The Alexandria City Council will receive a staff proposal next month on a community police review board, and Councilman Mo Seifeldein says he wants the body to have independent investigative authority and subpoena power in investigating police misconduct.
“Don’t abuse your power is what it comes down to,” Seifeldein said in a virtual meeting on Tuesday night. “The board could receive complaints that deal with abuse of power, serious misconduct… unnecessary force, unreasonable excessive use of force, use of racial, ethnic or sexual language/ remarks or just harassment, generally.”
Seifeldein, who introduced the legislation that passed unanimously in June, said that allegations of misconduct have been swept under the rug for far too long, and that there are about 150 police review boards in jurisdictions across the country. In Virginia, there are such board in Fairfax County, Virginia Beach and Charlottesville.
As previously reported, there has been a renewed focus on police activities this year. During the pandemic when a third of patrol officers were sent home to telework, followed by national unrest over policing in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The department recently fired an officer for unjustified use of force, and his case was moved to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office for review. The move, which was made by Police Chief Michael Brown, was met with criticism by some officers, and an internal survey conducted by the Alexandria chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association found that morale was low and that a majority of officers surveyed were wary of not receiving a fair administrative process if their conduct is called into question.
Seifeldein said he has met with a number of community groups regarding the new board, including the Alexandria NAACP, Grassroots Alexandria, Tenants & Workers United and the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association.
“We’re doing the best we can to make sure that we have everyone input, before I share my thoughts with my colleagues and the city,” Seifeldein said.
Recent Stories
The long and tangled history of the Appomattox statue that once stood at the intersection of S. Washington Street and Prince Street took another turn this week as ALXnow learned…
Two Alexandria City Public Schools will be getting metal detectors before the end of this school year. On Thursday night, the School Board voted 7-0 (Board Chair Meagan Alderton and…
A 5 BD/3 BA home with a screened porch, two wood burning fireplace and stone patio is included in Just Listed.
It’s that time of year: Girl Scout cookies are back in season. Cookie both sales are starting to pop up around Alexandria starting today. You could chance stumbling across one,…
Hi, my name is Moneim Z., and I am a blind male with chronic kidney disease, who needs a living kidney donor for a transplant. My blood type is B+, and I can accept a kidney from individuals who have blood types B and O.
To read my story, please see the attached letter.
To contact me directly, please email me at [email protected] or call at 571-428-5065. My living donor coordinator at INOVA Hospital, Amileen Cruz can be reached at (703) 776-8370 , or via email at [email protected]
Thank you!
If you’re looking for a mental health professional in Virginia, Washington D.C., or Maryland, we can help.
We provide a confidential and convenient way to get the help you need from the comfort of your own home.
We offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if our services fit your needs.
The services we offer are:
