Fargo Police Advisory and Oversight Board selects chair & vice chair in first meeting

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – The Fargo Police Advisory and Oversight Board holds its first meeting.

The seven member board aims to create a dialogue between the community and Fargo Police. Members want to improve relationships and help with diverse recruitment and provide a perspective on policy and programs the community finds important.

Chief David Zibolski says the board should improve trust and relations which he says were “greatly strained” in 2020.

The board is led by Dr. Joanna Johnson who is a nurse practitioner. She’s worked with North Dakota State University, Sanford Health, Luther Hall and Madison Veterans Affairs. Johnson has several priorities.

“Looking at safety, training, the community safety, mental health, those things are very important to me,” Johnson said.

Vice Chair Lucrachia King is a former New York Police Department and federal parks employee. She’s volunteered for community programs in The Big Apple. King is interested in looking to help those with mental health issues.

“My thought was looking into having a separate group besides the police department to handle those type of calls.”

Even though the Police Advisory and Oversight Board is something some in the community have said they want, there was only a handful of people at the meeting and no one spoke during the public comment period.

Board members will meet once a month and serve a term of four years.