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States and cities with police union agreements that reference citizen review boards
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page contains information from a Ballotpedia analysis about which states and cities have police union agreements that reference citizen review boards. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
According to the analysis, zero states and 12 cities have police union agreements that reference citizen review boards as of December 2023.
This page features the following sections:
Maps
Map of states that have police union agreements that reference citizen review boards
Map of cities that have police union agreements that reference citizen review boards
Background
Through the lens of more than 30 research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline, Ballotpedia examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements. Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
You can find lists of all the collective bargaining agreements and other documents used by Ballotpedia for this survey here for states and here for cities.
Summary of findings
Ballotpedia's analysis of state and city union policies produced the following key takeaways (as of December 2023):
- There are zero state CBAs and 12 city CBAs that reference citizen review boards
- There are 26 state CBAs and 67 city CBAs that do not reference citizen review boards
- There are 22 states and 21 cities that do not have police CBAs
- There are two states and one city in which the request for information on police CBAs was denied or information could not be verified
Results
The tables below include each state and city in alphabetical order and indicate those that have police union agreements that reference citizen review boards. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
- YES means that the police union agreement does reference citizen review boards
- NO means that the police union agreement does not reference citizen review boards
- UNKNOWN means that Ballotpedia could not verify whether the jurisdiction had police union agreements that allow for citizen review boards to look into complaints of officer misconduct
- NO CBA means that the jurisdiction does not have a police union agreement
- FOIA DENIED means that the jurisdiction rejected Ballotpedia's request to review any collective bargaining agreements
| City | citizen-review-boards |
|---|---|
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | YES |
Board name: Civilian Police Oversight Agency States that information will be given and looked into by the Civilian Police Oversight Agency | |
| Anaheim, California | NO |
| Anchorage, Alaska | NO |
| Arlington, Texas | NO CBA |
| Atlanta, Georgia | NO CBA |
| Aurora, Colorado | NO |
| Austin, Texas | YES |
Board name: "citizen oversight" No details | |
| Bakersfield, California | NO |
| Baltimore, Maryland | YES |
Board name: Departmental Hearing Boards Two civilians are allowed on the Departmental Administrative Hearing Board; but, there is not a designated civilian oversight board | |
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | NO |
| Birmingham, Alabama | NO CBA |
| Boise, Idaho | NO |
| Boston, Massachusetts | NO |
| Buffalo, New York | UNKNOWN |
| Chandler, Arizona | NO |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Chesapeake, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Chicago, Illinois | NO |
| Chula Vista, California | NO |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | NO |
| Cleveland, Ohio | NO |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado | NO CBA |
| Columbus, Ohio | YES |
Board name: Civilian Review Board No details, referenced in relation to investigations | |
| Corpus Christi, Texas | NO |
| Dallas, Texas | NO |
| Denver, Colorado | NO |
| Detroit, Michigan | NO |
| Durham, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| El Paso, Texas | NO |
| Fort Wayne, Indiana | NO |
| Fort Worth, Texas | NO |
| Fremont, California | NO |
| Fresno, California | NO |
| Garland, Texas | NO CBA |
| Gilbert, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Glendale, Arizona | NO |
| Greensboro, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Henderson, Nevada | NO |
| Hialeah, Florida | NO |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | NO |
| Houston, Texas | YES |
