A group of concerned citizens pitched the idea of forming a Civilian Police Oversight Commission to keep an eye on the Las Cruces Police Department.
They wanted this committee to review policies, procedures and suggest improvements.
KFOX14 spoke with people and it seemed like they were split on whether it was a good move or not.
"It’s hard to give feedback to a profession that you don’t know, you’re not in that space, and you don’t know exactly how they operate and what training they’ve had," said Julie Brunsom.
The group added this committee would work parallel to the Office for Independent Review, which is an independently contracted auditor that gave the city of Las Cruces a review twice a year, but unlike the OIR, the proposed committee would review complaints the police departments get on a monthly basis, even if there was no formal complaint filed.
However, not everyone was completely sold on the proposal.
"I think it’s a good idea but I also think it would need to be implemented in order to see results because an idea doesn’t speak for scientific data," said Candace Baker.
RECOMMENDED:Fire destroys Las Cruces playground
The group behind the proposal also wanted to educate the public about police protocols and why certain decisions were made.
Despite holding doubts, one local KFOX14 spoke with believed the committee could improve the communication between the police and the community.
"I think that would definitely make the community feel like they have a voice it also could help keep the police in check if the community feels like the actions weren’t right," said Baker.
Meantime, some members of the city council said there was not enough research to prove that a committee, like the one being proposed, would be effective.
"There’s really no data, at least not in the reports you presented, that have any kind of outcomes in terms of has crime gone down, there has there been less brutality," said city councilor, Yvonne Flores.
"I agree with this advocate’s group's goals and desires and concerns. Every time I read about a citizen oversight committee I come across controversies that I think distract from the real work ahead and that’s my biggest concern," said city councilor, Johana Bencomo.
To watch the discussion about this topic during the work session in its entirety click here.
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.