After two years of working towards the implementation of a civilian police review board, the City of Urbana is planning to have one selected and in place by February of next year.

Urbana has selected six definite members, as of Thursday, from the 25-plus applications received and is continuing to conduct interviews to choose the seventh and final board member. All applications are due Friday for consideration.

The Champaign City Council considered a similar board at a study session on July 31. The Council voted 5-4 against allowing the ordinance to move forward. This was the first time Champaign considered a civilian review board since 1998.

“It was a stupid idea,” said Champaign Mayor Gerald Schweighart, adding that the city would not be reconsidering the issue.

Todd Rent, human relations officer for Urbana, said the purpose of having a civilian police review board is to provide a way to achieve improvement in police and community interactions. Urbana has a fine police department, Rent said, and it is committed to developing and strengthening ties and service to the community.

“It gives citizens a forum to address any perceived unfairness in police internal investigations,” or the police department’s investigations of its officers’ conduct, Rent said.

Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing said similar review boards have been implemented in other cities and have served as a way to build trust and confidence in police departments.

The board’s function will be to review citizen complaints that have been brought to them, following a police department investigation. Urbana’s chief of police will conduct the initial investigation into the citizen’s complaint. If the citizen is not satisfied with the department’s investigation, he can bring his complaint to the board, Prussing said.

“It’s like saying that we stand behind our process, but we’re willing to review it,” she said. “No agency should be the final word on their own behavior.”

After interviewing potential candidates, Prussing said the six chosen so far are exceptionally well qualified. They have not yet been announced.

The mayor will be conducting more interviews in the next week to find a seventh board member who meets the same qualifications.

Board members will serve three-year staggered terms, meaning not all board members’ terms will end in the same year, Rent said. Only two or three members’ terms will expire each year.

“The point (of staggered terms) is to maintain a certain level of continuity in the board,” Rent said.

An important component of Urbana’s civilian police review board is educating members, said Patrick Connolly, assistant chief of police. The police have expressed some concern about a civilian review board without the proper education regarding the role of police officers and what they actually do at their jobs, Connolly added.

Members will learn about the different areas of law enforcement, the rules police officers have to follow and the laws that govern their actions. The ordinance that established the board requires members to receive training approved by the mayor and the City Council.

“The design (of the board) is to help better educate the public, so the police and public can work better together,” Connolly said.