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The new law prohibits civilian oversight in police investigations, but people have the right to meet and review information.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police citizen review boards are now outlawed in Florida.
On Friday in St. Johns County, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial bill into law prohibiting civilian oversight in police investigations. Starting July 1, police citizen review boards have no power when it comes to complaints of law enforcement officers.
“They’ll stack it with activists and they’ll just start reviewing things and trying to put people under the gun,” DeSantis said Friday about citizen review boards.
Tampa, Orlando and Miami are among the 21 Florida cities with citizen review boards.
“The governor, with all due respect to him, he cannot tell citizens what they can and cannot do,” said Jacksonville Pastor R. L. Gundy with Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.
Gundy says his organization plans to launch a citizen review board next month.
“We’re going to look at the things that happen,” he said. “We’re going to file for a Freedom of Information Act just like anybody else would do. We’re going to take testimony from people.”
DeSantis addressed this issue Friday.
“Yeah they can meet, they can exercise whatever First Amendment freedom,” he said. “They’re not gonna have any right to initiate disciplinary proceedings.”
First Coast News asked Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson about the new law’s potential impacts.
“I don’t think it will change anything as far as how officers are examined because agencies are required to investigate their own,” Jefferson said.
The new law allows the sheriff to appoint members to a different kind of review board that would only examine policies and procedures, not specific investigations.
The governor also signed a bill Friday making it unlawful to approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder doing their job who gave a verbal warning not to approach. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said this law will benefit officers attempting to make an arrest during a protest where others may object.
