NC localities have many forms of police accountability. This resource focuses on local residents serving on a formally established review board or advisory board. These boards are chosen by a City Council, Sheriff, Police Chief or in other ways by a high-ranking government official or body.
There is information about which cities and counties have Civilian Advisory Boards (CABs) and Civilian Review Boards (CRBs) and profiles of these newer bodies (see Resources).
In 2021, an initial survey and analysis was published in Police Accountability: Civilian Advisory and Review Boards in North Carolina Local Government.
For people wishing to update their information or identify localities with new CABs or CRBs, please contact John B. Stephens.
The relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve is under the microscope in many communities. Police Accountability: Civilian Advisory and Review Boards in North Carolina Local Government addresses the goals and operations of civilian advisory and review boards in North Carolina. The national picture of the goals, functions, and models of advisory and review boards sets the background for how these bodies work in North Carolina. Profiles of the sixteen cities and three sheriffs’ offices with appointed advisory or review bodies are compared and contrasted in terms of the scope of their duties, their powers to examine particular complaints, and their guidance on key policing issues. Police Accountability is a starting point for North Carolina public leaders to understand and consider action on civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies.