Title
Discussion of the 2024 Draft Police Auditor Mid-Year Report
Recommended Action
No action requested.
Report Issue:
Discussion of the 2024 Draft Police Auditor Mid-Year Report.
Staff Contact:
Stacey Ray, Assistant City Manager, 360.753.8046
Presenter(s):
Stacey Ray, Assistant City Manager
Rich Allen, Police Chief
Tara Parker, Police Auditor, Clarity Investigations and Consulting, PLLC
Kathryn Olson, Change Integration Consulting
Background and Analysis:
In 2022, the City Council requested that the Social Justice and Equity Commission advise the Council on Community Oversight of Law Enforcement (COLE). As a result, the Commission undertook the work of evaluating the City’s current oversight model. The Commission worked collaboratively with a Community Workgroup and the Olympia Police Department (OPD) to put forward a recommendation to Council that builds on the current system of community involvement and oversight in policing, which was subsequently accepted by the Council in July 2024.
Included in the recommendations are that the Police Auditor will meet regularly with an established Community Board to share an overview of misconduct complaint investigations, use of force incidents and recommendations so Board members can learn, ask questions, share concerns, and provide the community’s perspective regarding recommendations.
In March 2024, members of the Social Justice & Equity Commission had an opportunity to test this part of the recommendation: the Police Chief shared an overview of the Department’s 2023 calls for service, activities and accomplishments, and the Police Auditor provided an overview of misconduct complaints, use of force incident reports audited, and recommendations for operational, training, or policy changes to OPD. In response, Commissioners shared their community perspective regarding the Auditor’s 2023 Annual Report, including the Auditor’s recommendations.
Subsequent updates made by the Auditor based on Commissioner feedback were incorporated into the final report, shared with City Council on May 14, 2024.
The City’s Civilian Police Auditor has now finalized the draft 2024 Mid-Year Report, which covers incidents between January 1 and June 30 of 2024. The planned establishment of a Community Board, however, is still underway, so the Social Justice & Equity Commission will again be the body that receives an update from the Police Chief, a summary of the Auditor’s 2024 Mid-Year Report, and provides input on the Auditor’s draft recommendations.
The format for the meeting will be similar as before but will incorporate the recommendation approved by Council which states that the Auditor will provide an in-depth review of one case from the report. This provides a learning opportunity for meeting participants, with the Auditor having an opportunity to further describe their role and the processes in place that lead to effective auditing of uses of force and misconduct complaints.
Input from Commissioners on the draft recommendations will be considered by the Police Auditor before finalizing their 2024 Mid-Year Report. The report is slated for presentation to City Council at their November 12, 2024, regular business meeting.
Climate Analysis:
This project is not expected to have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
Equity Analysis:
The intent of a Community Board is to enhance community involvement in law enforcement. It’s also the intent that Board membership be diverse and representative of the community’s demographics and lived experiences, including community members who may have been justice-impacted. Having community members learn about the Auditor’s findings and provide input on their recommendations contributes to changes in policing training, policies and practices that are in alignment with community needs and interests and contributes more broadly to building trust and legitimacy in the City’s public safety system.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
There’s broad community interest in community involvement in law enforcement, including the role and recommendations of the Auditor and in the OPD data and policy updates shared by the Police Chief. The Auditor meeting regularly with the Commission, and once it’s established, the Community Board, supports ongoing transparency in policing for community members.
Options:
1. Have the discussion.
2. Do not have the discussion.
3. Have the discussion at another time.
Financial Impact:
The City Council appropriated $150,000 for the Police Auditor in the 2024 operating budget.
Attachments:
Police Auditor Draft 2024 Mid-Year Report
Olympia Police Department Standards of Conduct
Olympia Police Department Professional Conduct Review System