COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – The residents of Columbus are sounding about including citizens through subpoena powers in investigations into the “use of force” that have been concluded by the Columbus Police Department.
The Public Safety Advisory Commission is recommending public safety guidelines to keep your safety and this evening their regulation committee held its first public hearing.
Tonight’s public hearing goes back to a conversation that began last summer when several city councilors urged citizens to review cases of violence.
A committee has met since September to review options for the Citizen Review Board’s subpoena power.
The Public Safety Advisory Board’s Regulatory Committee has developed several options for the community to review the authority to summon a Citizen Review Board in closed investigations involving the use of force by a member of the Columbus Police Department.
“One of the options is to get a majority vote from the council, which means the commission would bring you to the council and you would need six votes,” said Toyia Tucker, District 4 of Columbus City Council, to authorize a commissioner to request a summons, and also a councilor. “
All members of the public who spoke on Monday evening supported some kind of subpoena power for the commission. “We respect authority. We respect our law enforcement agencies, we do. We want full accountability, ”said Tucker.
This only applies to local CPD cases, but Kathy Scott-Lykes attended the session on Monday.
She is still searching for answers after her son Jarvis Lykes was shot dead by a Georgia State Patrol officer while on patrol in Columbus in 2017.
“My situation is a little more difficult because this is a state law enforcement officer, not a local police officer. That is why it is so important to have the support of all who stand by me and help me find justice for my son, ”said Scott-Lykes.
The commission consists of 10 members appointed by the council and one appointed by the mayor.
The Regulations Committee will hold a second public hearing, followed by another meeting where they will review the contributions and reach a unanimous consensus which will be presented to the Council.
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