TAMPA, Fla. — On Tuesday, Tampa City Council members didn’t pass a measure that would let voters decide if the citizen review board should have the authority to subpoena the police department.
Residents and local organizations spoke at the podium sharing their thoughts. Mostly everyone who spoke was pushing for the CRB’s subpoena power to be put on the election ballot.
The president of the NAACP Yvette Lewis said their organization has been pushing for this.
“We are begging you to do is just put it on the ballot and give it to the people,” she said.
Only three council members voted yes for the change during the special meeting held on Thursday. One of those council members was Lynn Hurtak.
“I don’t have a stand one way or the other I really believe the citizens want what they want, and I personally don’t believe in stopping the citizens from having that vote,” she explained.
Hurtak says the council members who voted against it expressed their concerns.
“The main pushback from my understanding is that the administration and the police department did not want this because they think it will affect morale,” she said.
The mayor released the following statement regarding the decision:
"I appreciate that council members took the time to examine the issue thoughtfully and understood that giving the board subpoena power would not in any way improve public safety or our outstanding police department's collaborative relationship with the community."
It's unclear if the topic will be discussed again among council members.