Citizen board to oversee Richmond Police one step closer to reality after years
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A years-long effort to create a civilian review board that oversees the Richmond Police Department has finally taken another step forward as of Monday night.
During its regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 8, Richmond City Council voted to approve a resolution establishing the policies and procedures for its civilian review board, which is intended to provide oversight to the Richmond Police Department.
The concept of a civilian review board in Richmond isn't a new one -- in fact, this process officially began in 2020, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Legislation allowing localities to create such boards was signed into law by then-governor Ralph Northam that same year.
In line with comprehensive recommendations made to reform the city's police force, Richmond City Council created a task force that would establish a civilian review board. The task force met several times in 2021 and its members heard from the public on what it wanted from such a board.
The task force submitted its design for the civilian review board in Aug. 2021, recommending that the city council empower the civilian review board to do the following:
- Make and receive complaints, including ones received prior to the board's inception
- Issue subpoenas
- Make binding disciplinary decisions
- Audit police data and create public reports
- Review police policy and make new policy recommendations
- Review the department's budget and make budgetary decisions
Then-mayor Levar Stoney submitted a proposal to city council in March 2022. Said proposal lacked multiple of the items listed above, including subpoena power, direct authority to discipline and the ability to work directly on policy or budgets.
This proposal was immediately criticized by the Richmond NAACP, but Stoney defended himself, claiming this was the maximum authority he could give the board under Virginia law. The city's final version of the proposal still lacked these powers and described the board as having an advisory role.
Richmond City Council voted to formally establish the civilian review board in Oct. 2022 -- however, it delayed voting on its policies and procedures.
It's been nearly three years now and the board still has no policies or procedures, as city council continues to put off calling such a vote. Without policies and procedures, the board's eight members cannot be appointed -- though city council asked for applicants in the summer of 2024. Those applications were closed in Aug. 2024.
One recent effort to create them was delayed repeatedly in early 2025 until it was ultimately withdrawn. A month later, in May, another resolution was submitted, which -- after multiple further delays between then and now -- made it onto Monday night's agenda, following the recommendation of a council committee on Sept. 2.
That resolution, as well as its proposed policies and procedures, is included in full below.
The 18-page book of standard operating procedures (SOPs) details the civilian review board's purpose, scope and powers.
It emphasizes that the board serves an "advisory" role: under these proposed SOPs, it would review and investigate reports of misconduct -- including things like officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths and more -- but it could not act directly upon them.
Instead, the board would be able to make recommendations to the city council, Mayor Danny Avula and Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards on these investigations. It would also be able to submit recommendations on law enforcement practices, policies and procedures.
The board would also be tasked with "foster[ing] trust between the public and the Richmond Police Department."
On Monday, the Richmond City Council voted to approve these policies and procedures as part of the meeting's consent agenda -- meaning it passed as part of a "block" vote alongside several different legislative actions. There was no discussion by the council on this particular item and no residents spoke about it during the public hearing.
Beyond Monday night's vote, it's unclear what the timeline is for the civilian review board's member appointment process. As of the time of reporting, the only named person associated with the board is its manager, Joseph Lowery, who was appointed over a year ago in Feb. 2024.