Board name: Civil Service Commission Comprises 12-15 members; appointed by mayor for terms of three years | |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | NO |
| Irvine, California | NO |
| Irving, Texas | NO CBA |
| Jacksonville, Florida | NO |
| Jersey City, New Jersey | NO |
| Kansas City, Missouri | NO |
| Laredo, Texas | NO |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | NO |
| Lexington, Kentucky | YES |
Board name: Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) DRB consists of nine members, two of which are civilians | |
| Lincoln, Nebraska | NO |
| Long Beach, California | NO |
| Los Angeles, California | NO |
A civilian member of the Police Commission is selected to serve as the hearing officer for administrative appeal hearings, which can include misconduct cases | |
| Louisville, Kentucky | YES |
Board name: Civilian Review and Accountability Board No details | |
| Lubbock, Texas | NO CBA |
| Madison, Wisconsin | NO |
| Memphis, Tennessee | NO |
| Mesa, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Miami, Florida | NO |
Board name: Civilian Investigative Panel No details | |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | NO |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | NO |
| Nashville, Tennessee | NO |
| Newark, New Jersey | NO |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | NO CBA |
| New York, New York | NO |
| Norfolk, Virginia | NO CBA |
| North Las Vegas, Nevada | NO |
| Oakland, California | NO |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | NO |
| Omaha, Nebraska | YES |
Board name: Citizen Complaint Review Board Board has seven members; one representing each police precinct, one at-large member and an alternate | |
| Orlando, Florida | YES |
Board name: Citizen Review Board City may establish board, but it cannot impose or modify disciplinary actions against employees. | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | YES |
Board name: Citizen Police Oversight Commission Mediation and internal investigations | |
| Phoenix, Arizona | NO |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | NO |
| Plano, Texas | NO CBA |
| Portland, Oregon | NO |
Board name: Civilian Review Committee No details | |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| Reno, Nevada | NO |
| Richmond, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Riverside, California | NO |
| Sacramento, California | NO |
| San Antonio, Texas | YES |
Board name: Citizen's portion of the Complaint and Administrative Review Board Seven citizens serve on the citizen's portion of the board, but chief of police makes final rulings | |
| San Bernardino, California | NO |
| San Diego, California | NO |
| San Francisco, California | NO |
| San Jose, California | YES |
Board name: Civil Service Commission The Civil Service Commission hears officer appeals, but it is not stated whether they review complaints of misconduct | |
| Santa Ana, California | NO |
| Scottsdale, Arizona | NO CBA |
| Seattle, Washington | NO |
| St. Louis, Missouri | NO |
| Stockton, California | NO |
| St. Paul, Minnesota | NO |
| St. Petersburg, Florida | NO |
| Tampa, Florida | NO |
| Toledo, Ohio | NO |
| Tucson, Arizona | NO |
| Tulsa, Oklahoma | NO |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia | NO CBA |
| Wichita, Kansas | NO |
| Winston-Salem, North Carolina | NO CBA |
| State | citizen-review-boards |
|---|---|
| Alabama | NO CBA |
| Alaska | NO |
| Arizona | NO CBA |
| Arkansas | NO CBA |
| California | NO |
| Colorado | NO CBA |
| Connecticut | NO |
| Delaware | FOIA DENIED |
| District of Columbia | NO |
| Florida | NO |
| Georgia | NO CBA |
| Hawaii | NO |
| Idaho | NO CBA |
| Illinois | NO |
| Indiana | NO CBA |
| Iowa | NO |
| Kansas | NO |
| Kentucky | NO CBA |
| Louisiana | NO CBA |
| Maine | NO |
| Maryland | NO |
| Massachusetts | NO |
| Michigan | NO |
| Minnesota | NO |
| Mississippi | NO CBA |
| Missouri | NO CBA |
| Montana | NO |
| Nebraska | NO |
| Nevada | NO |
| New Hampshire | NO |
| New Jersey | NO |
| New Mexico | NO CBA |
| New York | NO |
| North Carolina | NO CBA |
| North Dakota | NO CBA |
| Ohio | NO |
| Oklahoma | NO CBA |
| Oregon | NO |
| Pennsylvania | NO |
| Rhode Island | NO |
| South Carolina | NO CBA |
| South Dakota | NO CBA |
| Tennessee | NO CBA |
| Texas | NO CBA |
| Utah | NO CBA |
| Vermont | NO |
| Virginia | NO CBA |
| Washington | NO |
| West Virginia | UNKNOWN |
| Wisconsin | NO |
| Wyoming | NO CBA |
See also
Footnotes
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