Ann_Arbor_police_car_011315_RJS_02.jpg

An Ann Arbor police car is parked outside Bach Elementary School on a recent afternoon.

(Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)

The idea of establishing a citizen oversight board for the Ann Arbor Police Department is being seriously discussed.

The city's Human Rights Commission at its last meeting established a five-member subcommittee that's looking into the idea.

City Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, the council's liaison to the commission, announced the news at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Kailasapathy said the subcommittee will hold its first meeting soon. She said the meetings will be open to the public and advertised on a2gov.legistar.com.

Interested residents are encouraged to get involved and help make sure the city has a model citizen oversight board, Kailasapathy said.

Linda Winkler, a member of the Human Rights Commission, said the commission has created a subcommittee of its members whose job it now is to look into whether a citizen oversight board for police is a good idea and, if so, what its role should be.

"The subcommittee will be looking at, among other things, what such boards in other cities do and what the effect of their work has been," she said. "The subcommittee will report to the full Human Rights Commission."

The commission would then advise the City Council.

Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, said he thinks it will be tricky to get it right and find the right balance between citizen oversight and the chain of command.

"I've heard negative reviews of these bodies in places like Seattle where the boards didn't have any power and were seen as almost worse than nothing," he said.

The fatal shooting of 40-year-old Aura Rosser by a city police officer in November has prompted serious discussion among city officials and community members, who have called for a review of police department policies regarding use of force, what types of training officers receive on conflict deescalation, and whether Ann Arbor should have a citizen oversight board to review complaints about police.

The City Council voted in December to equip officers with body-worn cameras to record future police interactions with the public.

Police Chief John Seto said on Wednesday he has been meeting regularly with members of the Human Rights Commission and the subject of an oversight or advisory board has been one of the topics of discussion.

"There is a wide range of what a board may look like and many people will have different expectations," Seto said. "I've already heard some during meetings with the community and Human Rights Commission. This is why it is important that we continue the discussions so that clear and realistic expectations are established."

Seto said it's important to point out that the Ann Arbor Police Department already has an internal review process.

"Although I do not believe we need an oversight board, if one is established, I think it will ultimately assist the department in communicating to the public that we already have a very professional organization," Seto said.

Mayor Christopher Taylor said he believes Ann Arbor has a disciplined and professional police department under the respected leadership of Seto.

"I believe that our Human Rights Commission is the appropriate group to work constructively with AAPD to communicate any concerns," he said, "and to ensure that policies and procedures meet our high community expectations."

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com or 734-623-2529 or follow him on Twitter.