NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As the deadline for the new state law that abolishes the current Community Oversight Board creeps closer, Metro Council members are working to make sure it's kept in some capacity.
During Tuesday's meeting, council members are expected to quickly pass a bill on first reading that reconstructs the current Community Oversight Board.
The community voted in favor of establishing the citizen-led board years ago after a deadly police shooting in hopes of increasing accountability in policing, but a law passed during the most recent legislative session would dismantle the current board on July 1st and replace it with a committee that would only hand over complaints to an internal affairs police unit.
The new ordinance would reconstruct the board as a police advisory and review committee. While a new board wouldn't have the ability to issue subpoenas during investigations directly, current board members said the new ordinance would allow them to request that Metro Council issue subpoenas on their behalf.
The bill is on its first reading and more discussion is expected later.
