Dallas City Council votes to expand police review board’s oversight powers

DALLAS Dallas City Council votes to expand police review board’s oversight powers

Dallas City Council members on Wednesday voted unanimously to expand the power of its board that hears complaints about police misconduct.

The vote occurred after months of town hall discussions — which often laid bare political and racial tension between Dallas residents — and some initial push-back from law enforcement organizations. Several members of the Citizens Police Review Board — which will now be renamed the Community Police Oversight Board — called the vote a “historic victory,” and activists lauded the effort required to win the unanimous vote.

The board’s final restructuring amounted to far less than what activists had initially wanted. The revamped board still won’t have subpoena power over officers or the ability to conduct independent investigations of critical incidents such as police-involved shootings. And the police chief still maintains all final decisions related to discipline.