(1) The Board shall advise the Managing Director and the Police Commissioner on policies and actions of the Police Department with the purpose of improving the ability of police personnel to carry out their duties, and to improve the relationship between the Police Department and the community. To this end the Board shall have full discretion to select appropriate individual incidents to investigate and broader issues to study which may be of concern to the community, the Police Department or the Police Commissioner; provided, however, that the Board shall, to the extent possible, minimize any duplication of effort between the Board and any other existing agencies which have jurisdiction over the same matter. The Board, the Managing Director, the Police Commissioner, and other responsible officials shall ensure that all such agencies cooperate to the greatest extent possible in the performance of their respective activities, investigations, and operations. Such studies and investigations may be initiated upon complaint to the Board by any member of the public, the Police Department, or at the Board's own discretion; provided, however, that the Board shall not investigate specific complaints of verbal abuse, except those complaints involving language related to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, or failure to provide service which matters shall remain, subject to the requirement that the Police Department supply the Board upon request with copies of complaints and dispositions regarding such matters, completely within the purview of the Police Department. In order to accomplish its goals as set forth above, the Board shall, as a unit of the Managing Director's Office, have full power to direct the Police Department to produce appropriate personnel for interviews, and to produce relevant documents, including but not limited to the following, for review:

(a) Internal Affairs files, citizen complaints and determinations made pursuant thereto, Management Review Board files, Ethics and Accountability files, and the files of any other internal investigative agency charged with investigating police misconduct incidents;

(b) Police paperwork (e.g., police 75-49's, police 75-48's, and other paperwork produced by the Police Department for the purpose of investigating suspects or to aid in their prosecution);

(c) Personnel files of officers;

(d) Police Directives;

(e) All general summaries, statistical compilations and other internal reports on shootings, injuries, complaints of abuse, training and any other issues related to the work of the Board.

(2) The Board at its discretion may make specific recommendations at anytime, and shall issue a public report summarizing its activities and recommendations not less than once a year to the Mayor and members of City Council, and shall make copies of the report available to the public at the Free Library and at other locations. No Board finding or recommendation shall be based solely upon an unsworn complaint or statement, nor shall prior unsubstantiated, unfounded or withdrawn complaints be the sole basis for any such finding or recommendation.

(3) The Board shall respond to all complaints filed by individuals alleging police misconduct within seven (7) days of receiving any such complaint. Such response shall indicate whether, in the exercise of its discretion, the Board will investigate the allegations made, not investigate them, or request additional information to enable it to make a decision on its options.

(4) The Board shall establish a mediation program pursuant to which a complainant may voluntarily choose to resolve a complaint by means of informal conciliation.

(5) The Board shall have the responsibility of informing the public about the Board and its duties, and shall develop and administer an on-going program for the education of the public regarding the provisions of this Chapter.