Community Police Advisory Board

The Fayetteville City Council established the Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) in August 2021. The Council approved the charter(PDF, 420KB) for the CPAB on August 23, 2021. CPAB members will review and recommend ways to improve Police Department Practices and Policies. The Board will advise the City Council, Police Chief and City Manager. City Council Members will appoint nine members and one alternate member to serve on the Board. Board members meet monthly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I sign up for Public Forum?

Sign Up for Public Forum at a Community Police Advisory Board Meeting

Rules of Decorum for Public Comment

Public input and participation are of the utmost importance to the Community Police Advisory Board. The Board encourages individuals to use this process to bring issues to its attention and to share information relating to public safety. This will allow the Board to be better informed and, therefore, to more effectively make recommendations to the City Council.

Rules are needed to maintain order and decorum. The Rules of Decorum, set forth below, are not intended to limit the content of the speaker's message, but are instead to ensure that this part of the Agenda is conducted in a civil and orderly manner.

  1. Each speaker is allocated 3 minutes to speak. The Chairman or presiding officer may, in their discretion, increase or decrease this time allocation.
  2. A speaker may not share or relinquish any remaining time they have not used to another speaker.
  3. Speakers are only allowed to speak one time during the Public Comment period.
  4. A person may speak only if they have signed up to speak in accordance with the City's procedures. Speaker substitutions at the meeting are not allowed.
  5. Speakers shall refrain from personal attacks and/or threats directed towards City staff or members of the public.
  6. Speakers shall be civil and courteous in their language and presentation. Insults, profanity, use of vulgar language or gestures or other inappropriate behavior are not allowed.
  7. Comments, questions, or jeering from the audience are not allowed. Speakers shall likewise not address or respond to members of the audience.
  8. Speakers should not expect Council members to comment on or respond to their comments directly during the meeting. Speakers will be contacted by a board member for next steps in the process.

What does the Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) do?

The Community Police Advisory Board has been formed to review and recommend improvements to the policies and practices of the police department to the City Council, City Manager and Police Chief. The board also serves as a liaison between the police department and the community. The scope of authority for CPAB is advisory only.

Goal

The goal is to provide a venue for residents of Fayetteville to address issues and concerns relating to public safety. A successful public participation process is necessary for the board and stakeholders to be engaged in a common purpose while addressing public concerns, desires, and interests as it relates to creating a safe and secure environment for all residents of the city. Inclusive and effective representation will include reaching out to representatives of the full range of relevant stakeholder interests regardless of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation or income. By involving any citizens an opportunity to provide input, the board will review and make recommendations based on the needs and interests of all stakeholders and vulnerable populations, and stakeholders better understand and are more invested in the outcomes. As a result, decisions that are informed by public participation processes are seen as more legitimate and are less subject to challenge. Decision-makers who fully understand stakeholder interests also become better communicators, able to explain decisions and decision rationale in terms stakeholders understand and in ways that relate to stakeholders' values and concerns.

Public participation is a process, not a single event. It consists of a series of activities and actions by the board over the full lifespan of a project to both inform the public and obtain input from them. Public participation affords stakeholders (those that have an interest or stake in an issue, such as individuals, interest groups, communities) the opportunity to influence decisions that affect their lives.

When done in a meaningful way, public participation will result in two significant benefits: 1. The board will make better and more easily implementable decisions that reflect public interests and values and are better understood by the public 2. Communities develop long-term capacity to solve and manage challenging social issues, often overcoming long standing differences and misunderstandings.

Transparency represents the willingness of agencies to fully share the information, criteria, and deliberations of decision-making with the public. Without transparency, public input will not be based on the same considerations that decision-makers are actually using to make decisions. As a result, the public is unlikely to understand why decisions are made or how those decisions will impact them. Much public outrage is a result of not being provided complete and timely information, or being excluded from the process. The process should develop trust.

Promise

The board promises to provide public forums at the end of each meeting to listen to participants' concerns, interests and desires as it relates to public safety. The board will review the comments at the following meeting and use input as consideration for making recommendations to the City Council when appropriate. Participants will receive a post meeting communication and future discussions and recommendations will be shared on the CPAB website in the way of agendas, meeting minutes and participant input recordings.

Pre-meeting Communication

Meeting dates and times to be posted, Sign Up to speak request to be placed on website for submission to include procedures, rules of decorum, nature of purpose and submit for presentation if needed. Request to include name, address, email, and telephone number. Until the website is completed, they may sign up through the City Clerk or up to 5 minutes prior to the start of the meeting at the meeting location.

Posting of Meeting

Meeting posted 2 weeks before and again 5 days before. Sign up until 5 minutes before the start of the meeting if slots are available. Allow a total of 30 minutes with 4 slots of 3 min, 2 min in between to change (set up presentation) and 5 minutes for welcome at the beginning and thank you at the end by the Chairman. Start at 7: 30pm after the open forum meeting.

Different Types of Participating

Allow remote or write in participation if needed on a website and use a slot to include in the process. Information will be shared with all board at the meeting during this time period.

Post-meeting Communication

Board member to follow up to restate concern, interests or desires and thank them for participation as well as remind them how to continue to follow the board activities for ongoing feedback.

Who is eligible to serve on the Community Police Advisory Board?

  • Must be 18 years of age
  • Members must reside within the City Limits of Fayetteville for the last 6 months prior to application.
  • Applicants to serve on the board must complete an application which will be submitted to the office of the City Clerk pursuant to application process
  • Members will be required to complete the Citizen Police Academy, complete one ride along and participate in other group learning opportunities

Can a person serve on 2 Boards and Commissions?

It shall be the policy of the City Council to allow an individual to serve on no more than two boards or commissions at a time; providing that one of the two Boards and Commissions meet on an "as needed" basis. The Community Police Advisory Board will be ineligible for members to serve on multiple boards.

Can I resign from the current board I am serving on and apply for the Community Police Advisory Board?

No, per standard procedure, those who resign from a Board or Commission must wait 1 full year to reapply for appointment to a City of Fayetteville Board or Commission.