Wilmington City Council appointed members to its Community Police Accountability Board at its July 10 meeting.
Appointments were approved 8-0 with four absent and one present.
Council member Coby Owens voted present due to a conflict of interest on the board. He said activists in 2020 pushed for more transparency and didn’t get everything they wanted.
Owens added the new board is a result of the activists’ efforts.
“I do know a lot of the people who [are] being appointed to this, and I know that they bring a wealth of knowledge to this,” Owens said. “So I do hope that this gives a great opportunity for more transparency and accountability when it comes to policing and community relations here in the City of Wilmington.”
The General Assembly passed House Bill 206 in 2023, which requires police departments to have public accountability commissions with non-officer members. They’re also required to have a public comment period and an official website.
Wilmington Mayor John Carney selected four members for the board and tapped his special assistant Dwight Holden to serve in his place as a non-voting member. The city’s chief of police also has a non-voting seat.
Wilmington’s Council president Trippi Congo selected the remaining three members.
Police Accountability Board members serve paid terms of two years and can be renewed up to three times.
Council member Chris Johnson presented the resolution in Congo’s place. He said the board has been a long time coming.
“This is a landmark body that will be not only helping to improve police practices, but also giving advice and guidance into how our police department can serve our citizens better,” Johnson said.
Carney selected community member Albert Mills, who has felt the effects of the criminal justice system; Bishop Thomas Weeks; Jennifer Thompkins as a representative from the civil right community and community member Hanifa Shabazz.
Congo selected Darryl L. Chambers from the education community, Andrea Hale-Nichols from the mental health community and community member Nicholas X. Brock.
Johnson and two other council members requested to be added as co-sponsors alongside Congo.
The Police Accountability Board will work with individuals and organizations, making recommendations to Wilmington PD that aim to strengthen the relationship between police and community members.
Funding for the board was approved in this year’s budget. Johnson says the board will likely have its first meeting by the end of the summer.
