This oversight vet from Ferguson could revive Miami-Dade’s police board after 13 years

After being shutdown for 13 years, Miami-Dade County’s police board could be ready to accept complaints with the hiring of an executive director. County commissioners are slated to vote on an oversight veteran from Ferguson, Mo., for the full-time post at their March 15 meeting.

Nicolle Barton, an administrator involved in federal police oversight in Ferguson, is the pick for director by Miami-Dade’s new Independent Civilian Panel. Commissioners revived the board in 2020 after it was shutdown during a 2009 budget crunch, and the panel has yet to accept complaints from citizens due to administrative hurdles. One of those is a lack of full-time staff.

Barton serves as Ferguson’s coordinator for the federal oversight program that was put in place after the 2014 police shooting of 28-year-old Michael Brown. That killing brought no charges but sparked protest, unrest and a wave of police departments, including in Miami-Dade, purchasing body cameras for officers.

Before the Ferguson post, Barton launched the new civilian oversight panel for nearby St. Louis.