Olympia City Hall

Olympia to bring back police auditor program

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OLYMPIA –– The City of Olympia is restoring the police auditor program started in 2002 in response to the concerns over recent police brutality in the community and across the country.

City staffers restored a budget of $30,000, initially cut down due to the 2009 recession. The restoration of this program would allow the city council to hire a police auditor whose goal would be to increase public trust and confidence in the professional accountability systems of the Olympia Police Department.

“The purpose of retaining a police auditor would also be to provide an independent review and audit of investigations of complaints about the police departments and its employees,” said Debbie Sullivan, assistant city manager.

The general government committee voted to hire a police auditor for a year through a professional services contract. The hired police auditor will review the police department’s standards to determine whether the investigations meet the standard of being complete, thorough, objective and fair. The number of complaint cases would be reviewed annually and include all complaints about police employees which allege the use of excessive or unnecessary force, civil rights violations, bias and any other cases described in the contract.

Olympia City Hall, Olympia General Government Committee, police auditor, Olympia Police Department

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