Santa Barbara’s Reimagined Fire & Police Commission Opens with First Meeting
New Lineup of Commissioners Begin New Era for Civilian Oversight with Public Meetings
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, advocates around the country pushed for police reform and civilian oversight over law enforcement agencies. Here in Santa Barbara, the city put forward efforts to rethink the local oversight model and come up with a new-and-improved way of governing police.
And although the outcome may not have been exactly what was asked for by members of the Community Formation Commission — the subcommittee originally suggested an independent “civilian oversight board,” but the City Council instead followed city staff recommendations to reconstitute the existing Fire & Police Commission with new members and powers — the new, more transparent, public-facing commission and its group of five new commissioners marks an important milestone for police oversight in Santa Barbara.
On Thursday, the newly reconstituted commission held its first meeting in City Council chambers, with its full agenda available to the public and a livestream broadcast for the first time in history.
