Florida bill aims to eliminate civilian review boards – Law Officer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Law enforcement agencies abhor civilian review boards. Not because officers or deputies fear accountability, but because these panels are largely constructed by activists who have a rudimentary understanding of how the profession functions. Moreover, board members typically lack an experiential background in police work, and if they possess an educational resume, it is usually theoretical, not practical. Furthermore, people seeking power on an oversight board often have a predisposition that is anti-police.

There are currently 21 “civilian oversight agencies” in cities across Florida, according to a 2022 report. They are empowered to investigate complaints about law enforcement personnel, Daytona Beach Review-Journal reported.

However, state Rep. Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville) introduced a bill, HB 601, which seeks to eliminate current civilian review boards and prohibit future panels. If the bill passes in the 2024 Florida Legislature, allegations of misconduct against law enforcement personnel or correctional officers will be strictly investigated by their respective agencies or the state.

Duggan noted that locally created civilian panels prevent talented people from seeking law enforcement employment in Florida since civilian review boards are inconsistent and add uncertainty to what’s “already a very stressful profession.”

HB 601, Complaints Against Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers, is succinct.

Prescribing uniformity as the goal, the bill makes it “unlawful for a county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision of the state to pass or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or rule relating to the receipt, processing, or investigation of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement officers and correctional officers, except as otherwise expressly provided in this part, or to pass or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or rule relating to civilian oversight of a law enforcement agency in relation to the investigation of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement officers and correctional officers.”