Kent County ACC discusses procedures, mediation options and training; accepts minutes, moves to closed session for personnel

The Kent County Administrative Charging Committee accepted last month’s minutes and used its March 5 meeting to discuss pending procedural guidance, training for members who review police case materials, and whether an Attorney General opinion will affect mediation as an alternative to formal review. The committee then moved to an executive session to discuss personnel issues.

The meeting opened at 3:38 p.m. and the committee unanimously approved a motion to accept the previous month’s minutes after a mover and a second. An ACC member noted that “it’s still pending review” when asked about written procedures, and members said they are finishing an end-of-year report.

Committee members held their regular quarterly law-enforcement review with a law-enforcement representative. Attendees described the case-review flow and body-worn-camera footage review as increasingly clear and useful. One law-enforcement representative said the process gave officers more confidence that complaints would be handled fairly and that officers who “are doing the right things” have less to worry about. ACC members described training as informative and said it clarified what to watch for when reviewing reports and video.

Members discussed an Attorney General opinion that several participants said may discourage use of mediation in some cases. One ACC member said the opinion made mediation less attractive and asked for a copy; the member added, “I’m going to forward it to you,” referring to a colleague. Committee discussion noted uncertainty about when mediation would occur in the timeline (before or after an internal investigation) and whether complaining parties would opt into mediation; one attendee said that in 2024 most eligible cases likely would not have proceeded to mediation because complainants would not have agreed.

Members also discussed meeting cadence and purpose. Committee members said state law requires the ACC to meet at least monthly and that the sessions serve as a forum to review process, not only active cases. One member said meetings give the committee time to “talk about the process” and confirm the process benefits all participants.

Before adjourning the open session, the committee’s chair moved, and a second was offered, to convene an executive session to discuss personnel matters. The transcript records the motion and the second but does not record a public roll-call vote in the provided excerpt.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to accept last month’s minutes: moved and seconded; public vote recorded as “Aye” and the chair declared the motion passed. - Motion to move to executive session for personnel matters: motion moved and seconded; vote not recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.