The world of civilian oversight of law enforcement lost an incredible leader last week, with the passing of oversight pioneer, Merrick Bobb. He was an early champion of civilian oversight of law enforcement, and throughout his career, shined a light on problems within law enforcement agencies.

Merrick, a NACOLE Flame Award recipient, had a career that spanned decades and included work as the deputy general counsel for the Christopher Commission, special counsel to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, founder of the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC), and independent monitor of the Seattle Police Department’s consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. Regardless of the work being done and the agency being overseen, Merrick was a force in shaping the civilian oversight movement into what it is today.

Merrick’s work and dedication to the field of civilian oversight helped to create better policies and practices and helped pave the way for oversight practitioners working to make their local law enforcement agencies, jails, and prisons more transparent, accountable, and responsive to the communities they serve.

Click here to read more about Merrick’s life and work.