Citizen police review boards, like those in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, would be banned under bill approved by lawmakers

DES MOINES — A ban on citizen police review boards in Iowa — like the ones established in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City — has been approved by state legislators and needs only Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law.

Citizen police review boards typically are designed to improve relationships between local police and the public. At least six Iowa cities have them: Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Iowa City, University Heights, Dubuque and Ames.

There are roughly 150 citizen review boards affiliated with large police departments across the country, according to Texas Southern University’s Center for Justice Research.

Cedar Rapids’ Citizen Review Board was created in 2021 — following Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police — “to further community relations and police accountability” and “to ensure fair and professional law enforcement that is constitutional, effective, and responsive to the standards, values, and needs of those to be served,” according to the city. Members of the board are appointed to serve unpaid terms.

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A proposal that earned final legislative approval Thursday at the Iowa Capitol would prohibit citizen police review boards in cities that already have civil service commissions, like Cedar Rapids.

The bill also changes the makeup of civil service commissions — which oversee the testing, hiring, promotion and discipline for police officers, firefighters and other civil service positions — based upon population, as well as the standards and procedures for the removal, discharge, demotion or suspension of a city civil service employee.

While no Republican spoke in favor of the bill Thursday during debate in the Iowa House, in previous debates and legislative hearings, statehouse Republicans have argued the ban is needed to shield law enforcement from political interventions by the boards and the media coverage that goes along with them, and because the boards violate a police officer’s right to due process.

Sen. Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf and a former Bettendorf City Council member, made that argument during a legislative hearing on the bill earlier this year.

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“The concern I have with those is police officers and public servants end up going in front of civilian review boards. And yes, those civilian review boards can’t fire them, but they can put a public opinion on those particular people that is unheard of,” Webster said. “And then, our friends in the media have a tendency to take off with that and can destroy police officers, firefighters, public works people. It makes it irresponsible.”

Legislators, mostly Democrats, opposed to the ban have argued that citizen police review boards have been in place in Iowa for decades, and that some have improved the relationship between communities and their local police departments.

“My local voters and my local police department and local community came together to determine the citizens police review board was of vital importance in Iowa City,” Rep. Elinor Levin, a Democrat from Iowa City, said during debate. “And in fact, I live in the neighborhood that has seen the greatest improvement in relationship between the neighborhood and ICPD as a result of the institution of a citizen police review board in Iowa City.” The Iowa City Community Police Review Board was first launched in 1997.

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The prohibition measure was included in legislation that also dealt with standards and procedures for police officers and other civil servants facing removal, demotion or punishment.

Some House Democrats during debate Thursday expressed frustration that a provision they opposed — the ban on police review boards — was included in legislation they otherwise supported. Levin’s proposed amendment to remove the police review board ban from the bill was defeated, with all Republicans voting against it.

“I can't support removing something that has taken the relationship between the police department and my neighborhood from negative to positive, that has given citizens a voice in considering how people should be treated by police, and has opened a dialogue between our police department and put that dialogue in place of what had been an adversarial relationship,” Levin said.

“Citizen police review boards are not to be feared. They are powerful tools that improve relationships between neighborhoods and our public employees in public safety.”

The final bill, Senate File 311, passed the House with bipartisan support, 81-12. Having passed the Senate on a 37-9 vote last month, the bill now goes to Reynolds for her consideration. Reynolds’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How Cedar Rapids’ Citizen Review Board works

In Cedar Rapids, the Citizen Review Board is focused on public engagement and improving community-police relations, advising the city on department policies and practices, reviewing citizen complaints and serving on the committee that hires the police chief.

The board was created after racial justice advocates, led by the nonprofit Advocates for Social Justice, pushed for stronger civilian oversight of local law enforcement in 2020 as one of seven demands for reform.

But the board itself does not have disciplinary authority over officers. When the city receives a complaint against an officer, the police department’s Professional Standards unit conducts an investigation and delivers findings to the police chief, who then reviews that report and may request additional information.

Afterward, the chief provides a report to the board, which may provide its own report to the City Council if a board majority disagrees with the chief's findings.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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