The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved the creation of a civilian commission to oversee the Sheriff’s Department.

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis joined forces to propose the independent commission, the structure of which has yet to be determined. Supervisor Sheila Kuehl backed the plan, while Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe opposed the move in a 3-2 vote.

“It is all about accountability … and constitutional policing,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Ridley-Thomas and ex-Supervisor Gloria Molina had pushed for a civilian review board for more than a year but were unable to garner a third vote on the five-member board. The idea was last rejected in August, before Solis and Kuehl were elected.

“The public trust … has fallen to a new low,” Solis said. “We can’t afford to delay any longer.”

Advocates argued a citizens’ commission was critical, given violence against jail inmates and corruption within the Sheriff’s Department.

The department has “a long history of corruption, evading accountability, violence and (runs) the largest jail system in the world,” said Jas Wade of Dignity & Power Now.

A temporary Citizens’ Commission for Jails Violence was established in 2011 and recommended dozens of reforms the following year. However, implementation of several of those changes is still under way, and the county is facing a pending federal consent decree stemming from its maltreatment of mentally ill inmates.

“Circumstances have not gotten substantially better,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Supervisor Antonovich believed the review board would be “a step backwards,” saying that some of the department’s “darkest days” took place under multiple layers of oversight.

He urged his colleagues to rely on the Office of Inspector General to monitor jail conditions and conduct investigations.

Other opponents of a civilian board, including a representative from the Citizens’ Commission for Jail Violence, said such a commission would have no authority over the elected sheriff without changes to state law. Other critics said a civilian panel could dilute the efforts of Inspector General Max Huntsman.

Backers of the idea said that even an advisory-only board would offer community members a critical voice and a forum for grievances, but today many demanded that the civilian commission be given subpoena power and should not include any current or retired members of law enforcement.

New Sheriff Jim McDonnell, in the post for just a week, has expressed his support for a commission to oversee the department but questioned potential subpoena power.

Interim Undersheriff Neal Tyler, speaking on behalf of McDonnell, reiterated that support Tuesday, saying McDonnell wants to “maximize access.”

Huntsman noted he was willing to work under a civilian review board with the authority to fire him and said the commission’s effectiveness would turn on access rather than legal standing.

“The issue of access … is absolutely critical,” Huntsman said. Success would depend, he said, on “whether or not what they have to say is welcomed by the department.”