Transparency
By S. Lee Reid
The ACRB is committed to Transparency. Transparency is one of the agency’s foundational pillars. But what does that mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, transparency means the quality or state of being transparent. Hmmm? Digging deeper into the root word “transparent”, we find several definitions that will aid in this question. Merriam-Webster defines transparent as “(a) free from pretense or deceit; (b) easily detected or seen through; (c) readily understood; (d) characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices.”
Okay, that’s better.
The ACRB operates to allow citizens to easily understand the actions of an officer and the complaint investigations of officer actions and the subsequent responses of the police department. The agency provides accessibility of information that is not normally or routinely provided to the public.
Historically, police departments internal operations have been conducted behind closed doors, particularly, those operations related to development of policies and officer misconduct and citizen complaint investigations and outcomes. Citizen observation, examination, and input on police policies and misconduct investigations and outcomes were blocked. This lack of transparency called into question the integrity of the police departments and the seriousness to which the departments addressed citizens’ concerns.
Civilian oversight is a powerful tool to allow the transparency that is needed in law enforcement. For some, transparency is scary; it can create feelings of vulnerability, even when you know you have not done anything wrong because critics can wrestle away the narrative. However, as it relates to citizen confidence in law enforcement, transparency allows for the community’s critical analysis of the law department’s operation and increase the community’s understanding of policies, police actions, and the departments’ commitment to serving the citizens.
The ACRB is committed to providing information related to its operation and the police department’s response to our investigations and recommendations. Our goal is to increase and maintain the conversation of officer accountability and improving relationships between citizens and officers. We believe that society benefits from more informed citizens about policing and officer accountability because policing should reflect the values and needs of the citizens. We are all in a better position to have the most reliable information to ask the best questions, dispel myths, and push for not just placating actions, but for effective actions that will cause systemic changes.
Join the ACRB email list, subscribe to our social media, regularly visit the ACRB webpage, attend ACRB meetings, join the discussion and let your voice be heard!
Lee Reid is Executive Director of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board