The Iowa City City Council will expand Community Police Review Board membership from five to seven members to allow for former law enforcement officials to serve on the board after they’ve been out of the field for two years.

The motion was passed 6-1, with Mayor Pro Tem Megan Alter voting against the resolution.

“I think that if we look back not only in terms of any kind of longevity of career or engagement or activity, any one of us looking back and that we do have a lot of knowledge and experience in a particular way with whether it’s community engagement, our own careers, and I think ultimately it is very difficult to separate out some of those experiences,” Alter said at the Feb. 1 Iowa City City Council meeting.

As previously reported by The Daily Iowan, the Iowa City City Council voted to allow for the expansion of the Community Police Review Board from five members to seven at its Jan 4. meeting.

These decisions were first proposed by the Community Police Review Board in December 2021 and council discussed the recommendations throughout 2021.

At the Jan. 4 meeting, councilors were not comfortable with having no time in between the law enforcement officials serving in their respected position and serving on the Community Police Review Board.

Almost a month later at Tuesday’s meeting, the passed because of the amended recommendation calling for at least two years in between serving in a law enforcement role and serving on the Community Police Review Board.

“I’m glad this is coming true now. and I’m glad for the emphasis on diverse membership that’s talked about in there, that’s with hopes that there will be diversity in the applicants,” Councilor Pauline Taylor said at the Feb. 2 meeting.