Mayor Bronin Asks City Council To Recommend PARB

Published on July 21, 2020

HARTFORD, CONN (July 21, 2020) – Today Mayor Luke Bronin announced that he has asked each member of the City Council to recommend nominees for the Police Accountability Review Board, the advisory body created last month to make policy recommendations to the Hartford Police Department.  The Board will be made up of thirteen residents nominated by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council.  The Board is charged with serving as an independent body that engages with residents and gives advice on a number of issues, including but not limited to: cadet recruitment; hiring practices, staffing levels, promotions, managerial/command positions; training practices including de-escalation techniques; and appropriate use of weapons and equipment.

“The Police Accountability Review Board was created to give residents a bigger voice in the policies and practices of the Hartford Police Department, and I am asking the City Council for recommendations to help ensure the PARB has broad representation from our community,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.  “In recent years, the Hartford Police Department has embraced a number of progressive policies and has demonstrated a commitment to building a more diverse force, but we need to work together with our community to take a deeper look, identify areas for improvement, and then work to make those improvements.” 

“Building trust between our police department and our community is key to public safety in our community, and this initiative to give residents themselves a bigger voice in policy changes will be an important step forward,” said City Council President Maly D. Rosado.  “I want to thank my Council colleagues for their initiative to create this board, and we look forward to working with the Mayor to get it up and running.”

“We envision the Police Accountability Review Board as an opportunity to give residents a direct voice to influence police department policy, and we look forward to building a Board through this collaborative process,” said City Council Majority Leader T.J. Clarke II.  “Policies that are influenced by resident feedback help build trust, and we need to build that trust to keep our neighborhoods safe.”