ATLANTIC CITY — Elected officials
created a public safety civilian review board Wednesday night that doubled in
size since the concept was introduced two weeks ago to help address residents’
claims that some police officers harass them and use excessive force.
Atlantic City Council voted 9-0 to
approve an ordinance that calls for a 20-person volunteer board, up from 11
people as originally proposed. The mayor and each council person will appoint
two members, which will include the Public Safety director as well. Council
members will make up a complementary panel charged with handling additional
investigations and public hearings.
Steve Young, who heads the local
chapter of the National Action Network, questioned how the city determined how
the board will operate.
“This is something that will take a lot
of time for members, and a lot of effort to get things right,” said At-large
Councilman at-Large Frank Gilliam. “It’s a work in progress, but it’s a start.”
Gilliam, whose first term ends next
year, said officials turned to the American Civil Liberties Union for a
template, but that the format will be tweaked before monthly board meetings
start.
“We’re glad it got this far. This has
been years in the making, and we just want to be sure it’s done right,” Young
said. “It’s a good document, … but it’s not going to stop what’s going on in
the community (yet). There are still issues and you’ll probably continue to
have people come forward.”
Complaints from residents picked up
after 15-year-old Trent Brewer Jr. was treated for a concussion and other
injuries resulting from an altercation with police Jan. 27. A soft-spoken
Brewer addressed City Council about the incident at their Feb. 8 meeting, as
did his mother Andrea Gray. She continued to address the governing body at
subsequent meetings and appeared at a protest rally March 7.
Others living in Atlantic City have
accused police of misconduct — never naming the officers, sometimes because the
residents say they didn’t see or don’t remember their names — at every nearly
every City Council meeting since then.
Police Chief Ernest Jubilee said
Wednesday the department’s Internal Affairs unit is investigating those
complaints.
“We’re looking forward to the civilian
review board helping citizens (address this) even more,” Jubilee said. “We
stand ready to make any adjustments needed, because we don’t tolerate police
brutality.”
No one, however, brought forth new or
specific accusations Wednesday night, nor mentioned the arrest nearly two weeks
ago of Joel Jones that prompted accusations of police brutality by his family
because his heart stopped during the arrest May 11 outside Schoolhouse
Apartments, landing him in the hospital.
Jones, 23, remains jailed at the
Atlantic County Criminal Justice Complex on drug charges, plus resisting
arrest, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. He was hospitalized
for several days immediately following the incident.
Police say his condition was
drug-related, but his mother thinks it happened because the officers were too
rough with Jones, causing him to hit his head against a wall.
A cellphone video provided to The Press
of Atlantic City shows that Jones began to go limp as he was being arrested.
Video shows Jones against the wall, and
then officers pushing him — when his mother, Ronnett Jones, says her son's head
was slammed into the wall, causing him to seizure. Police immediately called
for an ambulance, video shows.
The incident report states Jones
struggled with police — who say they chased him from nearby Brown’s Park where
they saw him involved in a drug deal — after he was put up against the wall,
where he suddenly went limp.
Police have not confirmed reports that
Jones allegedly choked on a baggie with drugs in it.
Gilliam said previously the influx of
complaints defied logic, at least to him.
“By no means am I saying we don’t have
a problem (with crime) in Atlantic City. But … those officers who think they
have a right to violate people — we need to get rid of them,” Gilliam said
previously. “I have a great deal of respect for law enforcement, for the job
that they do. But I do disrespect those officers who use that badge
inappropriately and we need to rid ourselves of those bad apples.”
The version of the ordinance adopted Wednesday
stresses the importance of respecting the rights of those accused of
misconduct, and protecting officers from “petty and vengeful” complaints.
Ultimately, the board will publish
status and statistical reports at least twice every year, plus put together a
system to flag officers whose behavior indicates a need for training or
disciplinary action, the ordinance states.
Council is given the ability to
subpoena officers to hearings — which will be public and advertised in advance
— and to discipline officers within two weeks of making a determination as to
whether any wrongdoing occurred.
Based on informal talks with the
union’s lawyer, PBA President David Davidson said local elected officials don’t
have the power to compel testimony from police, nor discipline them.
PBA attorney Mark Belland did not
return a call for comment Wednesday.
“We have to have a clear understanding
of what the purpose that civilian review board is. … The spirit of the Civilian
Review Board, for review and recommendation, the PBA is in full agreement with,
obviously. More eyes and ears don’t hurt,” Davidson said. “(But) the current
draft is an indictment of the police department and it’s wrong.”