Exploring the Influence of Citizen Oversight on the Accessibility of Police Complaint Investigation Processes

• In Event: Citizen Perceptions: Understanding the Impact of Police Use of Force

Abstract

The number of police oversight agencies in the U.S. has increased from a handful in 1991 to more than a 150 in 2016. While their organizational structure can vary tremendously by jurisdiction, most oversight agencies are charged with improving the mechanisms by which community members can file complaints against police officers (e.g., by increasing the number of ways in which complaints can be filed, allowing complaints to be filed at neutral locations outside of police facilities, and/or by translating complaint forms and websites into languages other than English). Yet little social science research has explored the impact of different forms of police oversight on the openness and accessibility of police complaint processes. Given that gap in the research, this paper draws from an organizational survey of police oversight agencies in the United States and explores the relationship between different models of oversight and the relative openness of police complaint investigation processes. Initial results indicate that jurisdictions with professionalized forms of oversight, such as police auditors, monitors, or full investigative agencies, tend to operate more open and accessible complaint systems than jurisdictions with forms of oversight that rely heavily on volunteers, such as citizen review boards. The policy implications are discussed.

Authors

• Andrea Pikes, University of Idaho

• Nicole Waldorf, University of Idaho

• Heather Acker, University of Idaho

• Joseph De Angelis, University of Idaho