(Washington, DC) Philip K. Eure, executive director of the District of Columbia’s Office of Police Complaints (OPC), was elected president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) during the organization’s 14th annual conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, last month.

NACOLE is a non-profit organization made up of citizen oversight agencies and individuals that work to reduce police misconduct and promote greater police accountability in the United States and around the world.  OPC, which is governed by the Police Complaints Board (PCB), is a member of NACOLE.

Eure has been involved with NACOLE since OPC opened in 2001.  He has been on the board of directors and most recently served as president-elect of the organization, working closely with the other 10 members of the board on various issues such as increasing the professionalization of the citizen oversight field, promoting best practices, and establishing partnerships with police review agencies nationwide and overseas.

In his new role as president, Eure will lead the effort to increase NACOLE’s capacity to offer technical assistance to communities seeking to establish or improve independent government agencies that oversee law enforcement.  Currently, the United States has about 150 police oversight agencies.

Other NACOLE board members hail from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington State.  The organization’s next annual conference will take place in Austin, Texas, October 31- November 3, 2009.

For more information about NACOLE, visit www.nacole.org. To learn more about OPC, visit www.policecomplaints.dc.gov.