Nashville’s Community Review Board voted unanimously Monday night to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Metro Nashville Police Department, formalizing the procedures both sides will follow as the CRB reviews internal police investigations. The agreement comes more than a year after the review board was established to take the place of a stronger oversight board that was eliminated by a 2023 state law.
Board members had expressed frustration in recent months about the slow progress they were making toward a deal with the MNPD. The board’s attempts to work without one had led to a backlog of dozens of cases. But during a brief discussion before Monday night’s vote, members spoke glowingly of both the process and the final product. Negotiations were led from the board’s side by member Drew Goddard, CRB Executive Director Jill Fitcheard, and attorney Frank Brazil.
“I believe we got everything we needed, pretty much everything we wanted and the police department, I believe, came out with the same thing,” Goddard said.
Fitcheard said meetings with the police department negotiators were animated by a “spirit of cooperation” and board chair Alisha Haddock added that “it feels like we’re on the upside of police transparency and accountability.”
The board did not discuss the details of the final MOU. But recent board discussions about the ongoing negotiations had focused on making sure the CRB had timely access to body camera footage and received the entire case files associated with MNPD investigations into complaints against their officers.
Brazil told the board’s executive committee last week that Metro Police Chief John Drake has also agreed to meet quarterly with Fitcheard.