Exploring the promise of police accountability: an examination of New York City's Civilian complaint review board (CCRB)
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D'Souza, Amanda.
Exploring the promise of police accountability: an examination of New York City's Civilian complaint review board (CCRB). Retrieved from
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TitleExploring the promise of police accountability: an examination of New York City's Civilian complaint review board (CCRB)
Date Created2022
Other Date2020-10 (degree)
Extent254 pages
DescriptionReports of police misconduct threaten the public’s trust in law enforcement. This has been repeatedly demonstrated through various citizen protests throughout American History (Harlem, 1964; Watts, 1965; Detroit, 1967; Los Angeles, 1991; New York, 1999). Only two years ago, despite a global pandemic, protests erupted within communities across the world over the abusive and unconstitutional treatment of largely Black and brown bodies. Officer misconduct coupled with a lack of accountability or discipline results in public distrust and negatively impacts departmental legitimacy. Traditionally, police agencies investigated civilian complaints of misconduct, excessive force, and abuse through internal administrative means. However, highly publicized deaths or abuse of force bolster concerns about the inability or unwillingness of the police to oversee themselves, and often results in demands for independent civilian review. Civilian oversight is “a procedure for providing input into the complaint process by individuals who are not sworn officers” (Walker, 2001:5). These organizations are popular, as they are argued to play a key role in promoting transparency, accountability, and departmental legitimacy. In fact, as the 21st Century Task Force on Policing notes, “without [civilian review boards], […] it is difficult, if not impossible for the police to maintain the public’s trust” (Task Force, 2015: 26). Despite these benefits, critics often lambaste these agencies for their failure to discipline officers, their inability to meaningfully modify policing practices, and their close relationship with the departments they are charged with overseeing. Thus, despite not actually having adequate tools or power, civilian review boards are actively pressed and called upon by the public to enhance police accountability. It is within this context that I have situated my dissertation.
This dissertation will provide a case study of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB). It will examine the dynamic interactions which occur during monthly board meetings to better understand the complex ways in which the CCRB board presents itself as a powerful oversight agency, despite its (in effect) advisory role to the NYPD. Data for this project comes from the CCRB’s monthly meeting minutes and videos from 2014-2020 (n=83). There is a paucity of scholarly research examining how individuals within these oversight agencies navigate their roles, interact with each other, the public and the police, and how they respond to their organizational limitations. Thus, using the CCRB as a case study, I examine the individual interactions which occurred during monthly meetings, analyzing how these interactions inform and are situated within the larger context of police accountability and oversight.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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