Miami Police Department Civilian Investigation Board to be Disbanded – NBC 6 South Florida

For more than twenty years, the Miami Police Department has had an extra pair of civilian eyes monitoring investigations into officers accused of misconduct.

But soon this supervision will no longer exist.

Miami's Civilian Investigative Panel will be disbanded effective September 30 after Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature imposed a statewide ban on citizen oversight of police misconduct.

In 2001, following a series of controversial police shootings and criminal activity, Miami residents voted overwhelmingly to establish the CIP.

But those efforts were derailed in April when DeSantis signed a law banning “civilian oversight of law enforcement investigations into complaints of law enforcement misconduct.” As of July 1, those panels have been de facto illegal.

In signing the bill, DeSantis said the 21 or so panels that existed at the time “just start reviewing things and trying to pressure people, even when there's no basis for it… We don't believe that's going to contribute to public safety at all. In fact, we believe it would jeopardize public safety, and that's why this bill really prevents that from happening.”

Not true, say those involved in the Miami CIP.

“I think the crowning achievement of the CIP, when you look back at our work, was that we gave the community a voice to be involved in a process that enabled them to trust the police more than they did before,” said Executive Director Rodney Jacobs.

“It's not us versus them,” said Michelle Reboso, the chair of the CIP. The governor said the panels would make police “miserable,” endanger public safety and create “false narratives,” and Reboso said, “That's wrong. And I think it's … almost ignorant to say that because I don't think it's properly researched.”

But yesterday, City Manager Art Noriega told CIP that the $1.3 million budget and seven employees would be laid off at the end of next month, as required by the new law.

The city said the current chief will eventually appoint at least three civilians to review policies and procedures, as permitted by law, but they will not be able to review allegations of misconduct or disciplinary action.

Those responsible for the CIP point to several reforms that the CIP has pushed forward in order to make the police more accountable.

Their investigation put pressure on the city to keep a closer eye on off-duty officers, some of whom were seen falling asleep on the job or being entertained by an exotic dancer who worked in the entertainment district where they were hired to patrol.

The CIP's analysis of the use of body-worn cameras also showed how often officers failed to turn on these devices or unmute their microphones, thereby violating regulations.

The resulting emphasis on proper use of the cameras has led to greater usage, which in turn, according to the CIP, allows investigators to exonerate officers far more often than they can prove violations.

Overall, Jacobs said of the CIP, “I think for all these reasons, a more resilient and sustainable city has emerged.”

Similar panels in Fort Lauderdale and North Miami also no longer exist. The director of the Miami-Dade County Independent Civilian Panel told NBC6 that as a result of the law, “complaints of law enforcement misconduct will no longer be received or processed.”