The DC Council has passed legislation that stipulates the establishment of a multijurisdictional Civilian Complaint Board to review complaints against officers with the Metro Transit Police Department.
The board, which will consist of eight members, would have the authority to “dismiss, conciliate, mediate, investigate, adjudicate, or refer for further action.”
Two civilian members would be appointed by each signatory, and two civilian members would be appointed by the federal government.
The bill called the “Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Police Accountability Amendment Act of 2020” that was approved Tuesday by the DC Council also bans the use of enforcement quotas for the Department.
The bill was co-introduced by At-Large Councilmember Robert White, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen and Chairman Phil Mendelson last September.
White shared several tweets about the development, saying that he and his colleagues are now hoping Maryland and Virginia to pass the same bill, because it would change the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) interstate compact.
Today, the Council passed my bill to create a civilian police complaint board for @MetroTransitPD. This is a big step in responding to severe uses of force against people of color, and a necessary tool for all police departments.
— Councilmember_RobertWhite (@CMRobertWhiteDC) December 15, 2020
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to approve the bill soon.
For the new review board to be created, concurring legislation must be enacted in Maryland and Virginia, according to the bill.
White posted several tweets about the development, saying that it was a big step and that he and his colleagues were now hoping Maryland and Virginia to pass the same bill, because it would change the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) interstate compact.