After months of residents criticizing the failures of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB), and amidst a barrage of Urbana Police misconduct allegations following a violent arrest video which went viral on social media, a new Chair was quietly assigned to the CPRB. Previously chaired by Grace Mitchell, who…
The follies and tribulations of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) process continue to add up at virtually every meeting or action of the board and related City staff. Communications from a citizen show that “Community Relations Specialist” Preston James failed to mail required documents to a complainant after…
On January 29, 2020, the Urbana Civilian Review Board (CPRB) held a special appeals hearing meeting for Complaint 2019-06. The appeals hearing is part of the civilian police complaint process – the mechanism by which civilians can file complaints concerning Urbana police conduct. The CPRB is tasked with hearing appeals…
The September 25th, 2019 meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) was unique in many ways. It was a “special meeting” called with the apparent goal of diluting the review powers of the CPRB. During this meeting, Urbana Police Lieutenant Richard H Surles attempted to persuade board members…
After several months of criticism from engaged residents, members of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) are finally beginning to realize what everyone else has been saying: the CPRB is broken. At the January 22nd, 2020 CPRB meeting, founding member Scott Dossett did not mince words. “We are negligent…
On January 22, 2020, the Urbana Civilian Review Board met to review a recent Taser discharge and continue the discussion initiated at the last meeting regarding the citizen complaint process. Ricardo Diaz, Scott Dossett, Mikhail Lyubansky, Darius White, and Darrell Price formed the quorum. Chairperson Grace Mitchell and Megan McGinty…
Urbana City Council meetings ran long on November 25th and December 2nd of 2019 as a result of discussion on one particular agenda item: armed “school resource officers” in Urbana schools. At both meetings, members of the public, Urbana Police Chief Bryant Seraphin, and Council members spoke at length. The…
At the October 23rd, 2019 meeting of the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB), it was revealed that board members had not been receiving copies of citizen police complaints for the past several years. Apparently, the Urbana Police Department simply stopped issuing copies to the board, and neither City staff…
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…
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.…
