The Civilian Review Board (CRB) voted Monday night to issue new requests for proposals for an attorney and an administrator, taking steps to fill two key vacancies as the police-accountability body continues to navigate staffing turnover. The discussion and vote took place during the CRB’s mon thly meeting, held via Zoom. The CRB provides independent oversight of investigations into alleged misconduct by New Haven police officers. Click here, here, and here to read recent articles about the CRB’s meetings and work. All members in attendance on Monday — Chair AnneMarie Rivera Berrios, Germano Kimbro, Alder Frank Redente, Ebony Bowden-Moore, Nina Faucett, and Jean Jenkins — voted in favor of issuing both requests. According to the board’s bylaws, the administrator is responsible for administering subpoenas, managing standardized forms related to civilian complaints and internal affairs investigations, and serving as the board’s administrative liaison with complainants, officials, agencies, the public, and police representatives. The contracted position also oversees day-to-day operations, including scheduling review committees, tracking investigations, recording meeting minutes, and drafting documents, and is renewed annually through the request-for-proposals process every three years. The board first approved issuing a new request for proposals for an attorney after a previous solicitation expired without resulting in a hire. Rivera Berrios told members that the city had advised the board it would need to reissue the request in order to move forward. “We were told by the city that we need to put out another one if we want to move forward,” Rivera Berrios said during the meeting. The board then voted to issue a separate request for proposals for a new administrator following the departure of its previous administrator, Aly Heimer, who board leadership said would not be applying for the position. “Our administrator is no longer with us,” Rivera Berrios said. Heimer joined the board as administrator in February 2023. She told the Independent that she “decided not to pursue a renewal” of her contract. “I am extremely proud of the work the Board has accomplished during my tenure as Administrator,” she said in a written comment. She described finalizing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Yale University Police Department and the city “to ensure YPD has an oversight mechanism in place and provides the CRB with quarterly reports;” working with the Board of Alders to update the CRB ordinance to “allow for more flexibility in oversight and codify information sharing;” improving the CRB’s relationship with the New Haven Police Department so that the CRB “now receives un-redacted complaints;” and filling out the board’s bylaws to strengthen leadership roles, clarify member responsibilities, and build opportunities for ongoing training. She also described growing the board’s presence nationally by becoming members of the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE). “On a personal level I am grateful to have visited George Floyd Square in Minneapolis during the most recent NACOLE training conference so I could pay my respects. It reminds me to take a moment to honor those who have fought for policing justice for decades and how much we have done and the work yet to do. I sincerely hope someone else from the community will feel empowered to step up and help the CRB push their goals forward.”  When Heimer joined the board, she did so amid mounting concerns about administrative backlogs and internal frustrations. She was tasked with handling day-to-day operations and catching up on years of overdue meeting minutes as the board worked to stabilize its processes. Now, the CRB’s votes clear the way for the board to begin the process of refilling two positions that play a central role in its oversight work. The post CRB Searches For New Admin, Lawyer appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less