Why is it important that information about police misconduct be made public?
Public access to information on complaints about police misconduct and a department’s response deters police misconduct and generates public confidence in the ability of government to hold police accountable. According to Merrick Bobb, Executive Director of the Police Assessment Resource Center and Independent Monitor of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department, there is “broad agreement that whether or not police retain the power to investigate themselves, law enforcement’s business, in general, is the public’s business, and therefore must be an open and transparent process.” Furthermore, open and independent oversight benefits officers themselves. Only a transparent complaint process can convincingly clear a police officer of misconduct charges in the eyes of the public. According to Professors Jerome Skolnick and James Fyfe – also a former Deputy Commissioner for the New York Police Department – “in the long run, only an independent investigative body can allay public suspicions of
Related Questions
- What involvement does the Public Defender have in correcting miscarriages of justice arising out of police or prosecution misconduct?
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