Detroit City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday to approve a comprehensive police accountability ordinance that creates an independent civilian oversight board with subpoena power, requires mandatory body camera activation in all police-citizen encounters, restricts the use of facial recognition technology in criminal investigations, and establishes new use-of-force reporting requirements — one of the most significant changes to Detroit police oversight in a generation.

The Detroit Community Oversight Act, passed after more than 18 months of negotiations between the council, community advocates, the Detroit Police Officers Association, and the Duggan administration, creates a nine-member Independent Police Oversight Commission with the authority to investigate complaints against officers, compel testimony, access department records, and recommend disciplinary action in cases of serious misconduct.

Under the ordinance’s facial recognition provisions — among the most closely watched elements of the legislation — law enforcement will be required to obtain a warrant before using facial recognition results as probable cause for an arrest and to disclose the use of facial recognition technology to defendants in criminal proceedings. Detroit was an early adopter of facial recognition technology but faced significant criticism after several high-profile wrongful arrests linked to faulty matches.

Council President Mary Waters, a longtime advocate for the legislation, called the vote a milestone. “This is what accountability looks like in a city that takes civil rights seriously,” she said. “For too long, Detroiters have had no meaningful recourse when police power was abused. That changes today.”

The Detroit Police Officers Association, which opposed the ordinance, argued that the subpoena power granted to the oversight commission could complicate criminal investigations and that officers would face unfair second-guessing from civilians who lack law enforcement training. Union president Sgt. Terence Edmonds said the union would challenge specific provisions in court.

Police Chief James White, who had been involved in negotiations over the ordinance’s final language, said the department would comply with its requirements and expressed confidence that the body camera provisions in particular would ultimately protect both residents and officers by creating a reliable factual record of encounters.

The ordinance takes effect 90 days after Mayor Duggan’s signature, which he indicated he would provide within the week. Community organizations that led the campaign for the legislation, including Detroit Will Breathe and the NAACP Detroit Branch, declared the vote a historic victory.