In 2018, voters approved the creation of the Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board to keep police accountable to the community. But this month, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill to replace COBs with mayor-appointed committees that will not be able to conduct independent investigations.
In this episode, we speak with community members, as well as current and former board members, about why community oversight boards are important to them, and how they feel about the state’s decision to get involved. We also talk about why the state legislature has gotten involved, and where this fits in the larger pattern of the state’s interference in Nashville’s local politics and operations.
But first, WPLN environmental reporter Caroline Eggers about what’s being done to protect Duck River in Maury County.
Guests:
- Arnold Hayes, former chair of Nashville Community Oversight Board who served as treasurer of the referendum campaign to establish the COB
- Kim Unertl, community member who voted for the COB in the 2018 referendum
- Jill Fitcheard, executive director of the Nashville Community Oversight Board
- Mark Wynn, member of the Nashville Community Oversight Board and former police officer
- Alisha Haddock, member of the Nashville Community Oversight Board and senior vice president The Housing Fund
Related WPLN reporting:
- Nashville and Memphis created police oversight boards seeking accountability. Now Tennessee’s Republican supermajority is abolishing them.
- After a report showed long 911 wait times, Nashville police excluded more than 22,000 calls from its data
- Metro Police completes audit of body camera footage, but its community oversight board wants changes moving forward
- After Tyre Nichols, what should policing look like?
- Deadly Force: A WPLN News investigation
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