Complaints against the Champaign police will receive a second layer of review after a new process announced last week goes into effect in April.
The process will require the police department staff to consult with the city’s community relations office before investigating a complaint. The office will have the chance to recommend additional steps or request that the city form a review committee.
Karen Foster, council member at-large, said the department, which received 18 complaints last year, has been trying to improve the complaint process for several years.
“We got a new police chief last year, (and) this has been one of the items that he has been working towards: to have a more citizen-friendly complaint process,” Foster said.
Lt. Jon Swenson proposed the change to the process and said it has become routine to review it regularly.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“We made significant revisions in 1999, 2007 and 2010, and this (change) would be the next one in the series,” Swenson said. “We will be continuing to tweak the process as we go on when we find better ways to do things.”
Citizens who would like to discuss officer conduct must fill out a complaint form, which must be filed within 30 days of the incident and must be available for an in-person interview afterward. If an individual is not satisfied with the conclusion of an investigation, an appeal will go to the city manager.
Foster said the feedback during the study session points to a positive impact of the change.
“It adds another layer for someone to look on, making sure that everything that needed to be investigated is investigated,” she said.
Urbana works a bit differently. Complaints in the city go through the police department, which conducts investigations when necessary.
The city’s Civilian Police Review Board, a task force created in 2007, handles the appeals process for citizens unsatisfied with the results of a police investigation.
Todd Rent, human resources officer for the City of Urbana, said they prefer using the civilian board versus a city office.
“It is important to remember that there are several ways to approach the issue,” Rent said. “And this approach fits well with us.”
Carina can be reached at [email protected].
