St. Paul police review board 'dysfunctional,' union says
The St. Paul Police Federation is concerned the citizens' panel for handling complaints of officers is unprofessional.
Union president Dave Titus pointed to recently publicized emails from a senior commander he says show the Police-Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission, or PCIARC, as "dysfunctional" and "unprofessional."
PCIARC commissioners discussed confidential personnel matters in an unsecured room and had no way to handle conflicting information from complainants, Titus said.
"The federation supports and believes that citizens who file, and officers who respond to complaints deserve a system that operates with fairness and integrity," Titus said. "Mayor [Chris] Coleman's reconstructed system is a disaster."
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The commission on Wednesday approved eight new members.
Before that, Deputy Mayor Kristin Beckmann said she's developing a new standard operating procedure for the panel.
"No file gets taken up by this new commission until that SOP is signed off by everybody and understood."
Last December, the City Council voted to remove two police officers from the PCIARC — making it civilians only. The union objected to that move.