Four local residents have applied to serve on the City of Tacoma’s Citizen Review Panel.
The seven-member, policy-focused board aims to help ensure transparency and accountability in the way the Tacoma Police Department operates. The Citizen Review Panel is responsible for reviewing police policy at the request of Tacoma City Council or Tacoma’s City Manager; receiving and reviewing policy complaints by members of the public; and providing advice to Tacoma City Council, Tacoma’s City Manager, and Tacoma’s Chief of Police on Tacoma Police Department policy matters. The panel also provides community outreach and education through public hearings and other efforts.
Qualified applicants will be screened by a criminal background check and must be a registered voter; have lived in Tacoma for at least two years immediately before applying; not hold any other elected public office; not currently serve as a member of the Tacoma Police Department; or be an immediate family member of a department employee.
The City of Tacoma issued a call for applicants in July. Four candidates applied to fill one unexpired term and one three-year term: Steven Balogh (District 3); John “Jack” Cameron (District 2); Katie Evans (District 3); and Daniel Thomasson (District 4). Citizen Review Panel members currently include William King (District 5); Keith James (District 3); Michelle Franklin-Wilson (District 3); Jean McCord; and Ryan Webster (District 2).
Tacoma City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee is scheduled to interview the applicants during a public meeting on Thurs., Aug. 28, at 4:30 p.m., at Tacoma City Hall, 747 Market St., Conference Room 248, in downtown Tacoma. Copies of the agenda and staff memo are available online here and here, respectively.
Following the interviews, Tacoma City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee is expected to forward to Tacoma City Council its recommendations for Citizen Review Panel appointments. Appointments are expected to be finalized on Tues., Sept. 16.
