Those are areas of the law where only a reasonable doubt needs to be raised to acquit the officer. But the Human Rights Defense Committee believes that police officers should be held more accountable. Made up mostly of alleged victims of police abuse, the group was formed in 1996 after Gustavo Soto Mesa was shot and killed by a deputy sheriff. The Human Relations Commission, a similar group appointed by the county, just finished a proposal calling for a civilian review board. The proposal was denied.
Most police officers oppose civilian review boards.
Guerrero-Daley agrees that they don't work because average citizens aren't qualified to make decisions about police officers. She says public boards can also have the unintended consequence of intimidating a police officer into silence. The officer feels they're being set up for public ridicule. Michael Ross puts it, an officer never knows what he or she is walking into. But not many, according to local statistics.