Tallahassee activists are calling for the city to create a council that would have managerial power over the city police department. Organizers are also urging officials to redirect some of TPD's money to social services and other programs.
Tallahassee activists are urging the city to create a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). It's a counterproposal to the city's plans for a Police Citizen Review Board. Unlike the board, a CPAC would have the power to hire and fire the police chief, have a say over TPD policy, and negotiate TPD union contracts and coordinate TPD's budget.
"They're not doing the things that we need in our community, and it's necessary for us to voice that and name that and be active participants in the transformation necessary," local activist Saskiya Fagan says.
The city has not put forth an ordinance that would create it's proposed Police Citizen Review Board. The city will discuss these plans during its upcoming June 17th commission meeting. If it's given the green light, board members could be tasked with reviewing officer-involved shootings and providing advice to TPD. However, Fagan says that's not enough.
"We need [to] invest [in] Tony McDade's community. We need [to] be investing in the social services that Toyin needed when she was displaced from her home during a global pandemic," Fagan says.
McDade was a black trans masculine resident killed during an officer-involved shooting. Toyin Salau attended several local protests and was recently found dead along with 75-year-old Victoria Sims. TPD is also planning to make its own Citizen Review Board separate from the city's proposal.
