Civilian Police Review Committee

Overview

The Civilian Police Review Committee (CPRC) is a volunteer advisory body whose purpose is to review citizen-generated complaint cases and cases that have received a high level of community interest, which have been filed against St. Petersburg police officers. The CPRC role is to determine whether Police Department policies and procedures were followed by the accused police officer and the investigating police officers. These cases represent administrative investigations and are not criminal in nature.

CPRC 2022 Annual Report

The Committee reviews and analyzes the cases, and determines, through consensus, the adequacy and appropriateness of the investigations and findings. Pursuant to Florida law, the CPRC cannot change the findings, but it can provide recommendations for policies within the Police Department that convey a sense of fairness, competency of investigations, and concern for the interests of both the civilian complainants and the police officers.

Any person may register a complaint against a St. Petersburg police officer, when there is reason to believe that the officer has acted improperly, at either of these locations:

St. Petersburg Police Department
Office of Professional Standards (OPS)
1301 1st Ave. N. 
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
727-893-7596

Civilian Police Review Committee
MSC Building, 3rd Floor
One 4th St. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-893-7229 

Meeting Schedule

CPRC review meetings are held on the 4th Monday of the month. If no review meeting is scheduled, a CPRC discussion/training will be held. Additionally, there is formal CPRC training is in September, for 3 evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The Civilian Police Review Committee exists to educate the public about the complaint process and to have citizens review and publicize the results of those complaint cases. In the past, community groups and individual citizens voiced their concerns regarding the Police Department's complaint system. They perceived that the legitimacy of case investigations could be questionable when those who were the subjects of the complaints were also responsible for the investigation of those complaints.

CPRC is a 15-member, multi-racial group that reflects the representative composition of the City's population. Members serve for three years and are appointed by the Mayor. Citizens interested in joining the committee should submit a resume with a cover letter briefly describing why they are interested (address and phone above).

The Community Affairs Division is located at:
One 4th St. N. - MSC Building, 3rd Floor
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Committee Member Requirements

• Be a resident of St. Petersburg.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Make a three-year commitment, if possible.
• Not have any felony convictions nor violations involving moral turpitude.
• Not hold any political office.
• Not be a city of St. Petersburg employee.
• Not work for any law enforcement agency.
• Not be related to members of the St. Petersburg Police Department
• Attend a monthly meeting on the 4th Monday of the month and complete the required training.