Dothan Police Department Makes the Case for Civilian Review Boards

Originally posted on the now defunct Experience Project December 1, 2015 and reposted on the defunct Syncretic Politics December 14, 2016

This is last years news that I decided to repost due to its relevance to the subject matter of the blog and the continued expansion of police power in this country under one of the most militant administrations in recent history. A racially motivated police conspiracy was uncovered in Dothan, Alabama which involved about a dozen officers and which was covered up by the lieutenant, a sergeant, and the district attorney. The evidence of this conspiracy is provided by the Henry County Report.

'The Alabama Justice Project has obtained documents that reveal a Dothan Police Department’s Internal Affairs investigation was covered up by the district attorney. A group of up to a dozen police officers on a specialized narcotics team were found to have planted drugs and weapons on young black men for years. They were supervised at the time by Lt. Steve Parrish, current Dothan Police Chief, and Sgt. Andy Hughes, current Asst. Director of Homeland Security for the State of Alabama.'

This is why every city should have a civilian review board composed of actual civilians. There is no reason why someone should be incarcerated and have their life ruined for an imaginary crime: a crime that they not only didn't commit, but that shouldn't be a crime in the first place. It's plain as day, unelected bureaucrats are not held accountable for their actions as PUBLIC SERVANTS. We have a constitution that is based on the checks and balances of power among the different branches of government. The police are an extension of the executive branch; it is common sense to have an external agency that investigates their practices and ensures that they don't abuse their power or violate the law. Civilian Review Boards should also not allow officers to be representatives because this would defeat the purpose of the agency. And on one last note, civilian review boards should also be representative of the demographics within a city to ensure that racial discrimination doesn't occur in law enforcement.