A citizens' commission tasked with monitoring the St. Paul Police Department is seeking new members, with nearly half its seats currently vacant.
The Police Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission, referred to as the PCIARC, started in 1993. Its nine commissioners review St. Paul Police policies and incidents between police and residents in order to recommend changes to procedure and how officers are disciplined. The commission has been central to monitoring the city's police department, influencing the decision to fire five St. Paul officers for failing to stop an assault by an ex-officer and drawing attention to officer misconduct complaints that were withheld.
Because commissioners have resigned for personal and professional reasons, four seats on the commission are open. Those seats represent wards 5, 6 and 7, which include Como Park, the North End, Payne-Phalen, the greater East Side, Dayton's Bluff and Battle Creek. An additional seat will also open when the three-year term of the group's vice chair expires in January. But commission chair Erin Hayes says now may be the best time to join.
"We have an amazing opportunity in St. Paul with a new police chief coming on board to continue to open new ways of dialogue with the department, to continue to drive home what our community is expecting out of our police force," Hayes said.
"As much as we are collaborative with our SPPD partners, we definitely look through the lens of accountability when we are evaluating these cases. Because when you are in our communities and you are carrying deadly weapons, or you are in a position of perceived power, if nobody is providing that check and balance from a community perspective then we have a problem."
That community perspective is important to the PCIARC, which wants members who are passionate, honest, and represent all of the city's seven wards. Commissioners even pushed for changes to the application process, removing "invasive and overly intensive" questions that may have discouraged people from applying.
Applicants must be St. Paul residents who are at least 18 years old. No minimum level of education is required to qualify. Commissioners must also complete the city's Civilian Police Academy, a 10-week program that teaches residents how the Police Department works. Two such academies are planned for 2023. The first begins in January. The second is expected to start in late 2023, and each academy hosts around 30 people.
The commission will share more information about recruitment and its work during its annual summit at the Rondo Community Library at 6 p.m. on Nov. 17. The event will give commissioners a chance to collect feedback and to meet with St. Paul's incoming chief of police.
Axel Henry, a 24-year veteran of the department, was sworn in as the city's newest police chief Wednesday after unanimous confirmation by the City Council. Henry could play a major role in public safety in St. Paul, which is transitioning to a community-first model backed by $10 million in federal funds.
PCIARC Coordinator Kevin Carlisle said the commission is crucial for voicing residents' priorities.
"The commission is very essential to the trust between the police and the communities they serve," Carlisle said. "We're here trying to build those relationships, and the better we can work together the better we can have a better understanding."
More information about applying is here. Interviews would begin around mid-December, and approved commissioners would start in February.
