Title
Approval of the 2026 Civilian Police Auditor Work Plan
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Community Livability and Public Safety Committee recommends approval of the Civilian Police Auditor work plan for 2026.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the 2026 Civilian Police Auditor work plan.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the 2026 Civilian Police Auditor work plan.
Staff Contact:
Margo Morales, Community Engagement Program Specialist, Organizational Development and Performance, 360.753.8150
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
In July 2024, the City Council accepted recommendations from the Social Justice and Equity Commission (SJEC) on Community Oversight of Law Enforcement. From those recommendations, the City established a new Community Policing Board (Board). The purpose of the Board is to ensure accountability and transparency of the Olympia Police Department and to serve as community representatives, providing community perspectives on the work of the Civilian Police Auditor (Auditor).
The SJEC recommendations also included enhancements to the role of Auditor. The central role of the Auditor is to review certain types of investigations completed internally by the Olympia Police Department and provide regular reports to the City Council. This includes recommendations to improve police department operations, policy and training based on their findings. An enhancement to the Auditor's role is the requirement to develop an annual work plan to be approved by the City Council. The work plan outlines the policies, training, and other key issues of interest that the Auditor intends to review over the course of the year.
This is the first year the Auditor has been required to develop a work plan for the coming year informed by findings from their 2025 draft annual report and that aligned with their scope of work. On March 12, 2026, the Board had an opportunity to review and discuss the dra...
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