An ordinance proposed by the city of Boise to dissolve its current Office of Police Oversight in favor of a new model will also remove the oversight office’s ability to initiate investigations of citizen complaints on its own, raising concerns about the decision’s potential fallout in communities where trust in police is already low.
The proposed ordinance will require all citizen complaints received by the new Office of Police Accountability to be forwarded directly to Internal Affairs at the Boise Police Department for investigation, according to a copy of the draft ordinance filed April 15. Experts say this undermines the independence of the office and will likely deter people who don’t feel comfortable working with the police from participating in the complaint process.
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City of Boise prepares to implement changes regarding policing, police accountability
The city of Boise wants a model that will increase community involvement in oversight and review of police conduct. Author: Joey Prechtl Updated: 10:19 PM MDT April 20, 2021
BOISE, Idaho The City of Boise is working to implement changes in policing, including changing the Office of Police Oversight into the Office of Police Accountability.
This new office would serve as a leader in civilian oversight and would help resolve resident complaints, audit investigations, and examine potential trends regarding systemic issues within the department.
Ultimately, the city wants law enforcement that is responsive to community needs. The Boise City Council discussed this new office at their weekly work session on April 13.
We are continuing to monitor the session daily to see whether property tax relief, elimination of the state's grocery tax, and the end of the governor's emergency powers will pass both Houses.