First of all, I have said this before, the "Blue Wall of Silence" is mostly TV and Movie fiction. In real life, good cops don't want to work around bad cops. We depend on each other to stay alive, uninjured and out of trouble. When we identify a "bad apple" in the barrel, we want him (or her) gone. Cops rat each other out all the time. That is how most misconduct is exposed, through IN-ternal complaints. When these kinds of stories come out, we are all embarrassed and upset, because it reflects on the entire profession.
Secondly, Municipal police chiefs are appointed and answer to an elected mayor as well as a city council which often includes a public safely oversight committee. Elected county sheriffs answer directly to their constituencies, and a county commission level oversight often exists as well.
Thirdly, the State Attorneys Office overseas investigations of police officers whenever a crime is alleged
Fourthly, FDLE and FHP often step in or are called in to take over an investigation whenever local police are implicated
Fifthly the Bureau of Criminal Justice Standards in Tallahassee reviews all citizen complaints at the state level and acts to strip officers of their certifications
Sixthly the DOJ acts at the federal level to investigate local law enforcement whenever a violation of rights is alleged
Seventhly, Florida has a broad sunshine law. Nearly all governmental records are open to public inspection and review. This includes citizen complaints, officers training and work history, investigations of misconduct, reports written, calls for service, body camera footage, written reports, radio transmissions, emails, texts messages, etc. Journalists, the ACLU and other citizens groups make frequent use of these resources.
So yeah......that is not enough, what we REALLY need is to select a group of random hairdressers, computer programmers, pet groomers, teachers, community organizers, cashiers etc..... to investigate and apply their "expertise" to make sure officers are held accountable. While they are convened, maybe we should get the same "citizens oversight committee" to review malpractice claims against doctors, determine the cause of airplane crashes, approve new medications and verify that buildings are constructed to meet hurricane codes!
Yes, corruption and bad groups of cops exist, but it is the exception not the norm. Citizen oversight committees are not the answer. If the seven levels of oversight described above can't root it out, a group of regular folks meeting at the community library once a month isn't going to break the case.
