Olympia City Council approves new civilian police auditor  

After going years without a police auditor system, the Olympia City Council has strengthened its framework for accountability by approving a contract with the OIR Group to provide independent civilian police auditor services.  

Council member Jim Cooper recalled the years of challenging budget discussions to bring back the police auditor services.  

"We went almost a decade without the auditor. We've got to this point five years ago and didn't even know how it would play out," he said.

"But we are in a great place to implement this new system with a new auditing team and civilian oversight, staff leadership, and the Social Justice and Equity Commission. We actually have a system now."  

The city first established the civilian auditor position in 2002, with an auditor serving from 2003 to 2009. The role was suspended in 2010 due to budget cuts during the Great Recession.

It was reinstated in 2020 amid calls for police reform and social justice. In December 2024, the city council updated Olympia Municipal Code 2.38 Police Auditor and issued a request for proposals. 

At a council meeting on Tuesday, May 6, Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray presented the recommendation after a selection process that included six initial proposals.  

On April 16, the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee (CLPS) recommended moving forward with the OIR Group of Long Beach, California, as the city's new civilian police auditor. 

According to Ray, the OIR Group has been providing oversight services to public entities since 2001. She added that the firm demonstrated an in-depth understanding of Olympia's specific needs, offering a framework tailored to the city's needs.  

Ray said the OIR Group demonstrated extensive experience with communities similar to Olympia, with a deep understanding of community engagement and education.

The group's approach includes comprehensive system audits that examine multiple aspects of law enforcement, with a particular focus on racial equity and justice concerns.

"Additionally, OIR has maintained several long-standing relationships with communities, consistently renewing contracts over time, and has been a consistent and reliable partner and oversight entity for those communities," Ray said.

The new auditor's role expands beyond previous responsibilities, now including direct complaint reception, comprehensive incident auditing, and increased interaction with the city's upcoming community policing board.  

Michael Gennaco, of OIR, introduced his team, highlighting their extensive experience in police oversight across communities with civilian involvement.  

Although based in California, OIR has worked in Washington, including King County and Seattle. Gennaco emphasized an approach of combining community-based oversight with professional law enforcement expertise, referencing recent work with the Davis Police Accountability Commission in California as an example of a commitment to transparent, collaborative police oversight.  

The city has entered a one-year contract, with an option to renew, with OIR Group. The deal is valued between $100,000 to $120,000 annually.