Citizens Police Oversight Commission

The Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) is the City of Philadelphia's civilian agency for reviewing police conduct and policy. It was created after a 2020 ballot question amended the Home Rule Charter to replace the older Police Advisory Commission, which had been created by executive order and relied on the department's cooperation. The city describes CPOC as overseeing and investigating the conduct, policies and practices of the Philadelphia Police Department. ^[1]

1 Origins

The city's police oversight bodies date to 1958, when Mayor Richardson Dilworth created a Police Review Board, soon renamed the Police Advisory Board; it was dissolved in 1969. Mayor Ed Rendell re-established oversight as the Police Advisory Commission (PAC) by executive order in January 1994. The PAC reviewed complaint patterns and issued policy reports but relied on the department's cooperation. After the 2020 protests following the killing of George Floyd, Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. introduced a ballot question to amend the Home Rule Charter to create an independent Citizens Police Oversight Commission, and on November 3, 2020 more than 500,000 Philadelphians voted yes, according to CPOC's own history. Bill No. 210074 passed City Council on May 27, 2021 and was signed by Mayor Jim Kenney on June 9, 2021. After an application process that ran from September 29 to November 5, 2021, City Council appointed CPOC's first nine commissioners on April 28, 2022, and the agency began operations that month. ^[1][2]

2 Structure and powers

CPOC has two parts: a board of nine civilian commissioners and a professional staff headed by an executive director. As of October 2026 the city's website lists Hassan Bennett as chair, Malika Rahman as vice chair and Tonya McClary as executive director, with a deputy executive director and directors for data analytics, auditing and policy, outreach and administration. Commissioners are appointed through a selection panel and City Council; the agency's 2024 annual report says Council began recruiting in August 2024 to fill five vacant commissioner seats, and the city's 2026 annual-report announcement says five new commissioners were seated on April 10, 2025. ^[3] The city describes CPOC as the body that oversees and investigates the conduct, policies and practices of the Philadelphia Police Department. In practice it reviews civilian complaints and Internal Affairs' handling of them, audits compliance with policies such as body-worn camera rules, reviews police shootings and in-custody deaths, analyzes data, runs a community-police complaint mediation program, and issues public reports and policy recommendations. It can recommend, but not itself impose, discipline; the Police Commissioner decides discipline under the process described in Police Accountability Systems.

CPOC publishes annual reports; its 2025 annual report was released in April 2026. ^[3] Commissioners meet publicly twice a month on Zoom, and the meetings are advertised under the Sunshine Act and allow public comment.

3 The investigative-authority dispute

CPOC's stated position is that its ability to conduct independent investigations of police misconduct is blocked by the police contract. Its 2024 annual report describes testimony to City Council in November 2024 that the police contract "remains the final barrier" to independent investigations, and says that the call for such authority was added to the city's draft proposals for the new contract. The police union, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, takes the position that changes to how officers are investigated are subjects of collective bargaining. In the 2025 interest arbitration, the panel did not grant CPOC independent investigative power, as reported by Axios, and CPOC states that it is currently prohibited from conducting independent investigations under the existing police contract while it continues to advocate for that authority. ^[3][4] The conflict between the charter text, state bargaining law and the union contract is discussed in The FOP Contract and Police Discipline and Public Sector Bargaining in Pennsylvania.

4 Leadership changes and rebuilding

Axios Philadelphia reported in January 2026 that CPOC's director of investigations had left and that a national search was under way for the post, and in March 2026 that CPOC planned to spend $75,000 on an outside consultant to help recalibrate its mission and support commissioners. ^[4][5] The agency's 2021-2023 annual report notes that its investigations unit was still hiring staff and developing processes.

5 How residents use CPOC

According to the city, a resident may file a complaint about police conduct with CPOC online, by email, by mail or in person at 2401 Walnut Street; CPOC staff follow up for additional information and then send a complaint referral to the Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, and CPOC can sit in on Internal Affairs interviews at the complainant's request. The city's complaint page does not state a filing deadline, but it advises people with pending criminal charges to talk with an attorney before filing. A separate community-police complaint mediation program is meant to be completed within ninety days. Commission meetings are public and the Sunshine Act applies. Practical steps are in How to File a Complaint. CPOC is not a court and cannot award damages; people who believe their rights were violated may also consult a lawyer or an organization listed in Legal Aid and Public Interest Law.

See also: Philadelphia Police Department, Police Accountability Systems, Board of Ethics, Office of the Inspector General.

References

1. City of Philadelphia, Citizens Police Oversight Commission, phila.gov (department page, "Staff and commissioners," and "File a complaint against a Philadelphia police officer"); Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, ballot question of November 2020.
2. CPOC, 2021-2023 Combined Annual Report, phila.gov (March 2024), sections on history and timeline.
3. CPOC, 2024 Annual Report (April 2025); City of Philadelphia, "The Citizens Police Oversight Commission releases 2025 annual report" (April 29, 2026), phila.gov.
4. Axios Philadelphia, "Philly's police watchdog faces turmoil, key vacancy amid uncertain future" (January 26, 2026).
5. Axios Philadelphia, "Philly's police watchdog hiring $75K consultant to rebuild amid setbacks" (March 5, 2026).