Allegheny Co. proposal for police review board hits obstacles

Allegheny County Council is proposing a countywide citizens’ police review board in order to make law enforcement procedures more transparent.

The panel would operate independently of Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board and look into cases of alleged police misconduct among the more than 100 police agencies outside the city.

“We, in five-and-a-half years, received 94 complaints about conduct outside of the city of Pittsburgh,” said Beth Pittinger, chair of the Pittsburgh board. “That’s not a lot of complaints when you’re talking about 100-plus departments.”

Nonetheless, council members say the board is needed.

TRENDING NOW:

• Shannan Watts' girls may have been dead when she got home, husband's charges show
• Diocese of Greensburg pastor removed from duty after sexual assault allegations
• Tornado confirmed in Pa. after severe storms Tuesday night
• VIDEO: Officials reminding drivers to be alert as students head back to school

“It is an issue whose time has come,” said county Councilman DeWitt Walton.

The obstacle, however, is that the police departments within the county currently operate under slightly different standards and could chose to opt out of participation.

Council only has the power to make Allegheny County Police comply.

"How do you measure the conduct of the officer without having consistent standards against which to measure it?" Pittinger said.

Walton says state legislators are working on laws that would create uniform standards, thus making it easier to operate the board countywide, but he admits lawmakers still need more information on if and how the board would work.

Four public meetings to discuss the issues will be held later this month and in September.

Cox Media Group