independent Policing Auditor (IPA) in July 2021 as a measure to enhance transparency, accountability, and trust in the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD). The COB and IPA are tasked with independently reviewing and addressing public grievances against the police department and have the power to investigate these complaints and recommend actions. Complaints and commendations pertaining to law enforcement officers can be submitted online, in-person, by phone, or by email, and can be submitted anonymously.

Complaints are investigated jointly by the Independent Policing Auditor and ACPD's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Both the IPA and OPR produce separate investigative reports to be reviewed by the COB. The COB then publishes a public report assessing the findings and thoroughness of the investigation and can provide disciplinary or police recommendations.

Meetings

COB Meetings

The COB normally holds its regular meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. The COB will also hold additional training/subcommittee meetings that will occur as necessary, usually on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

*Hybrid meetings allow attendance in person and virtually via Microsoft Teams

Submit Public Comments for an Upcoming COB Meeting

Background

Background Materials:

Read the Final COB Ordinance
Watch the July 2021 Board Meeting on COB
National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) training for County Board Members
Read the July 2021 Board Report
READ the Summary Notes from a County Board Hosted Engagement Listening Session.
WATCH the June 2021 County Board Work Session
Read the May 2021 Draft ordinance and May 2021 Board Report.

Police Practices Group

In 2019, the County Manager launched a 15 member Police Practices Group (PPG) in July 2020. The PPG divided into four subcommittees to address key issues of importance, one of which was a subcommittee charged with evaluating what type of civilian oversight of its police department Arlington County should implement. The Civilian Review Board (CRB) subcommittee focused on reviewing the different models of civilian oversight available as well as what authority and responsibilities the recommended civilian oversight body should possess.

PPG Products related to Civilian Review Board

Initial Civilian Review Board subcommittee Recommendations
CRB Subcommittee's Modified-Clarified Recommendations L0 Perspective on Ordinance Chart (Updated 7-7-21)
Comparative Models for CRB Investigatory Authority County Board Work Session (CRB Subcommittee Comments - Updated 7-7-21)
ACPD - Auditor - COB Flowchart (7-6-21)/ Presentation Version Flowchart: ACPD - Auditor - COB
Literature Review (PPG Subcommittee on Civilian Review Board-Fall 2020)

COB Members

Commissioners

The Oversight Board consists of seven voting members and two non-voting members with prior experience in law enforcement. All COB members are residents of Arlington, are appointed by the County Board, and represent Arlington's demographic and socioeconomic diversity. The COB members were appointed on March 22, 2022.

Name	Email	Term Expiration
Julie Evans, Chair	jevans-cob@arlingtonva.us	September 30, 2023
Garry Dean, Vice Chair	gdean-cob@arlingtonva.us	March 31, 2026
David Smith, Member	dsmith-cob@arlingtonva.us	March 31, 2026
Anika Montgomery, Member	amontgomery-cob@arlingtonva.us	September 30, 2023
Lisa Ortiz, Member	lortiz-cob@arlingtonva.us	March 31, 2026
James Miller, Member	jmiller-cob@arlingtonva.us	March 31, 2026
Charles McCullough, Member	cmccullough-cob@arlingtonva.us	September 30, 2023

Publications

COB Publications

2022 COB Annual Activities Report

IPA Publications

2022 IPA Inaugural Report

Newsletters

Administrative Documents

External Resources

Attard, Barbara; Olson, Kathryn. 2013. Overview of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in the United States. Eurasia Foundation.
Fairley, Shirley. 2020. Survey Says?: U.S. Cities Double Down On Civilian Oversight Of Police Despite Challenges And Controversy. Cardoza Law Review.
Finn, Peter. 2001. National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Citizen Review of Police: Approaches & Implementation, U.S. Dept. of Justice.
McConney-Moore, Kelly. 2020. Former Interim Senior Policy Counsel. For Civilian Review Boards to Work they Must Avoid Past Mistakes. ACLU Connecticut.
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. Frequently Asked Questions
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. 2016, Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: A Review of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Models
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. 2016. Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: Assessing the Evidence
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, Models of Oversight
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. 2020. Recommendations for Effective Practices
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement . 2020. Thirteen Principles for Effective Oversight.
Police Assessment Resource Center. 2005. Review of National Police Oversight Models For The Eugene Police Commission
President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015. Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Stephens, Darrel W., Ellen Scrivner, and Josie F. Cambareri. 2018. Civilian Oversight of the Police in Major Cities. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Virginia State Legislation

SB 5035, 1st Spec. Sess. (Va. 2020).
SB 5055, 1st. Spec. Sess. (Va. 2020).

Materials Related to CRB in Other Jurisdictions

Presentation Materials Provided to PPG Subcommittee on CRB

September 10, 2020 Limitations on civilian oversight in Virginia. Stephen A. MacIsaac, Esq. Arlington County Attorney. NOTE: Mr. MacIsaac’s presentation preceded the passing of Virginia’s civilian oversight enabling statute in Oct. 2020.
September 10, 2020 Overview of how ACPD currently handles disciplinary matters for its police officers. Captain LaTasha Chamberlain, ACPD, Member of the PPG/ CRB Subcommittee
September 17, 2020 Overview of the different models of civilian oversight. Brian Corr, Immediate Past President of NACOLE; (Repeated on October 12 on Facebook)
September 17, 2020 Perspectives on Civilian Oversight. Chief Kenton W. Rainey. Chief of the University of Chicago Police Dept. (Repeated on October 12 on Facebook)