Voters in the City of Nashville decided on Amendment 1 which was one of six charter amendments on the November 6th general election ballot.
Amendment 1 was watched closely nationwide as supporters of civilian police oversight boards saw the vote in Nashville as a bellwether vote. Other similar cities would view the result in Nashville as a mandate if such a policy would be popular. According to The Tennesseean, oversight boards exist in over 100 cities nationwide.
The push for a police oversight board came in 2017 after a member of the Nashville Metro Police Department shot and killed Jocques Clemmons, 30, after a traffic stop in East Nashville. Community Oversight Now, supporters of Amendment 1, was formed after the 2017 shooting incident. Numerous social justice organizations in Nashville established the coalition.
The Andrew Jackson Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 in Nashville launched the Vote No on the $10 Million Dollar Tax Hike Committee to oppose Amendment 1. The American Police Officers Alliance provided financial support to the Vote No on the $10 Million Dollar Tax Hike Committee to oppose Amendment 1. The committee was named as such because a police oversight board would have cost taxpayers in the City of Nashville $10 million dollars over five years to create and maintain such an entity. The board would have American Police officers Alliance was able to provide get out the vote phone calls to prospective voters along with assisting the FOP with other promotional efforts.
Amendment 1 passed on November 6th by a margin of 59 to 41 percent. What comes next after the passage of Amendment 1? The Amendment was certified by the Davidson County Election Commission shortly after the November 6th election. Certification of the amendment makes the oversight board the law. The Nashville City Council will confirm the 11 individuals who serve on the board. The composition of the board includes seven nominees from community organizations, two from the Nashville City Council, and two from the Mayor of Nashville. The board is fully funded by the taxpayers of Metropolitan Nashville.
