KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Amid calls to bring back the citizen police review board, the Kissimmee City Commission will consider the matter on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
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WFTV spoke with two members of the former board, and they told us they want to see the board brought back, even if a new state law limits its strength.
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That board was first put together in 2021, but dissolved in June when Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law severely limiting the role of oversight boards.
According to the law, the boards are only allowed to review law enforcement policies and procedures, not use of force cases.
Still, former Citizen Police Review Board Vice Chair, Nilisa Council, and board member Nina Hill said they believe bringing back the board could help restore trust in the Kissimmee Police Department amid a grand jury’s call for a “culture change.”
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“If we’re not there, then we don’t have an opinion at all. So, I would rather be there in some type of form,” said Council.
The review board discussion comes as Kissimmee’s interim police chief says he is working to restructure the agency from the ground up following 9 Investigates’ reporting on “systemic issues” with the department.
Regarding the police oversight review board, please note that the board was dissolved as of June 30, 2024, due to recent state legislation that went into effect on July 1st. This change in law significantly limits the role of such boards, particularly in reviewing use-of-force complaints, which they were previously authorized to do.
The matter will be presented at the City Commission’s upcoming meeting on Tuesday to seek their direction on how to proceed. Ultimately, it would be up to the City Commission to determine if they wanted to move forward, how to do so, and if the scope of the board's powers under Florida law would be an effective solution for the Department to address the issues desired to be reviewed.
— City of Kissimmee Spokesperson
This is a developing story. WFTV will have more from the City of Kissimmee and the former police review board members starting at 4 p.m. and WFTV Channel 9.
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