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Inspector General outlines civilian police review board powers, arbitration path and filing options
Summary
Inspector General Joseph Lopez presented the Civilian Police Review Board’s investigative role, subpoena powers and the board’s binding‑arbitration appeal if the police chief disagrees; he said the police union has signaled a legal challenge to arbitration clauses.
Inspector General Joseph Lopez told the committee the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) now has a full roster of commissioners, in‑house investigative capacity and subpoena powers, and that the board conducts independent, concurrent investigations alongside internal affairs.
Lopez described the statutory and municipal framework created after the state Police Accountability Act of 2020 and said the city ordinance gives the CPRB a particularly robust set of tools, including an appeals pathway to an independent arbitrator when the chief of police does not adopt the board’s findings. “We have the power of binding arbitration,” he said, explaining that a retired judge or qualified arbitrator would hear both sides if the chief rejects sustained findings.
Council members asked about press reports that the police union planned a legal challenge. Lopez said he understands the union’s claim: that arbitration may conflict with the collective bargaining agreement’s discipline procedures. “I believe that the union is claiming that arbitration violates their collective bargaining agreement…that their supersedence clause therefore their bargaining agreement trumps this ordinance,” he said, adding that the board does not agree and that the city corporation counsel is handling any legal response.
Lopez also described how residents can file complaints (online, by phone, mail, or in person at city hall) and said the ordinance contemplates intake at community sites, though he acknowledged the city has more work to do to make community filing locations operational. He summarized timelines: inspector general investigations aim for 45 days; the police department typically has 60; the board targets hearings within 90 days.
Lopez asked the committee to view the CPRB as an independent watchdog that presents investigative findings for the board to review and vote on; if the board sustains an allegation, the chief reviews both internal affairs and CPRB findings and may adopt or reject them, triggering the arbitration mechanism if necessary. Lopez said he and his staff “call balls and strikes” and are not advocates for either side.
