Home : Police Practices : Civilian Oversight

In Wake of Bell Shooting, NYCLU Protests NYPD Failure to Comply with Racial Profiling Reform Mandated After Diallo Shooting (11/29/2006)
NEW YORK - In light of rekindled debates about race and policing after the Sean Bell shooting, the New York Civil Liberties Union today protested the New York Police Department’s failure to comply with a city law enacted in the aftermath of the 1999 Amadou Diallo police shooting to address concerns about racial profiling.

NYCLU Urges New York City Council to Support Civilian Complaint Review Board and to Reject Increased Surveillance (03/21/2006)
NEW YORK -- In testimony before the New York City Council today, the New York Civil Liberties Union urged Council members to provide the Civilian Complaint Review Board with adequate funding and to hold it accountable for recent lapses in its performance.

ACLU Calls on Denver Officials to Deliver on Promised Police Reform (03/24/2005)
DENVER--The city administration is already failing to deliver on one of its promised reforms in how it deals with incidents in which police officers kill or seriously injure civilians, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado said today.

Voters Support Major Police Reform in San Francisco - Proposition H Sets Standard of Police Oversight (11/05/2003)
SAN FRANCISCO -The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California today hailed the passage of Proposition H, making San Francisco the first city in the nation in which every stage of the police complaint process - from the investigation of the complaint to disciplinary decisions - is controlled by civilians.

ACLU of Illinois Sues Justice Department and Homeland Security Officials Over Failure to Release Racial Profiling Data (08/13/2003)
CHICAGO -- Calling on the Bush Administration to make a public showing that it is serious about the promise to fight racial profiling, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today asked a federal court to order the release of data that will help the public determine whether federal law enforcement agencies are engaged in racial profiling.

ACLU of Washington Seeks Information on City of Seattle's Stance on Police Accountability (07/01/2003)
SEATTLE--Seeking to promote an open and more transparent government, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed a lawsuit today seeking public documents detailing contract negotiations between city officials and the Seattle Police Guild.

Citing New Report on Police Misconduct, ACLU of Northern CA Renews Call for Reforms (04/23/2003)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California today called for major police reforms following the release of a highly critical new report by a citizen complaint board documenting the San Francisco Police Department's obstruction of investigations into police misconduct.

Rhode Island Supreme Court Orders City to Pay Costs in Police Misconduct Open Records Case (04/21/2003)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In the near-final chapter of a long-running "open records" lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the police department here, the State Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that city cannot charge a community group for the costs of providing copies of internal police misconduct reports.

In Wake of Scandal, New ACLU Report Calls for Major Reforms in San Francisco Police Department (03/12/2003)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California issued a report today calling for major reforms in the San Francisco Police Department in the wake of the recent indictments of high-ranking officers. The report, titled "Roadmap to Reform -- Strengthening the Accountability Mechanisms of the San Francisco Police Department," outlines steps that should be taken to strengthen accountability in the Department.

Seattle Police Improve Document Disclosure Policies in Settlement of ACLU Lawsuit (10/29/2002)
SEATTLE--In settlement of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, the Seattle Police Department has agreed to improve its policies for handling requests for documents by the public.

Court Finds RI Police in Contempt for Failing to Comply With State's "Driving While Black" Law (10/24/2002)
PROVIDENCE, RI -The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today hailed a decision by Superior Court Judge Stephen Fortunato, Jr. to hold the police department in contempt of court for failing to comply with the state's "Driving While Black" law.

ACLU and Community Groups Ask Court to Reject Proposed Justice Department Changes to Police Abuse Monitoring (09/12/2002)
PITTSBURGH - In preparation for a hearing tomorrow to determine whether Justice Department oversight should be lifted from the troubled Pittsburgh police department, 18 civil rights, community, religious and minority-police-officer organizations have filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the proposed changes and asking the court to order increased federal oversight to address serious problems with internal affairs investigations into misconduct allegations.

ACLU Distressed That Justice Department Considering Release of Pittsburgh Police From Consent Decree in Light of Today's Highly Critical Auditor's Report: Statement by Witold Walczak, Executive Director of the ACLU of Pittsburgh (08/29/2002)
PITTSBURGH - One day after Pittsburgh officials announced that the Department of Justice will be releasing the police department from a historic 1997 consent decree that imposed federal oversight on the police bureau, the independent auditor evaluating the City's performance filed a damning report today, saying that City's non-compliance has increased substantially in the past quarter.

ACLU of Northern CA Urges Oakland Mayor To Fill Empty Seats on Citizens' Police Review Board (02/28/2002)
OAKLAND, CA--The ACLU of Northern California and other concerned individuals and organizations today sent an open letter to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown urging him to fill the empty seats on the city's Citizens' Police Review Board.

ACLU Wins Release of Details of Baltimore Police Department's $250,000 Secret Fund (12/10/2001)
BALTIMORE--In a victory for the principle of open government, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland today won the release of information about a secret $250,000 fund established for the Baltimore City Police Department. 

Civil Rights Groups Unveil Proposal for Civilian Oversight of Scandal-Plagued Miami Police Department (06/28/2001)
MIAMI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in coalition with the Community Organizations Committee today unveiled a proposal for a Civilian Investigative Panel that will conduct independent investigations of police brutality allegations, and review standards for the use of force by police officers. 

ACLU Calls on Los Angeles To Fund Review of Scandal-Plagued Police Department (02/15/2000)
LOS ANGELES -- Saying that a vote to increase resources to an existing commission is insufficient, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today called on Mayor Riordan to appoint an independent, blue-ribbon civilian commission to thoroughly review the operations and policies of the LAPD in the wake of the growing scandal rocking the department.

Groups Call on Justice Dept. to Maintain Court-Ordered Police Reforms in Pittsburgh (11/17/1999)
PITTSBURGH -- In a letter sent today to the U.S. Department of Justice, a broad coalition of 20 community and national rights groups are urging officials to reject efforts to end a court-monitored decree requiring sweeping reforms in the city's police department.

ACLU Calls on Los Angeles Police Commission to Require LAPD to Collect Traffic Stop Statistics (10/20/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- In a letter to the Los Angeles Police Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged the panel to require the Los Angeles Police Department to collect traffic stop statistics, including the race and ethnicity of the driver.

ACLU Condemns CA Governor's Stunning Veto of Racial Profiling Bill (09/28/1999)
SACRAMENTO -- The ACLU affiliates in California today condemned Governor Gray Davis's veto of a bill requiring law enforcement to collect data regarding the race and ethnicity of all drivers stopped by the police.