Inaugural BART Police Watchdog Meeting To Address SF Shooting
OAKLAND (KCBS) – A newly-formed board that will serve as a watchdog for Bay Area Rapid Transit Police was set to hold its first meeting Tuesday - with the July 3rd fatal BART police shooting in San Francisco at the top of the list of priorities.
45-year-old Charles Hill was wielding a knife and refusing to comply when he was shot dead by a BART officer at the Civic Center station, according to investigators. The shooting prompted a noisy protest at the station on Monday afternoon which disrupted service.
The formation of the Citizen Review Board comes in response to the January 2009 killing of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer.
The 11-member board will, among other things, look at allegations of police misconduct and will consider findings from the newly-installed Independent Police Auditor.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
"Most importantly we want to create a vehicle for the citizens of the Bay Area to have a direct impact on the BART Police policies and procedures," said William White, who is a member of the panel.
BART District 7 Director Lynette Sweet said the citizen board will bring more transparency to the agency's police force.
"What we promised the public after the 2009 incident is that we would never ever do what we did, and that is not be forthcoming with information," said Sweet.
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