Arlington County Appoints Community Members To New Police Oversight Board

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board on Tuesday appointed nine members to the county’s new Community Oversight Board, a public body charged with advising the board on how to improve transparency and accountability in the Arlington County Police Department.

The oversight board will accept complaints about the police from the public, review ACPD investigations into police conduct, and work with the community to improve its relationship with the police department.

The board will consist of seven voting members, who are residents of the county, and two non-voting members, with prior law enforcement experience.

"While their work is just beginning, I have no doubt that they will be integral in constructive oversight of law enforcement and deepening trust and legitimacy between our police and residents,” Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Christian Dorsey said in a statement Tuesday.

Among the COB’s first acts of business will be to establish policies and procedures for its operations. The work of the board will be supported by an independent policing auditor, a new position that the county is in the process of recruiting. The hiring announcement for the independent policing auditor was posted by the county last week.

Earlier this month, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would allow the Arlington County Board to pick the independent police auditor. The bill easily passed the Republican-controlled House of Delegates in a 65-35 vote earlier this year. The bill then passed the Democratic-controlled Senate.

READ ALSO: Arlington Hopes To Clear Youngkin's 'Misreading' Of Police Bill

The bill applied only to Arlington, where state law currently prevents the County Board from direct employment of any staff beyond the county manager, county attorney, clerk and auditor. Because the Arlington County manager appoints the police chief and has supervisor authority over the Arlington County Police Department, the bill aimed to lessen any appearance of conflict and support the police auditor's independence.

With Youngkin's veto, both the new police auditor and Arlington's police chief will report directly to the county manager.

The COB originated as a recommendation from the Police Practices Group, which County Manager Mark Schwartz appointed in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police and the subsequent protests calling for racial justice and police reform. The Arlington County Board voted unanimously on an ordinance last July that established the Community Oversight Board.

The COB members will be volunteering their time and will not be financially compensated for their work on the board. The members will decide their meeting schedule, but state law requires they meet no fewer than 11 times per calendar year.

Along with developing their policies and procedures, one of the first jobs of the members will be to attend training at the National Association of Community Oversight of Law Enforcement on police oversight best practices.

The nine members of the Community Oversight Board were introduced at the Arlington County Board’s recessed meeting on Tuesday.

The seven voting members are:

• Garry Dean, 65, a retired United States Air Force major general with experience as both a military and civilian pilot. He is also the former Deputy USAF Inspector General. He has served as a youth sports coach and is on the board of advisers for the National Youth Impact Program.
• Lisa Ortiz, 58, a senior economist at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where she serves as an agency mentor. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Sasha Ridley, 46, police and military human rights educator at the Department of Defense and the Department of State. She also taught constitutional law at D.C. public schools.
• Julie Evans, 32, a transportation engineer who volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in Arlington and Alexandria. She also has experience promoting adult literacy and women’s health and safety. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Martin Ennis-Osorio, 22, an IT specialist for the U.S. Department of State. He also volunteers for local charities such as Red Cross and Arlington Food Assistance Center. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Anika Montgomery, 41, a licensed Master Social Worker with extensive experience in mental and behavioral health, as well as working with active-duty military. Her volunteer experience includes AFAC and Hospice Care.
• David Smith, 61, counsel for Legal Initiatives at the Executive Office for the US Attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice. He is also co-chair of the Ministry on Race, Reconciliation, and Equity at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Arlington.

The two non-voting members are:

• James Miller, 39, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with eight years in federal law enforcement with the U.S. Department of State and a senior security manager in corporate security. He volunteers with the Arlington Little League.
• Gary Coffee, 61, security consultant in Washington, D.C. He is retired as an FBI Special Agent and supervisor after 22 years, with experience in national security and criminal programs, including civil rights and internal investigations. Prior to that, he served 10 years as a police officer.

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