| Board Composition: | The San Antonio Police Department is asking for any residents interested in serving the community to apply for the Chief’s Advisory Action Board (CAAB). As part of the Police Executive Research Forum study, the group recommended a change in the composition and appointment of the board. This change would result in a balance between the rights of the accused officers and the interests of the community the department is meant to protect. As a result, the San Antonio Police Officers Association and the San Antonio Police Department agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that the board will be comprised of 7 appointees selected from a panel of fourteen (14) members. Seven uniformed employees will also serve on the Board. The Collective Bargaining Agreement was passed by Mayor and City Council in September 2016.
There will be opportunities to rotate citizens on the Board. Members of the board of the Advisory Action Board will be required to attend the Chief’s Advisory Action Board (CAAB) meetings in the conference room located within the Internal Affairs Office. Meeting frequency is dependent on the caseload but could occur bi-weekly. Additionally, they will be required to prepare for the meetings by reviewing the cases that will be discussed and voted on during the course of the meetings.
During the board meetings, the members will hear a detailed briefing of the various cases that are on the agenda by their respective investigator and will also have the opportunity to question the complainants as well as the accused officers, if the complainants and/or officers choose to attend the meetings. The board members will then be given the opportunity to cast a secret ballot on how the case should be disposed of. If the case is sustained by a majority, the members will have a second vote to determine a recommended discipline. Members should be aware that their decisions are only recommendations, and the final decision on the various cases under investigation will be made by the Chief of Police.
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