What to Know
- Afroza Hossain, retired Judge Benjamin Lerner and Maryelis Santiago all announced their resignations from the Citizens Police Oversight Commission, which focuses on Philadelphia Police reform.
- Judge Lerner told NBC10 there have been serious problems with the CPOC. Hossain also said turmoil has been brewing for a while and the CPOC can no longer function. She placed much of the blame on individual commissioners in her resignation letter.
- Jahlee Hatchett, the chairman of the CPOC, said he was surprised by the resignations. While he acknowledged that there were disagreements, he referred to them as growing pains and disputed most of Hossain’s allegations. Another commissioner, Hassan Bennett, denied all of Hossain’s allegations, referring to them as “malicious.”
The commission composed of citizens responsible for overseeing the Philadelphia Police Department is facing turmoil. The NBC10 Investigators confirmed three commissioners resigned from the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) on Tuesday, May 30.
The CPOC is an independent oversight agency created in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and subsequent calls for police reform across the country.
The CPOC was voted and passed by Philadelphia's City Council in June 2020 and in November 2020, more than 500,000 Philadelphia voters approved the ballot measure.
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The CPOC focuses on police reform by analyzing the policies, practices and customs of the Philadelphia Police Department, reviewing department procedures and holding public meetings to discuss police matters.
On May 30, three of the nine commissioners with the CPOC – Afroza Hossain, retired Judge Benjamin Lerner and Maryelis Santiago – resigned, the NBC10 Investigators confirmed.
Judge Lerner told NBC10 there have been serious problems with the CPOC. Hossain also said turmoil has been brewing for a while and the CPOC can no longer function. She placed much of the blame on individual commissioners in her resignation letter.
Investigators
Digging deeper into stories that affect the Philadelphia region
“It has become abundantly clear to me that this commission is dysfunctional, toxic and unable to function as needed,” Hossain wrote. “And that is solely due to the behavior of a few commissioners who have created this untenable situation in which we now find ourselves.”
Jahlee Hatchett, the chairman of the CPOC, said he was surprised by the resignations. While he acknowledged that there were disagreements, he referred to them as growing pains and disputed most of Hossain’s allegations.
Another commissioner, Hassan Bennett, denied all of Hossain’s allegations, referring to them as “malicious.”
NBC10 also obtained a statement by Santiago on her resignation.
“I wholeheartedly believe that the work that CPOC has been tasked to do could have a major impact on policing and serve as a national model if done with accuracy, accountability and transparency,” she wrote. “While the work of the commission has proven to be challenging, I don’t believe it is impossible! However, since I am unable to devote the time required to achieving these objectives, I can only wish every one of the commissioners the best and I am eager to see how the Citizens Police Oversight Commission continues to develop in the City of Philadelphia.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office also released a statement on May 30 on the resignations.
“The Citizens Police Oversight Commission is an independent agency created by City Council that provides recommendations to the Mayor, Managing Director, and Police Commissioner,” the spokesperson wrote. “It is a valued partner to the Administration and does not report to the Managing Director or the Mayor. We are aware of CPOC Commissioner Afroza Hossain’s resignation letter, which was sent to Councilman Jones, City Council members and CPOC staff. It was not sent to the Managing Director’s Office or the Mayor’s Office.”
Curtis Jones, Jr., 4th District Councilmember and Majority Leader of Philadelphia City Council, released a statement on the resignations as well, and described the CPOC's commissioner selection process.
“An extensive selection process completed in 2022 by the Selection Panel for (CPOC) included the review of 320 applicants who applied to serve as one of the initial commissioners. The application generated a diverse applicant pool, which mirrored the population that is most likely to be stopped by police in Philadelphia,” he wrote. “The selection panel gave second interviews to 32 finalists and recommended 9 who they collectively believed would be helpful in enhancing police oversight in Philadelphia.”
Similar to Hatchett, Jones also referred to “growing pains” within the commission.
“In forming a new independent oversight commission, growing pains are inevitable,” he wrote. “I thank the Commissioners for their hard work and for their willingness to serve CPOC. As we begin moving in the direction of selecting new replacement Commissioners, it is imperative that we choose those who are committed to the mission, dedicated to serving, and willing to begin the tough work ahead.”
While the CPOC is a board of nine commissioners, Hatchett said their bylaws allow a minimum of six members and he expects their work to continue.
Current Commissioner Speaks Out
A day after the resignations, one of the commissioners who was called out specifically by Hossain in her resignation letter, spoke with the NBC10 Investigators.
Commissioner Rosaura Torres Thomas told NBC10 she joined CPOC a little over a year ago because she wanted to make a difference.
"Transparency and accountability is a big thing in the new legislation when it comes to CPOC,” Thomas said. “And I intended to follow that."
In her resignation letter, Hossain accused Thomas and three other commissioners of creating a "toxic culture."
Hossain also wrote there was, "no way forward except either to dissolve the commission or to oust the four commissioners in question who have created this toxic dysfunction and obstacles, and revise legislation to have better guardrails in place for the commission."
In response to Hossain’s statements, Thomas told NBC10, “everything she said was incorrect."
CPOC has not released any reports or findings since April of 2022 when the commissioners were sworn in.
Thomas also claimed that CPOC has done very little since she became a commissioner.
"There has been a lot of resistance,” she said. “And not from the police department."
Thomas told NBC10 staff members have given little access to commissioners.
"When I looked over the legislation, it gave us the position to request for information. To request to look over reports. But sadly there was a lot of resistance and we never got that,” she said.
Chairman Hatchett disagreed with Thomas’ assessment.
"There have been growing pains and we've been working through those things. From my perspective we've been working with the staff,” he said. This is just starting from the ground up. Being able to come up with the bylaws which took an extensive amount of work."
CPOC was initially supposed to vote for a new executive director on May 31. That vote was put on hold given recent allegations.
New Selection Process Begins
A week after the resignations, Jones told NBC10 city council and Mayor Kenney will be choosing a selection panel which will then pick three new commissioners for CPOC, similarly to the first selection process. This time, however, Jones said he wants "character" to be part of the criteria for the new commissioners.
"We will also add a character interview part that says mental toughness," Jones said.
Jones also told NBC10 he wants commissioners who can build consensus. He also expects the new commissioners to be selected by the end of the summer.
The NBC10 Investigators reached out to Hossain, Santiago and Lerner for comment no the new selection process. Hossain declined to comment while Lerner and Santiago responded.
“To be crystal clear, I refused to accept any payment from the Citizens Police Oversight Commission and had no financial benefit from the experience," Santiago wrote. "I was committed to bringing about change from the start and seeing it through at no cost, but I didn't want to sacrifice my sanity in the process. Being "mentally tough" is considerably different than actively deciding to cope with dysfunction and running the risk of reputational damage. I owe it to myself and those who have paved away for me to always act on what I feel and this didn’t feel right. Again, I respectfully wish CPOC luck and stand by my decision to leave.”
“I have not seen or heard his remarks, and I don’t know [what] he means by them. So, I can’t respond to them,” Lerner wrote. “But, thank you for the opportunity to do so. I will say that nobody with any regard for facts would question the “mental toughness” of someone who served as a public defender during the “tough on crime” years of 1975-1990 and who presided over our court’s homicide calendar room and Direct File/Decertification Program for over fifteen years, during which Philadelphia witnessed significant reductions in homicides and gun violence. Councilmember Jones has a high regard for facts, so I doubt that his comments were intended to reflect adversely on the “mental toughness” of any of the three of us who resigned last week as CPOC Commissioners.”
