Q&A
Council Member Brewer questions Dr. Khalid on CCRB operations and police oversight
1:05:24
·
3 min
Council Member Gale A. Brewer questions Dr. Mohammad Khalid about his experience with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) during the Bloomberg administration and current issues facing the board. Dr. Khalid discusses the lack of quorum in recent meetings, the relationship between CCRB and NYPD, and potential changes to improve CCRB's effectiveness.
- Dr. Khalid emphasizes that during his previous 9-year tenure, CCRB always had a chair and full quorum, unlike recent issues.
- The discussion touches on the contentious Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CCRB and NYPD, with concerns about police commissioners dismissing CCRB recommendations.
- Dr. Khalid suggests changes to the MOU and giving more power to CCRB to ensure its investigations are respected and implemented.
Gale A. Brewer
1:05:24
Thank you very much.
1:05:26
My question is now we have no I mean, this is like again, we're reading in the press.
1:05:31
This is like you are.
1:05:32
We have no chair.
1:05:33
I don't know if we have a quorum.
1:05:35
Hopefully, you will be joining that will help the quorum.
1:05:39
And so was that ever the situation during the Bloomberg administration where you didn't have a quorum and you didn't have a chair and therefore you can't conduct business?
Dr. Mohammad Khalid
1:05:49
No.
1:05:49
There was never ever.
1:05:51
This is the first time I also read in the press that the last meeting, there was no quorum.
1:05:56
And I
Gale A. Brewer
1:05:56
have one today at 4 o'clock, actually.
1:05:58
We'll see what happens.
Dr. Mohammad Khalid
1:06:00
So they could not have any quorum that time.
1:06:03
Last meeting, which is a monthly meeting.
1:06:05
In Bloomberg time, when I was there for 9 years and few months, we always had a chair.
1:06:11
And every time the meeting was with the full quorum and everything was done according to what the business of the day was.
Gale A. Brewer
1:06:18
Okay.
1:06:19
And then there is a you know, the MOU is probably somewhat contentious between the police and the CCRB.
1:06:27
Do you think as time goes on, does that need to be changed?
1:06:31
It was a little disheartening to hear that recently, the recent police commissioner dismissed 54 of the suggestion by CCRB.
1:06:39
That's a lot of that was a big number, at least for occupancy.
1:06:42
So my question is, again, this is past, not present, But do you think there are ways that that could be tweaked, or is it just a question about more communication, which is what you've indicated earlier?
1:06:54
Because this is a really important topic.
1:06:57
It's also I know I have friends on the board.
1:06:59
It's very time consuming.
1:07:00
This is not a go to a meeting and leave kind of board.
1:07:03
You actually do the work.
1:07:04
You're a working board.
Oudeshram “Raj” Rampershad
1:07:06
Right.
Gale A. Brewer
1:07:06
And so my question is, do you think there are ways that if is it more than communication that has to improve between police department and CCRB, or do you think that there has to be a change to the membrane of understanding?
Dr. Mohammad Khalid
1:07:19
I think they both cases has to be changed.
1:07:24
I I believe that in order to have the cases which is just be thrown out, and and the agency has done all work on that.
1:07:35
It's not fair, I think, to the public.
1:07:37
It's not fair to the NYPD.
1:07:39
If this agency is in existence, I I believe in the beginning, it was installed in 1950.
1:07:47
It's a small agency.
1:07:49
But, actually, their dinken installed it, I think, 25 years ago.
Gale A. Brewer
1:07:53
At least 1989, I was there
Crystal Hudson
1:07:55
a part of the charter.
1:07:57
Share.
Gale A. Brewer
1:07:57
I was there.
Dr. Mohammad Khalid
1:07:57
So it was made as the independent agency.
1:08:02
I think, like, this is a very sensitive matter between public and NYPD, NYPD protects us all public, but at the same time, public has certain rights.
1:08:15
I think there should be some change in memorandum as well and give more power to the CCRB because investigation is done in a very thorough way.
1:08:28
So when the result comes out and if that result is not implemented, then what is the purpose of the CCRB then?
1:08:37
You know?
Gale A. Brewer
1:08:37
Thank you very much, Mister Cheah.
