Bill To Create County-Wide Police Accountability Review Board

SQUIRREL HILL (KDKA) - In the wake of last summer's shooting of Antwon Rose II, legislation is being proposed, that if passed, would implement a police accountability review board for Allegheny County.

It would be similar to the one already in place within the city of Pittsburgh.

But the bill is only in the public discussion phase so far and it's already proving controversial.

Squirrel Hill is District 11, home to one of the bill's Co-sponsors Allegheny County Councilman Paul Klein.

Klein and the other bill's sponsor Councilman Dewitt Walton say there are not any citizen eyes on investigations where grave matters are at stake and there should be.

Inside Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill a small meeting with huge implications. Allegheny County Councilman Paul Klein is the co-sponsor of a bill to establish a county-wide police accountability review board.

In the wake of the shooting of Antwon Rose in the summer of 2018, Allegheny County residents and activists amplified their call for greater accountability of county law enforcement agencies.

The review board would be similar to legislation passed by the City of Pittsburgh. There are about 105 police agencies within the 132 or so municipalities in Allegheny County and civilian eyes, Klein and others say, need to be part of some investigations.

"The glare of the camera follows us so I think that's there's a greater push for peoples, for professionals to be more accountable. There's a greater push for transparency," says Paul Klein, a
Democrat representing Allegheny County in District 11.

The proposed board would include nine members, county residents to whom Council members will nominate six members and the County Executive, three.

Two seats would be reserved for residents with prior experience in law enforcement. The idea is to bring about balance and community responsibility.

"It's not a great place for everyone who lives here and I think the shooting and killing of Antwon Rose Junior last summer really brought that out in front of us in a way that should not have happened," said Mary Crossley who supports the idea of a county police review board.

To read all of Bill #10909-18, click here.