Oversight Review of Police Activities

THE UNDERLYING ISSUE: ACCOUNTABILITY

An understanding of the civilian review of police activities requires first an understanding of the use by police of the term civilian. The ordinary citizen tends to differentiate civilians from members of the nation's armed, uniformed military services. The police in the United States, however, use the term civilian in different contexts. First, there is the distinction within a police organization between sworn and unsworn personnel. Sworn personnel are typically referred to as police, while unsworn personnel within the police organization are referred to as civilians employed by the police (Repetto, 1989). This differentiation between police and civilians is not the one used by police when civilian review is the issue.

When civilian review is the issue, police organizations use the term civilian to refer to individuals and groups which

1 2are external to the police organization. Such personnel and groups may be members of the general public, or they may be a part of some governmental jurisdiction.

The concept of civilian review of police activities is a contentious one. Police and police organizations tend to view civilian review as an intrusion on

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rest will shape the future of policing. An important change which is in the process of occurring in contemporary American public administration is a change in the way in which public administrators are held accountable for their actions. In the past, public administrators have often been able to circumvent the intent of elected officials through the ways in which they implemented programs (Grizzle, 1985). In the lastquarter of the twentieth century, public administrators are beginning to be held responsible by the public for program outcomes (Grizzle, 1985). The civilian review of police activities is a part of this process (Hensley, 1988). 4 THE IMPLICATIONS OF CIVILIAN REVIEW OF POLICE ACTIVITIES In the lastquarter of the twentieth century, the demands placed upon police officers in American society are far more complex and difficult than were those placed on the police from 1951 through 1975. Further, the potential for additional and significant changes in these demands over the coming years appears to be strong. The complex demands placed on police officers in contemporary American society may be appreciated through a consideration of the following factors: 1. Police departments are expected, by so
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Approximate Word count = 1472
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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