Recent lethal encounters with police make it clear that we need to continuously work to build trust between police and the communities they serve. We know there is a better approach to policing, and one of those approaches is using civilian review boards to hold police departments accountable for their actions or inaction. Voters in Miami have a chance in this election to make a difference for fairer and safer policing.
The City of Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel is charged with investigating complaints of police misconduct in the City of Miami and recommend policy and procedure changes. Reforms to strengthen the CIP are on the ballot in Miami this year.
By voting YES on the CIP amendment, you will support:
- Improving the administrative functioning of the CIP and allow the panel to manage executive staff.
- Clarifying the CIP’s authority to issue subpoenas and conduct investigations in a manner that does not interfere with criminal investigations.
- Strengthening the CIP’s responsiveness to community concerns by giving it authority to self-initiate investigations, automatically investigate all police shootings that result in death, and investigate and issue reports concerning repeated police mis-conduct.
Building police-community relationships is essential to making our communities safer. By voting YES, you will increase the independence and strength of the Civilian Investigative Panel in the City of Miami, so they can hold our police departments and law enforcement officers accountable for their conduct and actions, free from political influence.
The ACLU of Florida recommends voting YES on the Civilian Investigative Panel Amendment.
P.S. If you have questions about voting in Florida, visit our online voter registration guide. Early voting has already begun in Florida and ends on November 5 or 6 depending on the county.
