Want improved police oversight in State College? You’ll want to attend this meeting
State College borough is poised to implement an independent board charged with police oversight — but it first wants to hear community feedback.
A nine-person committee that has been tasked with studying related civilian oversight boards (COBs), before making recommendations on what to implement to council, is hosting another virtual public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for community members to make their voices heard. The goal of the future COB is simple — to increase police accountability, transparency and trust within the community — but getting there isn’t.
And that’s why Wednesday will feature the study committee’s third public meeting, so it can provide a progress report, gather opinions and use the community to prioritize the issues.
“Look, this is a great community, and there’s a lot of people that are very supportive of the (police) department,” said Mark Bergstrom, chair of the study committee. “But there are clearly people that feel disconnected or feel that they just have a different view. And I think we have a responsibility to try to make sure everyone feels a part of this community and feels that they’re being treated fairly.”
The idea of a COB was first proposed over the summer in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in May after a Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. A detailed resolution was passed in July, which created a committee to study the issue.
The study committee members were named later that month, and they’ve been looking at the concept of a COB ever since. Since the last public meetings, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, the study committee has met four times, in addition to speaking with members of the COBs in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
State College’s study committee received a one-month extension to look further into the issue, and it is now set to hold another public meeting the week of Nov. 16 before handing the council its final report Dec. 7. (That’s the earliest a COB can be officially created.) But Bergstrom emphasized the importance of Wednesday’s meeting, saying it’s critical the community helps them pick a board model.
State College could opt for a model focused on investigation, reviewing, auditing/monitoring or a hybrid. The review-focused model would likely cost the least, while an investigation-focused model would cost the most.
“Our initial plan was, by this point, to have identified one or more potential models and at least put out sort of suggestions or some information about the models we were thinking about and receiving comment on that before we finalize our recommendations,” Bergstrom said. “And, as we were preparing for our upcoming public meeting, we realized we just weren’t there yet.”
Bergstrom said he and the study committee welcome feedback on a number of issues:
- Oversight (civil rights, thorough and fair investigations, accessible complaint process, police conduct)
- Communications and transparency
- Policies and procedures
- Diversity in department recruitment and retention
- Education and training (police and community)
- Outcomes and performance measures
- Board structure and membership
Those interested in attending virtually are asked to sign up on the borough website. You can also join by phone at (929) 205-6099; the webinar ID is 846 6891 7471 and the passcode is 996715.
