Pasquotank County officials unveiled plans for a new review board overseeing the county's sheriff's office.
The board, called the Citizens Advisory Council, will review citizen complaints against sheriff’s deputies and hear appeals from sheriff’s office employees who have been disciplined.
It will also review internal policies and participate in the hiring process.
The board will be able to make recommendations to the sheriff after reviews, but won’t have disciplinary powers of its own, similar to the boards in four other North Carolina cities, said County Manager Sparty Hammett.
The council’s creation comes almost a year after county deputies shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man from Elizabeth City, as he tried to drive away while they served a warrant.
Brown’s killing sparked protests and criticism of the department. Several deputies resigned in the aftermath.
A local prosecutor ruled the shooting was justified, saying deputies who’d surrounded Brown’s car “reasonably believed” they were in danger.
Brown’s family has since filed a wrongful death suit, calling his death an “execution.”
The 13-person review board will have its first meeting next month. The board's bylaws are still in the works.
