Fort Myers' citizens may watch police more closely

EVAN WILLIAMS / FLORIDA WEEKLY Activist Anthony Thomas, center, announcing that a citizens oversight panel may make the ballot. Ready or not, the Fort Myers Police Department might get some extra help — and be watched more closely — by a group of independently elected citizens next year. Local activist, Anthony Thomas, 24, succeeded in collecting enough signatures to put his Citizens Oversight Panel to a vote.

"We've had whites and blacks, Democrats and Republicans, and even some Independents support our position," said Thomas, founder of Citizens for a Better Fort Myers Government.

The petition drive to create an oversight panel was precipitated by the idea that the police department should be accountable to a group other than themselves, said Thomas, who also cited the police shooting of an unarmed, mentally ill Fort Myers-man last February. (A grand jury later exonerated the officer involved in the shooting).

The NAACP Lee County Branch Vice President Willie Battle said, "Some cops, every time they come to the black area, they draw blood."

Interim Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker said he has a strong relationship with the Lee NAACP and ultimately supports a review board, as long as the members have adequate knowledge of police procedures.

"I have no issue with this," Baker said. "I would like to have a group of citizens be involved with the police department and talk about what we do during the day… I think it's critical for us to be transparent and have open lines of communication between community groups."

It took Thomas since last April, when he started the petition drive, to collect the signatures: more than the required 2,508. He is also supported by the Lee NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. The groups held a press conference outside City Hall last Friday to discuss the oversight panel, a city charter amendment that will be put to a vote as early as March 2009.

ACLU of Florida director Howard Simon said the panel would allow people to regain their trust and confidence in police officers they see on the street every day.

"(Police officers) put their lives on the line every day and deserve the support of the public," Simon said.

But Ward 6 City Councilman Tom Leonardo and others, maintain there is already enough regulation for the police department: alleged civil rights violations or other misconduct is regulated by the FBI and state laws. Also, a private group called the Institute for Law and Justice conducted a study of the department two years ago.

"You have a variety of things already in place," said Baker.

About Thomas' proposed panel, Leonardo said, "This particular group says whatever was mandated by law isn't enough… To me, it's kind of redundant."

Thomas said city leaders are out of touch with voters who support the oversight panel and that they tried to downplay his proposed review panel,by creating a similar oversight panel of their own. (city council created a ninemember Citizens Police Oversight Study Committee, which had its first meeting last month.)

"The city council tried to circumvent the process," Thomas said. "The police chief had some kind of midnight conversion."

Simon said the key to the oversight panel is that the members are elected by voters, not appointed by city leaders.

"The key word on this proposal is independent," he said. "A truly independent oversight of police officers. It's not going to be independent if the police department appoints members.

"When you have oversight and you have sunshine, things begin to disinfect themselves," Thomas said.

Councilman Leonardo sees things differently, after living in the New York City area for more than 20 years.

"I come here with a perspective as an outsider," he said. "I have never seen such a clean police department."

Interim Chief Baker said he'll be watching for the city council's decision on whether or not to create a review panel, but isn't following the progress of Thomas' group.

"I'm not going to focus my attention on outside stuff," he said. "That's their thing; it's their rights as citizens."

If the oversight panel receives the required 50 percent or more of the vote, city leaders must form a seven-member board. Voters would then elect one citizen for each of Fort Myers' six wards. The seventh member, a panel director, would be elected by the city council. The group would be funded by taxpayers and have an independent attorney, along with the power to subpoena rules or regulations regarding the police. It would also review the police department's polices and procedures, conduct private investigations regarding officers' behavior; and also, make recommendations to the police department or city leaders that would require a written response within 30 days.