WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Amid protests over racial injustice and police brutality, cities across the country are wondering how we move forward.
For some, the answer is a citizen review board, but what exactly does that mean?
Corey Gee has been a part of those protests locally, and he says he is ready to take the next step.
"We need some type of oversight to help because, I mean, the public obviously and rightfully so is in an uproar right now," said Gee.
He is working to set up meetings with Warner Robins Police Chief John Wagner and city council members to talk about setting up a citizen review board in the city.
"We need people that don't hold office, that don't have certain agendas, things like that, that can review what's going on," he said.
13WMAZ asked Chief Wagner what he thinks about the idea of a review board and he says he is always open to suggestions.
A review board like this will look different in different cities, depending on the size and the city's need.
Lee Reid is the Executive Director of the Citizens Review Board in Atlanta.
"We conduct independent investigations of Atlanta police and corrections officers," says Reid.
Before he served as the director in Atlanta, he was on the board in Minneapolis.
Atlanta's board was created in 2007 after a 92-year-old black woman was killed during a 'no knock raid' by Atlanta Police officers.
The board was approved by the mayor and city council.
Their primary goal is to investigate police misconduct and review the department's internal investigations.
Reid says at the end of the investigation, they take their findings to the chief and he or she makes the call on whether an officer should be disciplined.
"You have the independence, you have the transparency and you have the fairness of the complaint knowing that these are citizens who are doing the investigation and who are making the decisions on the investigation," said Reid.
He says they have 13 people on the board -- all members of the community.
They serve 3-year terms and are selected by the mayor, city council members and different organizations throughout the city.
Reid says they receive training from the police department, the ACRV board and attend the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement annual conferences.
Gee says if this is put into place in Warner Robins, he wants to make sure the members are diverse.
"I understand that nobody is perfect, but we gotta make sure that the policies in place that are for the people, voted on by the people are being used properly and not abused," said Gee.
Reid says Atlanta has the only citizen review board in the state, but Augusta is also discussing the idea.
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