The Community Police Review Commission

The RCPA was instrumental in the creation of the Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) in 2000. 

The CPRC

* is a 9-member volunteer commission, with a Manager hired by the City
reviews and investigates complaints

* investigates all officer-involved deaths

* makes policy and procedure recommendations to the RPD and City Council
acts as a bridge between the community and the police

* has been fundamentally important in helping to improve relations between the RPD and the community

* is a work in progress that will become stronger and more effective only if the community has the political will to stay involved with it. 


A ballot measure added the CPRC to the City Charter in 2004, making it a permanent part of the City’s administration.  The RCPA worked hard on that campaign, resulting in 60% of all Riverside’s voters voting ‘yes’ on the measure.

The CPRC and the RCPA

The RCPA and the CPRC are fundamentally different organizations.  The CPRC is a City commission whereas the RCPA is a grassroots community organization.  The RCPA has kept a close eye on the CPRC's development since it was formed in 2000.  Community oversight of the police is always a longterm effort and sometimes it takes years for new oversighht commissions to become strong and truly independent.  The RCPA has acted as a watchdog, sometimes protecting the CPRC from outside interference and sometimes critiquing its practices. 

Over time, a productive synergy has marked the relationship between the CPRC and the RCPA.  In 2007, the founding co-chair of the RCPA was appointed to the CPRC.  Former members of the CPRC have gotten involved with the RCPA.

RCPA recommendations for the CPRC

·         The CPRC needs an independent attorney available for consultation.

·         The CPRC needs to put major, on-going effort into community outreach.

·         The CPRC needs a better mechanism for pursuing its recommendations to the RPD for changes in policies and procedures. 

·         The CPRC should become the vehicle for carrying forward reforms within RPD, especially since the end of the Stipulated Agreement with the Attorney General.

·         The CPRC office should be moved out of City Hall to an off-site location.

·         The CPRC should exercise its power of subpoena and power of independent investigations more quickly and consistently.

·         The CPRC annual report should be stronger and more detailed.

·         The CPRC should create a set of criteria for appropriate Commission candidates and recommend its adoption by the City Council.