Council To Vote On Police Panel

The Spokane City Council tonight plans to decide the fate of a review panel that looks into complaints of police misconduct.

If the council approves the proposal, the Citizens’ Review Commission would replace the troubled Citizens Review Panel, which nearly collapsed last fall when members complained it wasn’t working.

The new board would be smaller than the old - seven members instead of 11 - and consist of one retired judge or attorney, one retired police officer and five Spokane residents.

Only complaints involving police misconduct would be forwarded to the commission. Members first would review a condensed complaint before deciding whether to have a hearing.

After a hearing, members could get access to an entire case file, but their review would be limited to the police department’s investigation.

A complaint deemed valid would be sent on to the Public Safety Committee, could forward the complaint to the full City Council.