The Community Oversight Board (COB) looks forward to working more closely with newly appointed Chief Drake and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to continue to improve public safety for the Nashville community.
The COB and Metro Nashville Community Oversight (MNCO) staff have worked tirelessly over the past two years to build a civilian oversight of law enforcement agency, but relations with the MNPD did not always match the community’s expectations for cooperation. However, with the construction of a new leadership hierarchy, the Board and MNCO staff are looking forward to an improved working relationship between the departments.
“Chief Drake has publicly acknowledged the importance of cooperation between the Board and the MNPD, emphasizing the duty we have as public servants to carry out the will of our community,” says COB Chair Andrés Martínez. “The Board is committed to building upon the already improved relations with MNPD since Chief Drake began serving in the interim, and will continue striving for increased accountability, transparency, and trust.”
While in his role as Interim Chief of Police, Drake promised to work through past points of tension with the Board, including disagreements over public records, crime scene access, and poor communication. So far, he has held up his word in working towards assisting the Board in overcoming those hurdles.
“We have continued to make strides with MNPD and are looking forward to continuing the collaborative work that has been started under the leadership of Chief Drake,” says Executive Director Jill Fitcheard. “He has committed that he understands and supports the mission of the COB and the will of the Nashville voters, and that is to see the COB accomplish its goals and have continued success.”
A modified Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the COB and MNCO will be signed by Chief Drake after its final approval from the COB’s Executive Committee next week. This MOU will be an updated version to a previously approved one, which is a working agreement between the Board and MNPD that outlines specific guidelines on how the departments work together. The Board looks forward to the signed MOU by Chief Drake being the step in the right direction that they have been seeking since its inception.