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2020 Cardozo L. Rev. De-Novo 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/denovo2020 and id is 1 raw text is: CARDOZO LAW REVIEW de* novo SURVEY SAYS?: U.S. CITIES DOUBLE DOWN ON CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF POLICE DESPITE CHALLENGES AND CONTROVERSY Sharon R. Fairleyt The emergence of police accountability as an issue of concern in communities across the nation has led to a watershed era in the evolution of accountability systems involving civilian oversight of municipal police agencies. In recent years, several municipalities have opted to either create or enhance existing civilian oversight systems, despite the fact that many civilian oversight entities continue to elicit criticism. This Article reports on a survey of the civilian oversight entities in the one hundred most populous U.S. cities. The survey documents that civilian oversight has become sufficiently prevalent among the largest U.S. cities as to now be considered a normative element within the police accountability infrastructure. This Article also sheds light on the prevalence of the various civilian oversight functions that the largest U.S. cities employ. Each civilian oversight entity is identified as providing one or more of seven oversight functions: Investigative, Review, Audit, Adjudicative, Appeals, Supervisory, and Advisory oversight. The survey illustrates the prevalence of these forms of oversight across U.S. jurisdictions and reveals the recent proliferation of layered, multi-functional civilian oversight systems, particularly among the largest cities. T Professor From Practice, University of Chicago Law School; former federal prosecutor; and former Chief Administrator, City of Chicago Independent Police Review Authority and Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Special thanks to Alexis Grinsted for her stellar research assistance. Thanks also to Craig Futterman, Brian Friedman, and Walter Katz for their insightful comments and suggestions. For access to detailed information from the survey discussed in this Article, please visit policeoversight.uchicago.edu. 1