ARTICLE 1 – NAME AND PURPOSE
The Campus Citizen Review Board (CCRB) was established in January 2021 to promote accountability, trust, and communication among the Binghamton University community and the Binghamton University Police Department (BUPD). The CCRB will impartially review the process and outcome of allegations of police misconduct and make recommendations in a timely manner regarding complaints filed by members of the campus community against the BUPD. The CCRB will also make policy, procedures, and training recommendations.
ARTICLE 2 – QUALIFICATIONS
CCRB members must: (1) commit the necessary time throughout the academic year for CCRB training and meetings; (2) prepare and read the appropriate materials in connection with making recommendations; and (3) maintain ethical standards, including confidentiality.
In order to ensure independence, no member of the CCRB can be a current Binghamton University Police Department employee or a current employee of the University Office of Legal Counsel.
ARTICLE 3 – COMPOSITION
The CCRB shall comprise the following:
- three (3) students, at least one undergraduate and at least 1 graduate;
- three (3) faculty members;
- four (4) staff members, at least one of which must be a classified staff member;
- two (2) co-chairs;
- one (1) paid research assistant;
- one (1) at-large position;
- one (1) community member not currently affiliated with the university who has university law enforcement expertise; and
- one (1) non-voting administrative assistant.
ARTICLE 4 – NOMINATION & SELECTION
The co-chairs are appointed as follows: one by the President and one by the Faculty Senate.
The non-university affiliated community member will be appointed by the President.
Solicitation of nominations for the other voting CCRB members will come from the President.
The selection of CCRB members from these nominations will be done by the CCRB Selection Committee. The selection committee will consist of the CCRB Co-Chairs, two members appointed by the faculty senate, one member appointed by the President, one member appointed by the Professional staff senate, one member appointed by the GSO, and one member appointed by the student association. The CCRB member nominees selected by the Selection Committee will be forwarded to the President for approval and appointment to the board.
ARTICLE 5 – TERMS
CCRB members will serve for one 3-year term. CCRB members may be appointed for one additional 3-year term, for a maximum of six (6) consecutive years served.
In the Spring Semester, the Selection Committee will work with the various entities on campus to fill anticipated vacancies and to develop a pipeline of candidates. In the event that a board member can no longer fulfill their term, the CCRB Co-Chairs will solicit nominations for candidates to complete the term from the leaders of the respective campus governance groups (e.g., a faculty member’s term will be filled by a board member selected by faculty senate executive committee pending approval by the president; an undergraduate student’s term will be filled by a board member selected by the student association pending approval by the President).
ARTICLE 6 – OFFICERS
The CCRB shall be co-chaired by one designee of the President and one tenured faculty member appointed by the Senate Executive Committee to serve a 3-year term. The faculty co-chair may be appointed for one additional 3-year term, for a maximum of six (6) consecutive years served.
ARTICLE 7 – ETHICS
The CCRB will be governed by the Code of Ethics, which is modeled on the Code of Ethics developed by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE).
ARTICLE 8 – REMOVAL
The appointment of any CCRB member who has been absent without excuse from three (3) consecutive regular or special meetings shall automatically terminate effective on the third such unexcused absence.
Any breach of the CCRB’s Code of Ethics will be cause for review by the co-chairs and a subset of the CCRB. The co-chairs may remove a CCRB member for cause, including transgressions of policy, confidentiality, or ethical standards. Removal decisions of members may be appealed to the President. The co-chairs serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.
ARTICLE 9 – QUORUM AND DECISION MAKING
The presence of more than half of the members shall constitute a meeting quorum. The CCRB shall strive to make decisions using a consensus of the members in attendance provided that a quorum exists. By working toward consensus, the CCRB will use a decision-making process that values listening and respectful negotiation and will model these for the broader community.
ARTICLE 10 – RECUSAL
CCRB members must recuse themselves from a matter when (1) an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of such a conflict exists; (2) there is an appearance of impropriety; or (3) a member is concerned with whether he or she can participate in an unbiased manner.
ARTICLE 11 – TRAINING AND CONFIDENTIALITY COMMITMENTS
Where appropriate, CCRB members may receive training developed by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement and others regarding police procedures, relevant legal issues, impartiality, the confidential nature of police misconduct investigations and discipline, and the civilian oversight field. CCRB members will also have the opportunity to accompany members of the BUPD on a ride along.
Each member shall execute a confidentiality agreement.
ARTICLE 12 – CCRB POWERS AND DUTIES
The CCRB will:
- Review relevant BUPD policies and procedures.
- Review reports and outcome of deidentified complaints made by members of the campus community and the general public against the BUPD. The CCRB will not review any complaints filed by BUPD employees.
- Solicit public input as it relates to the mission of the CCRB.
Run its meetings using a consensus-based approach to decision making, but will utilize Robert’s Rules of Order when consensus cannot be reached in a reasonable timeframe. - Submit advisory recommendations to the University President and the CCRB Implementation Committee regarding (1) BUPD policies and procedures/training and (2) the outcome of complaints about the BUPD. The CCRB may also solicit progress reports from the Chief of Police regarding policy and training recommendations. The CCRB, however, retains no authority, discretion, or responsibility regarding the ultimate disposition of these matters, including disciplinary determinations and whether CCRB recommendations are accepted, rejected or modified.
- Prepare an annual public report for the President and the Binghamton University community as detailed further in Article 13.
ARTICLE 13 – AMENDMENTS
After consultation with the CCRB, these bylaws and any amendments or supplements thereto may be adopted, amended, altered, supplemented or repealed via Binghamton University’s existing systems of shared governance.
