Urbana City Staff Dispense Lies to Civilian Board Members Regarding Police Complaints

The 2019 October 23rd meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) was a treasure of revelations about the shortcomings and failures of not just the CPRB ordinance itself, but also the Urbana City staff that have been manipulating the process. At the meeting, one mind-blowing realization was that…

Todd Rent Shirks Criticism at Urbana Police Review Board Meeting

On October 23rd 2019, citizens spoke at the Urbana Citizen Police Review Board (CPRB) meeting, questioning its efficacy, and more specifically, how city staff handle the process. Of particular note, board members heard complaints about Human Resources Director Todd Rent, who has repeatedly refused to deliver public records to complainants.…

Citizens Voice Concerns About Complaint and Appeal Process at Urbana Citizen Police Review Board Meeting

The Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) met on October 23, 2019 with only four of the seven members present. Mikhail Lyubansky, Ricardo Diaz, Darrell Price, and new board member Darius White were in attendance, forming the quorum. After council’s approval of minutes for the July 24th meeting (article here),…

Scott Dossett Calls for Special Meeting of the CPRB, then Fails to Attend

At the July 24th, 2019 meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (article here), founding member Scott Dosset called for a “special meeting” to discuss police Taser policy and reviews. The controversy which led to this request began when Urbana Police Lt. Richard Surles announced that the Police Department…

Urbana Civilian Police Review Board Chair Wants to See Fewer Taser Usage Videos Because They’re Boring

Grace Mitchell, the Chair of the Urbana Civilian Police Board (CPRB), make a remarkable proclamation at the September 25th, 2019 CPRB meeting: review fewer Taser usages. The reason appears to be that they simply aren’t exciting enough. Mitchel said: “We don’t have to see all or so many, maybe we…

Urbana Civilian Police Review Board Votes to End Mandatory Taser Camera Reviews of All Taser Displays

On September 25, 2019, the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) met (only audio recording is made available to the public) to continue the discussion of the Urbana Police Department (UPD) Taser Utilization and Taser Policy. Specifically, UPD had decided independently without consultation with CPRB to phase out the use…

Urbana Police to Discontinue Taser Camera Use, Despite Law Mandating Taser Video Review

On July 24, 2019 Urbana Police Lieutenant Richard H Surles surprised the members of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) by announcing that the Department will no longer use Taser-mounted cameras during use of force incidents. The decision would seem to violate the CPRB Ordinance which makes it mandatory…

Founding Member of Urbana Police Review Board Scott Dossett Claims the CPRB is not Tasked with Community Outreach

Meetings of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) often have more interesting revelations about the board members themselves than of the content of their review process. At the July 24th, 2019 CPRB Meeting, 10-year board member and founding member Scott Dossett made the bizarre claim that the CPRB is…

Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) Meets to Review Police Department Taser Usage

On July 24, 2019, the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) meeting took place after a series of cancelled and rescheduled meetings since October 24, 2018. The meeting started with a staff report by Urbana Community Relations Specialist, Preston James. Since the last meeting, the city has received 4 citizen…

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