BOPC Watch: Commissioner tries to add unelected police insiders to committee. Chair says not so fast

The Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) Policy Committee Chair Linda Bernard announced last week that she added a group of non-commissioners to her committee. But BOPC Chair QuanTez Pressley says it’s not a done deal.

The Policy Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the board regarding Detroit Police Department policies. It also reviews and makes recommendations regarding BOPC bylaws.

One of the newly named members is Victoria Shah, a familiar name to those following BOPC news. Shah was the board’s secretary until she resigned Dec. 27 .

At the Policy Committee meeting on Feb. 6, Shah said she’s “just glad to be here and to continue to apply what I’ve learned in the oversight space. I hope I can be of benefit to the community and to the board.”

Others named as members of the committee include board-appointed civilian oversight analyst Mary Barber, board administrative assistant Jasmin Taylor, acting board Secretary Robert Brown and Deputy Police Chief Franklin Hayes.

“We have initiated a new program now where we have community members as also members of the committee,” Bernard said at the BOPC community meeting held at Solomon’s Temple Church on Thursday.

Pressley told Outlier Media that Bernard’s announcement came as a surprise.

“It was news to many of the commissioners at the meeting,” he said.

The current BOPC Bylaws do not address how non-commissioners can be added. He said the board is having its acting attorney look into the matter.

Brown said in an email that a chairperson can only appoint commissioners as members to a committee.

Bernard did not respond to Outlier Media’s request for comment.

BOPC meeting space to be named in honor of Ron Scott

During the full BOPC meeting Thursday, members voted to rename the conference room outside their suite at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters in honor of the late civil rights leader Ron Scott. A well-known face for the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, he died in 2015 after battling cancer.

“Ron Scott has been a leader in our community against police brutality,” said Commissioner Willie Burton, after making a motion to rename the room. “He’s definitely been a champion and a voice here in these meetings.”

The motion passed with no objections.

The next full board meeting is Feb. 15, and a BOPC Policy Committee meeting is set for Feb. 20.

Detroit Documenters Carole Hawke and Gabriel Gamlin contributed to this story.

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