CRA Work Group Update

At the 5-11-06 CRA Work Group meeting (see this post for more information on the Work Group's creation) Working with others, I succeeded in convincing the body to reject the recommendation that the CRA Board (the “Civilians” in “Civilian Review Authority”) only rule on complaints originally “sustained” by CRA staff.

I consider this an important win for police accountability in Minneapolis. The Board must continue to have the authority to rule on every legitimate complaint – the credibility of the process rests on this.

I’m excited to delve into what I consider the real problems with the CRA system: what happens to complaints after they are received by the Police Department. I am increasingly hopeful that after this Work Group is finished the CRA process will be the best system for police accountability that Minneapolis has ever seen.