CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – “We have talked in board meetings about some of the limitations we have under the Iowa Code,” said Cedar Rapids Review Board Co-Chair Harold Walehwa.
That’s a concern even among current members of the Cedar Rapids Citizen Review Board, which seeks to hold police accountable. Members of the Cedar Rapids CRB said it has been successful in holding police accountable since its formation in 2021. However, a former board member told i9 they were never given access to body camera footage, despite the city’s initial promise of that access.
CRB members raised questions about how the police handle calls about mental health issues, and they examined data and reviewed complaints against officers. Vice Chair Harold Walehwa said this review holds the police department accountable for bridging the gap between the police and the community.
“I think we’re really successful with what we can do,” he said.
But what they “can” and “can’t” do became clear at Thursday’s meeting, which dealt with complaints about officials.
“It would be really helpful to review the body camera footage,” said board member Patrick McMullen. But he and the other board members can’t do that. The city issued a statement to i9 saying, “Reviewing the body camera footage was one of our goals originally and was included in the ordinance…”
The city said the state changed the rules in 2021. Iowa Code prohibits the practice.
“Some things we’ve talked about in the past that have been a pretty hot topic are access to body-worn cameras,” he said. “There’s been a conversation that could be helpful, and we’ve looked at different communities that have access to these cameras and how it’s been helpful to them.”
Our investigative team i9 has found that other citizen review boards in Eastern Iowa have access to body camera footage. Iowa City’s citizen review board minutes show that not only does it have access to that footage, but it also has its own legal counsel and can interview complainants and the police officers handling the complaint. In Iowa City, the board then issues its own independent findings of fact.
“Because Iowa doesn’t have that many review boards, there are obviously a lot of different ways to navigate the Iowa Code, our own code, our own policies and the like,” Walehwa said.
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