Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) has officially asked City Council to change its oversight model, which would include giving up its independent investigative powers.
Over the past few months, the board, comprised of civilian volunteers and its interim director, have been working on draft changes to the City ordinance governing PCOB’s structure, authority and functions to address the roadblocks it has faced since its founding.
The PCOB’s current model, known as a “mixed model,” asks it to do everything — investigate complaints, audit internal police investigations, analyze policing practices and systemic trends and suggest policy changes — without accounting for time, financial, and legal constraints. Current and former leadership told Charlottesville Tomorrow that this approach simply doesn’t work…