Across Tennessee, police-oversight boards were created to play a role in mediating between a critical public and an often self-regulating police force.
Each of the four largest cities in Tennessee have a police- oversight board, each with their own ordinances, bylaws and inception dates. Both the Chattanooga and Nashville police- oversight boards were created in the past five years, while Memphis’ Community Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board was created in 1994. Knoxville’s Police Advisory and Review Committee has been operational since 1998.
But despite the public’s request for additional police oversight, outcomes are limited.
The state passed several laws to limit the power of these boards. City ordinances can grant boards the fullest set of powers allowed under state law, but in 2019, legislators passed a law relegating police-oversight boards to advisory positions, preventing them from having the power to issue subpoenas or compelling witness testimonies, among other things.
In 2021, another state law compels members of police-oversight boards to complete a police force’s academy course. Members who do not comply will lose voting authority on their respective board.