Police groups should have NC disciplinary board seats, state lawmakers say

North Carolina police associations should have more power to decide what consequences, if any, police officers should face when they break the law or violate department rules, state lawmakers proposed Thursday.

At a press conference flanked by police officers and leaders of the state’s two biggest groups that represent rank-and-file cops, Rep. Dennis Riddell said those groups should be guaranteed seats on an influential state government commission for police oversight.

The Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission oversees most law enforcement officers in the state, except sheriffs’ deputies. Lawmakers want seats on the commission to be reserved specifically for the state chapters of the Police Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, groups that are akin to police unions and claim to represent thousands of law enforcement officers.

The lawmakers who were backing the bill Thursday were mostly Republicans but also included one Democrat.

“The two associations in North Carolina with the largest membership listings are not on that commission, and that is what we’re trying to correct,” said Riddell, a Republican from Alamance County.

But activists in the Black Lives Matter movement say groups who represent their interests — such as Emancipate NC — should instead have more input.

“The primary reason law enforcement is so out of control is because they are constantly in an echo chamber of their own morals, values and culture,” Dawn Blagrove, the group’s executive director, wrote in an email. “... The only way to break down the blue line is to allow people who suffer at the hands of law enforcement a seat at the accountability table.”

An overview of recent disciplinary cases shows that the oversight commission decides what to do about a wide variety of accusations against officers, such as domestic violence, having affairs with co-workers while on the clock, cheating on tests during training or hiding why they left a previous job.

Sometimes the accused officers are banned from working in law enforcement, either permanently or temporarily. Other times they’re put on probationary status or are cleared entirely.

David Rose, the Police Benevolent Association president for North Carolina, said it’s not that they think the commission is too harsh against officers when it comes to discipline. Getting seats on the board, he said, is more about wanting rank-and-file officers to have a bigger voice in general.

The commission doesn’t just handle discipline. It also sets standards for training and more.

“The perspective of that sworn officer is just not there,” Rose, who is also a Winston-Salem Police lieutenant, said Thursday. “And if you’re going to make decisions about them, it seems reasonable that they can provide you that perspective on ‘This is what really is happening.’”

State law already requires the 35-member commission to have at least eight sworn officers, three police chiefs and four members of the state prison system. Thursday’s bill, filed by Davidson County Republican Sen. Steve Jarvis, would increase the commission to 37 seats to add the union representatives.

“It’s very important that we have them represented on the commission,” he said.

Of the minimum eight sworn officers, at least one must be a woman and at least five must specifically be police officers. In addition to local police, the commission also oversees other types of law enforcement officers. Other seats on the commission are reserved for a mayor, a prosecutor and various state officials like leaders of the university system, Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety and more.

There are also six at-large seats that anyone can be appointed to, chosen by the governor, attorney general and state legislative leaders. Those seats can be given to anyone, but they often go to people with law enforcement backgrounds.

Rose is on the commission now, in one of those at-large seats. He said that while he appreciates the appointment, made by House Speaker Tim Moore, he thinks the PBA deserves a guaranteed seat in the future.