City Councilman Russell Gilbert praised the passage of a city charter amendment making the new Police Advisory Committee part of the charter.
He said he was "the man responsible for presenting the ordinance to the City Council."
He said, "On Tuesday, Nov.
3, the city of Chattanooga let their voices be heard with the passing of the police advisory review committee (PARC).
"I was very pleased to hear the outcome of the police advisory board last week. I proposed this ordinance over a year ago to bring a more community-based accountability system to our Chattanooga police department. The previous board was comprised of mostly police officers, and that did not uphold the standard of true accountability. Our current advisory committee consists of 9 community citizens, one selected by each city council member. These members also have the capability to advise the City Council with direction for their subpoenas, if necessary.
"I worked closely with the city’s lawyer, Phil Noblett, to assure that all guidelines were within state regulation and upon its completion, I presented the ordinance to the city council for approval. Now, the people of Chattanooga have spoken to keep the ordinance in place in Chattanooga's charter.
"I believe that this advisory board will help bring more accountability to our police department, more safety to our neighborhoods and a direct voice from our community. Having a safe city that can work together with our police is very important. Our Chattanooga Police Department is strong, and by creating a space where the citizens of our community can come together with the officers of the community and have a mutual respect with valuable conversations where all opinions are heard and acknowledged, we can feel safer and have greater confidence in our law enforcement.
"I am especially pleased with the solidification of this Police Advisory Board because now that it has been voted into Chattanooga's charter, this board will remain in place long after I leave my council seat to run for mayor in 2021."