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Civilian board approves advisory statement on surveillance-technology ordinance, to present to council April 6
Summary
The Urbana Civilian Police Review Board approved a statement (read by Jane McClintock) offering to review surveillance-technology reports as they relate to UPD; members clarified the board's role is review and not preparation, and the statement will be sent to City Council for the April 6 meeting.
The Civilian Police Review Board voted to approve an advisory statement on a proposed City Council ordinance establishing policy and reporting requirements for surveillance technology. Board member Jane McClintock read the draft and moved its adoption; members debated scope and wording before the roll-call vote.
McClintock read language that said the board "welcomes the opportunity to participate in review as relates to the UPD and as defined in the ordinance," and the board added qualifiers during discussion to emphasize review of police-related reports rather than taking on citywide surveillance oversight or preparing the reports themselves. Members cautioned that the draft ordinance uses broad language ("city department") and "shall" versus "may," which could be read to require the board to oversee other departments; several members said they did not feel the board currently had capacity or the mandate to do citywide oversight.
The board then voted by roll call; each member present recorded approval and the chair said, "So the motion passes." The chair said the approved statement will be provided to City Council at its April 6 meeting and that staff will clean up the wording and circulate the final version to board members.
Board members also discussed logistics: staff will circulate the finalized statement and the minutes will record the language. No changes to the ordinance itself were made by the board; the action was an advisory statement to council clarifying the board's intended scope under the proposed ordinance.
