Civilian Review Board to have oversight of police procedures

MILLBROOK — A special meeting was called by the mayor and trustees on Wednesday, May 16, for the purpose of reviewing the policies and procedures of the newly created Civilian Review Board (CRB). It was a result of the police reform mandated by the governor earlier this year. 

The May meeting defined the village’s procedures to file a complaint with the Millbrook Police Department (MPD) and the appropriate actions to resolve such complaints. Attending were Mayor Tim Collopy, Deputy Mayor Mike Herzog and Trustees Buffy Arborgast, Vickie Contino and Leslie Anson, who was recently appointed.

There were three sections to the agenda: the appointment of a village resident to the CRB; a review of the Civilian Complaint Procedure and Form; and a resolution to pass the Civilian Complaint Procedure (CCP). 

According to the CCP, complaints must be filed with the mayor at Village Hall in writing; all pertinent information must be submitted along with the information on the person making the complaint, along with the date, time and location of the incident and the name of the officer, official or employee involved; all witnesses shall be listed with their contact information and must sign the complaint form; any complaint made verbally must later be written and submitted; if a complaint is made to an officer, official or employee, it must be forwarded to the mayor; if the mayor is a witness, or the subject of a complaint, it should be referred to the deputy mayor.

The mayor or a designee  shall determine the course of action to resolve a complaint. If the mayor or designee sees fit, the complaint shall be filed with Community Review Board (CoRB). The CoRB shall be comprised of the deputy mayor, an appointed non-trustee resident of the VOM and the officer in charge of the MPD, currently Sgt. Jared Witt. 

If the officer in charge is the subject of the complaint, the deputy mayor will appoint another MPD officer to replace him or her.  

Reappointment of the resident member of the CoRB will be considered at the annual Village Board reorganization meeting. 

The CRB shall, if possible, maintain the confidentiality of the complainant, the officer, employee or official against whom the complaint is being filed and any witnesses throughout its investigation. The CRB will meet to review the complaint and decide how to conduct its investigation.

The CRB will then present its findings and recommendations in a written report to the Village Board, which will then decide what action(s) to take. The officer, employee or official will be notified of the results of the investigation and the board’s recommendations. The complainant will be informed of the outcome of the investigation by the mayor. 

One change agreed upon by the board was that nothing will abridge the rights of any employee under the law. Village Attorney Ian MacDonald was not present at the May 16 meeting, but through telephone contact was made aware of the change and confirmed he was in agreement.

Mike Murphy was appointed as the non-trustee resident to the CRB; Murphy serves as a councilman on the Washington Town Board.

The Village Board then passed a resolution approving the Civilian Complaint Procedure and form, as amended.

More information on the CRB is available on www.villageofmillbrookny.com.