The Nashville Community Oversight Board is made up of 11 members who are appointed by a combination of the mayor’s office, Metro Council and community input. People bring them complaints of police misconduct, and the board conducts an independent investigation.
This new legislation changes all of that, explains executive director Jill Fitcheard.
“Although we will still be able to do some pre-investigations, we will not be able to have the same kind of robust investigatory ability, powers and authority as we had in the past,” she said.
The bill also gives the mayor the power to appoint all board members without outside input.
Nashville got its COB after a 2018 referendum, when more than 130,000 Nashvillians voted to establish a community oversight board as a way to increase police accountability following the police killings of Jocques Clemmons in 2017 and Daniel Hambrick earlier that year. The measure won by a 20% margin citywide, and it won a majority in 29 of 35 Metro council districts.
“This has been, I think, the most egregious attempt to circumvent the will of the people,” said Fitcheard.
Now, Nashville’s COB is working with Metro Council to create a new oversight committee and find ways to minimize the changes, such as making sure the community still has a say in who is appointed to the board. Fitcheard said that the board is not currently planning to challenge the law in court, but that nothing is off the table.
The bill goes into effect on July 1. Until then, the board is still active and will hold its next meeting Monday, May 22, at 5 p.m. at the Smith Springs Recreation Center in Antioch. The board will be sharing updates on its future followed by a public comment period.
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