Committee forwards Civilian Review Board policies to council and delays appointments for further review

The committee advanced Resolution 2025‑R020, which establishes policies and procedures for the Richmond Civilian Review Board, to full council with a recommendation to approve. The Civilian Review Board is charged with reviewing and investigating certain police internal investigations and making recommendations to the council, mayor and police chief.

Civilian Review Board Manager Joe Lowery summarized the board’s responsibilities and the review process for applicant selection. Staff reported they had received roughly 56 applications and that an interview working group selected a smaller interview pool and then proposed eight candidates for appointment; the mayor has separately identified four mayoral appointees.

There were no public speakers for or against the resolution during the public hearing. The committee voted to forward the resolution with a recommendation to approve; recorded votes showed unanimous committee support in the session.

On appointments, council staff presented a recommended slate of council appointments (Angela Fontaine, Evan Finman, Rafaela Sali and Yanny Hawkins) and noted four mayoral pending appointments (Alicia Brown, Dante McCutcheon, David Poole and Lashonda Singleton). Several members asked for more time; one member asked to continue so new council members could review the materials. The committee voted to continue consideration of final appointments to the council's Sept. 8 informal meeting and to consider final votes at its Sept. 8 formal meeting. That motion carried on a recorded vote.