Fargo City Commission takes step closer to police oversight board

November 2, 2021

Jim Monk,

FARGO (KVRR/KFGO) – On a 3-2 vote, the Fargo City Commission agreed to receive a proposed ordinance to create the first-ever Fargo Police Advisory and Oversight Board made up of seven citizen members. The final decision, which could include some changes, will be before commissioners in two weeks.

Police Chief Dave Zibolski says the proposal is the culmination of months of research and work from the community, the police department, administration, and city leaders.

He says the establishment of a board like this is not unusual or unheard of. It’s in many states and departments. “Over the course of the past six months, this group has dealt with and made our way through a lot of difficult discussions of what the value would be on both sides of the coin from the police department and the community.”

Zibolski says the board would be a “buffer” between the police department and the community, improving trust and relations which he says were “greatly strained” in 2020.

Mayor Tim Mahoney calls the new board a big step forward for the city.

Commissioner Dave Piepkorn is opposed to the plan. He says the city commission is the police department’s oversight board and that the new board is “redundancy.”